Mljet is one of the most attractive islands in Croatia; a green house to unspoilt nature, surprising history, rustic villages, picturesque beaches and an atmosphere of peace unheard of in Dalmatia. Yet somehow this island paradise remains largely aloof. Embark on a journey that will take you deeper into the island of Mljet.
Mljet is located in the southern part of Croatia, 30 kilometers northwest of Dubrovnik. There are no airports on the island but there are a number of ferry and catamaran lines connecting travellers to Mljet. Both Split and Dubrovnik are well connected to Mljet.
Mljet National Park
Mljet National Park extends over almost 5,300 hectares, including a marine area 500 meters from the coast, islands and cliffs, and therefore covers almost one third of the island of Mljet. Mljet National Park borders two salt lakes. The lakes stretch for about 4 kilometers. In the middle of the Great Lake there is a small island (Sveta Marija) with a large building of a former Benedictine monastery, built there in the 12th century.
Attractions for tourists include walking and tourist paths around the Park, small roads and alleys (white) adapted for walking and cycling, and the main road (yellow), where buses connect the main places.
Mljet coral reef
Dive and see the wonderful underwater world of the coral reef. The main draw of Mljet National Park, is its stunning sea lakes which host the Mediterranean’s only coral reef.
Polače
Polace, a village in the western part of the northern coast of the island of Mljet. It is the largest and the safest bay on the whole Island, as it is secluded and sheltered by 4 small islands Tajnik, Moračnik, Ovrata and Kobrava. Due to its sheltered position, the bay is very popular among sailors and yachtsmen to do their anchorage there. The bay itself is 5.6 km long and about 4 km wide. Polace is also one of the ferry ports on Mljet where passenger catamaran ferry arrives from Dubrovnik.
Odysseus Cave
One of the unique places of this island it’s a Odysseus Cave on Mljet. The legend says that Odysseus had a shipwreck just in front of the Mljet island by the island of Ogiran. He found his salvation in a cave on the island which was owned by a nyimph called Calypso.
Odysseus succumbed to her charms and the beauty of the island and stayed on the island for a full 7 years when the gods finally released him. The aforementioned legendary cave is a 20 meters long tunnel followed by a grand hall with an open ceiling where the sun rays enter the cave and hit the sea, making it exquisitely blue.
Sveta Marija monastery
The Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a 12th-century Benedictine monastery located on an islet in the Great Lake of Mljet. On the small island of Sveta Marija in the Mljet National Park, in the middle of the sweet Great Lake, the beautiful Benedictine monastery is a magnificent monument.
At present time, the building is a two-floor Renaissance building enclosed with courtyards on two sides and having arcaded main tract facing the courtyards.
Blato Lake
Blato is a small village in the inland of the island of Mljet. It is located near a freshwater marsh and lake , which is a home to a variety of migrating birds and a major water source for the many wild animals that inhabit the island.
