There’s a saying that ‘the deeper you dive the more you explore’.
The ocean is one-third of the planet and yet only 5% has been discovered.
There are uncountable unimaginable treasures that lie farther or deeper in the ocean and are yet to be explored.
There was a time when Blue Cave Croatia was among such undiscovered treasures, but fortunately, by that time it was becoming the most valuable tourist attraction for both, local and international tourists.
One of the reasons for its increasing popularity is its visualization in the most famous TV series ‘Game of Thrones.
You can grab the opportunity to visit Blue Cave and directly book a Blue Cave tour from Split by the local travel agency.
If you haven’t heard about the blue cave, then you are going to love that place after reading this article, those who know already will increase their knowledge.
Blue Cave, Blue Grotto, or Modra Spilja whatever you call it, has captivated the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people who already witnessed this majestic beauty in remoteness.
The Adriatic Sea is known to hold a great number of hidden jewels, but the blue cave is something on another level that outranks other wonders in the Adriatic Sea.
It is located on Bisevo Island which is also a part of the Komiza Islands series.
There are many tour services all across Croatia that are selling blue cave tour packages with different offers and benefits.
The fame of the blue cave became the latest reason for tough competition among travel agencies in Croatia.
However, the local people notably the fishermen who know well about the area visit on their own. Assuming that you don’t know about the area you must hire the best services if you wish to capture those loving scenes.
But first, you need to have a basic know-how about the blue cave and an overview of the trip. So let’s dig a bit and discover some facts before planning a trip. We advise you to read this article head to toe so you won’t miss a great value of knowledge.
Facts about Bisevo Island and Blue Cave in Croatia
Blue Cave is one of the mysterious caves situated on Bisevo Island, and the island itself has been a great tourist attraction for so long because of its remoteness and depth of water, it is one of the best sites for fish catching.
However, a few decades back, it was only popular among fishermen. Its fame peaked when the blue cave’s popularity spread out to the world. Let’s discover the facts about Blue Cave and Bisevo Island.
Geography
Bisevo Island is situated at a distance of 37 nautical miles south of Split in an open ocean, regionally can be found on the southeastern maritime border of Croatia.
It is a part of the Komiza Trio Islands, which are known as Vis, Bisevo, and Sveti Andrija.
The largest island is Vis Island which encompasses an area of 89.72 km², the second largest is Bisevo with a total area of 5.8 km², whereas Sveti Andrija is the smallest covering a total area of 0.05 km².
Vis Island is also the most populated island in the Komiza Islands series with 4000 approx. inhabitants. It’s where you can find restaurants and food on your trip to blue cave.
Besides, there are only 12 inhabitants on Bisevo Island and 64 on Sveti Andrija Island, they are likely to be fishermen who reside here for finding rare fishes in deep waters.
History
No one knows when or how the blue cave was discovered.
Before 1884, only the local fishermen knew about it and the entrance of the cave wasn’t even visible on the surface of the water.
One can only get into the cave by diving a few meters down into the water.
In 1884, Baron Eugen von Ransonet, the Austrian explorer discovered the cave underwater, and then it was blasted with dynamite to make a way into the cave on the surface.
Today, the entrance you see is the result of that blast, nothing has changed.
Structure and interior of Blue Cave
If we talk about Bisevo Island and its remoteness from the populated areas and availability of almost no urban services, the first thing that appears to mind is its some kind of ruined or unrich land where nobody wants to spend his life.
But in reality, it’s not like that, it’s true you cannot spend a standard life, but you definitely can spend a wonderful trip on your hard-earned vacations.
As you step onto Bisevo Island, look around and you will see plenty of caves on the rocky surface of the island.
The Blue Cave and the Monk Seal Cave are the most famous among them. Besides, the island is full of cliffs and limestones.
The entrance of the cave is too narrow, the entrance hole is about 2.5m wide and 1.5m high. You need a small boat to enter the cave.
A top of all of that, why is the blue cave so famous? and why does it lure a hundred of thousands of tourists every year? The main reason is the illumination of its natural blue lightning and its glowing interior.
What’s special about it? Let’s discover!
While entering the cave you will witness mesmerizing blue energetic light that makes glow everything inside the cave.
The actual reason for this natural lighting is the sunlight that passes through a small hole on top of the cave and reflects the limestones under the water, as a result, the limestones reflect and produce blue lightning that shades everything into aqua color.
The interior of the cave is about 24 meters long, 15 meters high, and 12 meters deep under the water. The width of the cave is different at each point. At some point, the path even becomes narrower.
When to visit Blue Cave in Croatia
The best season to visit the blue cave is between May and September.
This is the time when the Adriatic Sea remains calm and steady, however, an emergency could erupt at any time.
Besides, the destination itself has no restriction if anyone wants to visit on his own anytime, however, the tours from Split and other cities are functional between April and November.
The rest of the months are dangerous for sea traveling in the Adriatic Sea. That is the time when the Adriatic Sea remains stormy.
If you want to make the most of your tour you can book a ride between May and September, but it’s an ideal time, that’s why when other tourists also make their directions toward the blue cave.
If you are not fond of crowds and don’t want to keep standing in queues, you may consider visiting in April or October.
Once you decided when to go, it’s time to book a package, but you need to be careful about the schedule. You should enter the cave around noon.
It’s the time when the sun directly hits the underwater limestone of the blue cave through the top hole.
How to get to Blue Cave Croatia?
There are multiple ways to reach the blue cave, and you can choose any of them, but basically, every way falls into two categories, an organized tour, and a private tour.
People usually pick an organized tour to avoid extra workouts and to get to Bisevo Island at cheap rates. However, private tours have their fun.
Organized tours
There are plenty of blue cave tour organizing agencies working in harbor cities of Croatia including Split and Trogir. Split is an ideal destination to launch an exploring tour into the Adriatic Sea.
There are plenty of benefits to an organized Blue Cave Croatia tour.
You can get acquainted with good new people, you can avail yourself the services at cheap prices, you can go around multiple destinations in a single package,
you will have professional guides who also protect you in case of any unexpected tragedy, you don’t have to tire yourself planning and scheduling for the tour, you can get required equipment and gear for the specific destination, and much more.
However, if you are not fond of too many crowds or feel unsafe in public, you probably won’t like it much. In that case, you can visit with a group of your acquainted people.
Private tour
As far as the private blue cave Croatia tour is concerned, the process of the whole tour is too tiring and requires a lot of brainstorming while planning.
If you want to do it on your own, then spare a whole day for the Blue Cave tour, because this will be an exhausting journey and you probably won’t be able to go out to another place after returning.
First, you need to get up early in the morning, then get a ferry from Split that will take you to the Vis Island. This journey will be about 90-120 minutes depending on what route you are taking.
On the Vis Island, you will have to catch a local bus that will take you to Komiza Port and it will take up to 15 minutes.
From Komiza Port, take a ferry to Port of Porat on Bisevo Island. But you need to be very careful about your schedule.
The ferry from Komiza Port departs only once a day at 8 am and one return trip at 1 pm, 4 pm, or 5 pm. That’s why you have to depart from Split as early as possible, so you won’t miss that single ferry.
This ferry will take 60 to 75 minutes on the ride from either side.
Once you step onto Bisevo Island, buy blue cave entrance tickets at the Port of Porat. But most of the time you will have to wait in long queues, especially between May and September.
Before entering the blue cave, ask for the ferry departure time so you can keep track of your time. Otherwise, you could be stuck there for a whole night.
Besides, there’s an easy way to get to the blue cave and that is by hiring a private Blue Cave Croatia from Split.
But a private speedboat costs too much. But it’s up to you, which way you consider.
Most tourists avail of organized tours to avoid such brainstorming and efforts.
However, if you are a local and know the area well enough then it could be easier for you to get there on your own.
All about Entrance fees and bookings
If you are traveling on your own or via public transport, then you need to purchase blue cave entrance tickets at the Port of Porat or the entrance of the cave.
And you can book a speedboat for a private tour of the harbor in Split.
The way of organizing a tour is easier.
All you need to do is to visit the office of any tour organizer agency, which is mostly located close to the Split center, or you can do it online, just simply visit the relevant agency’s website and book a blue cave tour from Split.
The good thing about these organized tours is they cover everything for you, including the entrance tickets to the blue cave.
Besides, they always provide more than that.
This means if you are going to visit the blue cave, you will also have a chance to visit some more places in the same package.
What to do on Bisevo Island while waiting
As we told you already, you will have to wait a bit longer because of those long waiting queues.
But it’s not something like waiting in queues in shopping malls for bill payments.
You are on an island and around you, there’s a vast majestic Adriatic Sea, a top of that, you have a wide exploring range on Bisevo Island.
Besides the blue cave, there are plenty of caves on the island.
If you came here in a group then it’s an advantage, you won’t get bored.
Just note the time and stroll over the island.
You will find amazing things here, like cliffs, carved stones, many small caves, and a breathtaking view of the Adriatic Sea.
Things to do and not to do inside Blue Cave
When you enter the blue cave, you will witness something exceptional in the world. But there are some restrictions when you are inside.
You cannot swim, dive, or do any water activities.
You will have to remain in the boat.
You are allowed to take selfies and pictures but turn off the flash of your camera.
Avoid making too much noise and leave space for others as well. You will get about 6 to 15 minutes in the cave depending on the crowd.
Things to know before booking a tour package
Before going on a trip, doing some homework is always good.
There are some essential things you want to check before your trip.
Advanced Booking
Advanced booking is always better than a rush or sudden booking.
You will get some extra time for preparation.
For booking, you can easily visit any office of the trip organizer agencies located close to the Split center.
Or you can simply browse for them online and buy a required package.
The best time to book a package is at least 2 days before your trip day.
Protection of your belongings
As you set off for the trip, take only the necessary things. You definitely wouldn’t want to lose any important belongings.
Get a pouch belt or a small bag pack for better protection of small stuff, like medicine, sun cream, hand sanitizer, etc.
Health care
If you are suffering from any health issues, you should inform your guides or your service providers and keep your important medicine with you.
Is there food available on Bisevo Island?
There are no restaurants on Bisevo Island, as the place is remote and too tiny to hold such things.
But you can have a variety of food when you stop at Blue Lagoon, Hvar Island, or Paklenski Island.
Fortunately, those destinations are included in the same package, so you can definitely find some seafood and snacks to eat. Besides, you also can take some refreshments with you.
