Bike tours

To make it sound simple, we named our tours:

"Bunker tour" This tour got it's name from several Italian bunkers which we pass by. They were built for World War II. Part of them are distroyed and the ones which have survived, were used again in the Independence war in the 1990's. This tour is an easy half-day-tour. Not many ups and downs, mostly asphalt and a lot of pathes across the fields.

"Radar tour" This route takes us along the front line of the Independence war to the biggest marina on the Adriatic sea. There we can enjoy a refreshing drink and continue back to Zadar. This ride is also a light half-day-tour. Not much difference in altitude, a lot of asphalt roads and fields. Note: Cycle carefully - this area used to be covered with land mines. It has been cleaned but still...you never know.

"Lake tour - Basic" Sounds very Finnish but looks like something else... This ride is not so easy and requires stamina, there are some up hill routes. As a prize you will have a great view over the lake and the Dalmation Islands. Prepare for a hot trip, there is no shadow along the route. When we go back, we have a downhill on the Dalmatian Karst pathes which are sharp and rocky. We should check once again that the reserve tubes are easy to find. This tour can also be cycled as a „Lake tour - Light“. Here you miss the heaviest climbing but also enjoy the best view. We ride the direct way to the sea and back to the starting point. When we arrive, we will enjoy a Dalmatian speciality food „Peka“. (Traditional meat and potato speciality) We will have Peka also after the „Lake tour - Basic“. basic tour appx. 56 km | ups 700 m |

"Olive Island tour" This tour could also be described as „Vegetable Island tour“, because most of the vegetable sold on Zadar's market place grows here. This island is green, the olive trees grow here for centuries already. Also during this tour you definitely get hungry, so for sure there will be a place somewhere to fill our empty stomachs... We are touring this island all day long and if the weather allows, we will have a wonderful view over the sea to Velebit mountains. Even if it is an island, the terrain can be heavy to ride and enables us to test our lungs . We are riding along single trails, fields and partly asphalted roads.

"Thirst tour" We named this island according to the beer, thirst catches up very fast. Already after the first uphill you will pray for a beer and it is nice to find a place in a tiny bay to enjoy it with Dalmatian hospitality. The ups are not so very difficult but the burning sun and loose stones and sand make it harder. But also here, after the uphill comes downhill. You should have good tires because sharp stones cut the profile easily into a new design... This day-tour will offer nice views and cold drinks among biking.

"Island hopping" If the group is in good condition, this Island hopping is a special trip. This tour consists of the best and heaviest parts of the Olive Island and Thirst tour. This tour can be done if we minimise the possibility of breaking chains and flat tires, and empty our beers quicker. Otherwise even the whole day is too short for this tour!

"Trans-Velebit" We ride along the Karolinger-road, which is an old trade and military road from the Austrian-Hungarian period. This road used to connect the Croatian continent to the coast. The tour begins nearly from sea level and climbs up to a little over 1000m from the sea. Once we get up there, we will ride fast down to the continental side because we hope to get hot, tasty, grilled sausage for energy on the return trip. Because of the mined areas around here we have to take the same route back. This means we have 18 km downhill and spectacular views over Ravni Kotari - the Dalmatian Hinterland. If the weather is clear, we can see the sea, too. This route is for testing the brakes again... This road is still in use but the surface is partly over 160 years old, and the mountain safety railing is missing here and there, so, we have to be careful. Tour appx. 76 km | ups 1685 m |

The world is changing... "Canyon tour" Paklenica canyon was in the middle of 1990's a "must" for the mountainbikers. Even the traditional Lake Garda visitors were thinking whether to go to the Paklenica in the Velebit mountains or to Lake Garda this weekend... Nowadays it is not possible anymore to enjoy the fast downhill tracks in the canyon. There are too many people walking and hiking on the route. According to the new law, there can be only 10 mountainbikers at the same time in the park (not only in the canyon area).

Please visit www.dalmatiino.net for more informatian about Zadar and Dalmatia.