Saplunara Beach

Set at the far end of the somewhat undiscovered Dalmatian island of Mljet is the seaside village of Saplunara. Even as Croatia edges its way from the peripheries of the tourist map Mljet remains one of the hidden gems of the Adriatic and this is despite being only 30 km from Dubrovnik. The northern end of the island is a national park but there is barely much in the way of development around Saplunara either.

There are actually two beaches at Saplunara but one description fits both. Backed by deep forest of Aleppo pines and junipers these perfect sandy beaches are washed by Adriatic waters of the clearest blue. The sheltered bays the beaches are situated in make them safe for swimming and perfect for snorkelling.

Getting to this little enclave of paradise requires some resolve but is worth it. There is a daily car ferry from Dubrovnik to Mljet which lands at Sobra. From here it is still over 10km by a less than perfect road.