8-Day Private Sailing Tour from Split with Meals and Pickup

The best thing about this private Adriatic tour is the change of pace. One hour you are riding a curvy coastal road on a BMW GS, and the next you are swimming from a yacht in a quiet cove. You cover Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina without packing and unpacking every night.

I like the mix of premium motorcycles and a staffed yacht, and I like the food focus, from fresh oysters in Ston to a seven-course dinner at Gastro Mare. The main consideration is the price: at $10,909.64 per person, this is a major splurge, and the long riding days, border crossing, and shared yacht routine will not suit everyone.

Key points at a glance

• Motorcycle and sailing combination: Ride BMW GS motorcycles on coastal, mountain, and some gravel roads, then rest aboard the yacht.
• Three countries in eight days: Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are linked into one tightly planned route.
• Serious food program: A chef prepares meals to your preferences, with oysters, local wines, seafood, and a seven-course dinner.
• Strong water time: Expect swimming stops, Blue Lagoon, Mljet’s salt lakes, kayak time, and evenings anchored near old towns.
• Private trip format: Only your group takes part, with pickup from Split Airport or another convenient Split location.
• Plan for active days: Riding, walking, ferry travel, border formalities, and time on your feet are all part of the package.

A yacht, BMW GS, and three countries in eight days

This is not simply a sailing holiday with a few sightseeing stops. It is a moving base camp for a motorcycle journey. The yacht carries your luggage and provides your bed, meals, swimming platform, and evening hangout. The motorcycles carry you inland, over mountain roads, and into places the boat cannot reach.

That setup solves one of the usual problems with a multi-stop trip: constant hotel changes. On this route, you return to the same yacht after many of your day rides. You still need to transfer between the boat and the road, but the overall rhythm is easier than changing hotels every night.

The private format matters here. You are not being fitted into a large coach schedule. The route includes a captain, chef or hostess, motorcycle support, and local planning from the Desmo Adventure team. Past trip accounts mention Boris and Gogo as skippers, Nina as a hostess, and Duje as part of the motorcycle operation, but the current crew is not guaranteed by the tour details.

Day 1: Krka waterfalls, Šibenik, and your floating hotel

Pickup is arranged from Split Airport or another suitable location in Split. The day begins with a meeting at the Desmo Adventure office, where the team goes over the route and introduces you to the motorcycle fleet.

The first ride heads toward Krka Waterfalls National Park and Šibenik. At Krka, you spend about two hours walking through the park and viewing its famous waterfalls. Swimming under the falls depends on water conditions, so treat that as a possibility, not a promise.

From there, country roads and curving coastal roads lead to Mandalina Marina in Šibenik. Your yacht and belongings are waiting there. This is a smart first night because you get a taste of both parts of the trip right away, without spending the first day on a long transfer.

The yacht becomes your accommodation for the rest of the trip. You can expect relaxed evenings onboard and opportunities to swim in coves. The practical catch is that a yacht is not a hotel room. You will have less private space, and your comfort will depend partly on the boat’s layout, which is not specified in the tour information.

Day 2: A five-hour sail to Hvar and the Blue Lagoon

After breakfast, the yacht leaves Šibenik for Hvar. The sailing leg lasts about five hours, with time for swimming and a stop at Krknjaši Bay, also called the Blue Lagoon, near Mali Drvenik Island.

This is one of the days that shows why the boat is more than transportation. You can spend the crossing on deck, swim from the yacht, and let the crew handle meals and drinks. Before departure, you provide a preference list so the chef can plan around your tastes.

Late in the afternoon, the yacht anchors in the Pakleni Islands near Hvar. The cove is close to Laganini Beach and cocktail bar, Hula-Hula, and Carpe Diem beach bar. You can stay onboard for dinner or visit Hvar Old Town later in the evening.

The long sailing period may be blissful if you enjoy open water and unhurried meals. If you need constant sightseeing, it may feel slow. Bring sun protection and a book, and understand that the day is built around time at sea rather than a packed list of land attractions.

Day 3: Hvar, an underwater wine cellar, and Pelješac oysters

The motorcycle day begins in Hvar Old Town. You take a walk through town before heading toward Sveta Nedjelja on a gravel road. This is described as an off-road section, so you should be comfortable handling a large adventure motorcycle on loose surfaces.

Sveta Nedjelja is known for the Plenković winery and its underwater wine cellar. The stop lasts about an hour. It adds a distinctly local touch to the ride, since the day is not limited to viewpoints and famous streets. Wine, road travel, and the geography of the island all come together.

You then ride toward Sućuraj and take a ferry of about 45 minutes to Drvenik on the mainland. From there, the route follows curving coastal roads toward Ston on the Pelješac Peninsula, with a continuation to Orebić.

The day also includes a private oyster visit in Mali Ston. You can taste fresh oysters and learn about oyster farming, with a private boat ride to the farm. This is the kind of stop that gives the route a stronger connection to local work and food.

The schedule describes the yacht meeting you at Orebić, followed by a short sail to Korčula Old Town for dinner. You can then walk through Korčula in the evening, a town traditionally linked with Marco Polo. Expect a full day: town walk, gravel riding, ferry, coastal roads, tasting, and evening exploration.

Day 4: Mljet National Park and a seven-course dinner

After breakfast and a morning swim, you sail for about two hours to Mljet. The visit to Mljet National Park lasts around two hours and can be done by bicycle or on a small hike.

The park’s highlights are its two salt lakes and a kayak ride to an ancient monastery. This is a welcome change from the motorcycle days. The visit is short, so you will get a sample of the park rather than a long exploration of every trail and shoreline.

In the afternoon, the yacht sails to Kobaš Bay on the Pelješac Peninsula. You can swim, relax at a beach bar, and have dinner at Gastro Mare. The meal is a seven-course menu prepared by chef Antonio Bjelko, using fresh organic ingredients and seafood caught from the sea.

Food is clearly one of the strongest parts of this trip. Past accounts repeatedly single out the meals, red wine, seafood, and peka, a traditional slow-cooked dish. Dinner at Gastro Mare is more than a convenient meal stop. It is one of the trip’s planned culinary events.

Day 5: Ston walls, Miloš wine, and Dubrovnik after dark

Breakfast is served at Gastro Mare before you leave Kobaš Bay. The route continues through Ston, where you can see the famous defensive wall, often described as the second-longest man-made wall after China’s Great Wall.

You also visit a private oyster farm with a local guide and taste Ston oysters. Since oysters already appear in the previous day’s plan, the schedule may involve a repeated theme or a rearranged visit. If you love seafood, that is a benefit. If you prefer more variety, ask the operator how the two oyster-related stops are handled.

A wine visit at Miloš Winery in Pelješac lasts about 30 minutes. You learn about the winery’s approach and taste Miloš wine. This is a brief stop, but it fits neatly into a day already filled with riding and coastal scenery.

Before Dubrovnik, the route climbs Srđ hill for about an hour. The viewpoint looks over Dubrovnik and the surrounding islands. You then leave the motorcycles at ACI Marina Dubrovnik and board the yacht.

The evening sail places you in front of Dubrovnik’s city walls for dinner. Later, you can walk Stradun, the old town’s main street, and visit bars before returning to the yacht. Seeing Dubrovnik from the water gives you a different view from the usual city gate approach, though the evening walk can feel short if you want a full Dubrovnik sightseeing day.

Day 6: Montenegro by motorcycle, from Tivat to Budva

After breakfast beneath Dubrovnik’s walls, you head toward Montenegro. The route includes Srđ hill, then a Croatian border crossing before entering Montenegro. Carry the required travel documents and allow for possible delays, since international border crossings are part of the day.

In Montenegro, you ride around Boka Kotorska Bay and visit Tivat and Kotor. Tivat includes a coffee stop at Porto Montenegro, the high-end marina. Kotor brings narrow old-town streets and a dramatic bay setting, followed by riding in the hills around Kotor and Boka Kotorska.

The route also includes Budva, a well-known beach town, with time in the old town and nearby beaches. This is a big sightseeing day on two wheels. You get cities, water views, mountain roads, and a second country in one stretch.

You return to Cavtat, where the yacht waits for the night. Dinner and an evening swim are planned, with Cavtat serving as a calmer base than Dubrovnik. The drawback is mileage. With multiple towns and a border crossing, you may have limited time in each place. This day rewards you if you prefer seeing a lot over lingering in one town.

Day 7: From the Adriatic to Mostar

Day 7 is the last yacht morning. After breakfast and a swim, you continue by motorcycle toward Bosnia and Herzegovina. Your luggage is sent back to the Desmo Adventure office, so you ride without carrying all your belongings.

The route includes Trebinje, Stolac, Blagaj, and Blidinje Nature Park before reaching Mostar. The plan presents these as small-town and countryside stops rather than long formal tours. The scenery and the road are a major part of the day.

Mostar is divided by the Neretva River and has Catholic and Muslim communities, with different architectural and cultural traditions on opposite sides. You walk the old town and see the Old Bridge, which was destroyed during the war in the 1990s and later rebuilt.

This part of the route asks for a little more attention than a standard postcard stop. You are not only looking at a pretty bridge. You are learning how the city was shaped by conflict, division, and coexistence. The schedule is full, so your time for museums and independent wandering may be limited.

Day 8: Neretva Canyon, Jablanica, and Blidinje Nature Park

The final morning begins early with a ride from Mostar toward Blidinje Nature Park. The road follows the Neretva River canyon and climbs toward Čvrsnica Mountain.

Along the way, you pass villages damaged during the 1990s war. In Jablanica, you visit a war museum for about an hour. This gives the final day a serious historical layer and helps explain some of the places you have passed through.

At Blidinje Nature Park, lunch is served at Hajdučke Vrleti. The meal features Bosnian specialties prepared by traditional recipes. After lunch, the return to Split takes about 2.5 hours.

Your luggage waits at the Desmo Adventure office in Split, where transport to the airport or a nearby hotel is arranged. If you have a flight on the same day, confirm the exact return timing before booking. An early finish is possible in the stated plan, but traffic, roads, and border conditions can affect the margin.

What the food and crew add to the price

The $10,909.64 per-person price is not comparable to a basic motorcycle rental or a standard sailing berth. You are paying for a private eight-day program with a yacht, captain, chef, motorcycles, route planning, meals, local visits, and transport support.

Included meals cover dinner every day, with breakfast on four days and lunch on five days according to the supplied details. The day-by-day schedule includes additional meals, so confirm the exact meal count and what drinks are included before paying.

The food is a central reason the package can make sense for the right group. You are not simply eating whatever is convenient at a marina. The plan includes oysters, wineries, seafood, a seven-course dinner, and Bosnian specialties. Past trip accounts also praise the hostess and crew for making people feel well looked after.

Still, the price is high enough that you should compare it with the cost of arranging a private yacht charter, motorcycles, accommodation, guide, chef, fuel, meals, and cross-border transport separately. The value is in removing that planning burden and combining land and sea in one organized trip. It is poor value if you mainly want a cheap ride or a simple island cruise.

Who should book this private sailing and riding trip

This suits a private group of friends or couples who want comfort between active outings. It is especially appealing if you enjoy motorcycles but do not want eight straight days in the saddle.

You should be comfortable with:

• Long riding days and curving roads
• At least some gravel riding
• Walking in old towns and national parks
• Swimming from or near the yacht
• Sharing a boat-based routine
• Crossing international borders
• A tightly organized schedule

The tour says most people can participate, but it does not provide motorcycle license requirements, engine choices beyond the BMW GS references in past accounts, cabin details, yacht specifications, or group-size limits. Ask for those details before booking.

The trip is less suitable if you dislike boats, get seasick, need a large private room, or want slow, independent visits in Dubrovnik, Kotor, Mostar, and Hvar. The route gives you a broad taste of each place, not unlimited free time.

Practical details before you commit

Pickup is available from Split Airport or another convenient Split location. The stated start time is 9:00 a.m., and booking confirmation is provided immediately.

Bring a passport or other required travel documents for the Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina crossings. Personal spending money is not included, so budget for purchases and any extras outside the provided meals and stops.

The trip depends on good weather. If poor conditions force a cancellation, you are offered another date or a full refund. You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time, but changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted.

Ask the operator to clarify the schedule before departure. The supplied plan mentions some stops on more than one day and places a few motorcycle and yacht movements in slightly different order. That may reflect weather or operational changes, but knowing the expected sequence will help you pack and plan.

Should you book it?

Book this if you want a polished private journey that joins Croatia’s islands with the roads of Montenegro and Bosnia. The strongest reasons are the new BMW GS motorcycles described in past trip accounts, the yacht-based accommodation, excellent food focus, and the chance to move between three countries without planning every ferry, hotel, meal, and transfer yourself.

Skip it if the price feels uncomfortable or you want either a pure sailing holiday or a serious motorcycle tour. At this cost, you should request full yacht and motorcycle specifications, confirm the current crew, ask exactly what drinks and meals are included, and make sure the riding level suits your group. For the right private party, the mix of sea, road, food, and history is unusually broad. For everyone else, it may simply be too much trip packed into eight days.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts in Split, Croatia, with pickup available from Split Airport or another convenient location in Split. The stated start time is 9:00 a.m.

How long does the experience last?

The experience lasts approximately eight days.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the activity.

What countries does the route visit?

The route travels through Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Is a yacht included as accommodation?

Yes. The yacht becomes your accommodation after you meet the team and reach the marina in Šibenik.

Are meals included?

Dinner is included for seven days, with breakfast included on four days and lunch included on five days according to the supplied inclusions. The itinerary also describes meals prepared by the chef and special restaurant meals.

Which motorcycle is used?

Past trip details identify new BMW GS motorcycles, including the BMW GS 1250. Confirm the exact motorcycle available for your departure with the operator.

Does the trip include Montenegro and Bosnia border crossings?

Yes. The itinerary includes a crossing from Croatia into Montenegro on Day 6 and motorcycle travel through Bosnia and Herzegovina on Days 7 and 8.

What happens if bad weather cancels the tour?

If poor weather causes cancellation, you are offered a different date or a full refund. You can also cancel up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund.