Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Be warned that everything's very seasonal and weather-dependent, so visiting outside of
peak season (June-Sept) may come with some frustration.
The island of Mljet is long (23 miles) and skinny (less than two miles wide). The national
park occupies the western third of the island. You're likely to reach Mljet via one of three
porttowns.
Pola
č
e
(POH-lah-cheh)and
Pomena
(POH-meh-nah)arehandyentrypointsin-
to the national park, while
Sobra
(SOH-brah) is much less convenient (a 1.25-hour bus trip
acrosstheislandfromthepark).The
Nona Ana
catamaranfromDubrovnikputsinatPola
č
e
and Sobra; most excursions use Pomena; and the car ferries (the big Jadrolinija Kor
č
ula-
Dubrovnik car ferry, plus smaller ferries to the mainland) use Sobra.
Pola
č
e and Pomena flank the heart of the national park, a pair of saltwater “lakes” called
simply
Great Lake
(VelikoJezero)and
Small Lake
(MaloJezero).Thetwobodiesofwater
meet at a cute little bridge, appropriately named
Small Bridge
(Mali Most), where you can
rentkayaksandbikesandcatchaboatouttothelittle
island
intheGreatLake.A15-minute
walk around the Great Lake from the Small Bridge brings you to
Pristanište
(meaning,
roughly, “transit hub”), where you can also catch a boat to the island or a shuttle bus to
Pola
č
e. The nearby cliff-climbing town of
Gove
đ
ari
is home to many of the people who
work at the park, but is not interesting to tourists.
Everything's well-signed, and there are enough landmarks that it's difficult to get really
lost. Even so, I bought the detailed park map (at the entry kiosk) and was glad I had it.
Tourist Information
The
TI
is in Pola
č
e, just across from where the
Nona Ana
catamaran from Dubrovnik docks
(tel. 020/744-186). The island's lone hotel, the
Hotel Odisej
in Pomena, acts as a second
tourist information point. The hotel is a hub of services for visitors (whether you stay there
or not): bike, scooter, car, and boat rentals; scuba diving lessons; walking tours around the
island;cruisestosomeoftheisland'scaves;andevenhelpfindingprivateaccommodations.
For more on the hotel, see “Sleeping and Eating on Mljet,” later.
The general-information website for the island (which covers the towns, Hotel Odisej,
sobe
and apartments, and more) is
www.mljet.hr
;
for information on the national park, visit
Arrival in Mljet
At Pola
č
e:
Arriving on the
Nona Ana
catamaran from Dubrovnik, exit the boat to the right,
walk a few steps, and look for the TI on your left. A few minutes' walk up the coast (near
the Roman ruins) is a kiosk where you can buy your park entry ticket and catch a minibus
