Compare: Ilirio's Three Caves Tour VS. others

Long Queue Times For The Blue Grotto

It's doubtful you want to spend an hour or more waiting in line to enter the Blue cave.

Guests book RIB excursions to the distant islands of the middle parts of the Dalmatian coast mostly in order to visit the the famous Blue cave. Unfortunately, people are mostly uninformed about the potentially negative experiences associated with trips to the Blue cave, the latter primarily due to the exhausting wait time at the cave's entrance (which can often take longer than 1h). Such issues are the reason we wish to draw a line between our Three Caves Tour, and other, generic excursions found elsewhere. We don't want to let our guests down by abandoning them to endless wait times and queues, just to fulfill a pro forma obligation so we can say that they've seen the cave itself. Even on the busiest of days, as a passenger on Ilirio's Three Caves Tour, you'll lose incomparably less time waiting for entry to the Blue cave than with other operators.

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Instead of waiting in line at the Blue cave, why not use the saved time to relax while experiencing one of the many beautiful locations we take you to? The most attractive sites that our competitors offer as a part of their trips to the Blue cave make only about 40% of our own Three Caves Tour.

What can we do for you?

...The Blue Cave, much like many major tourist hotspots, was an overrated experience compared against the other smaller places we got to see during the day. We were very lucky our tour guide rerouted our itinerary to avoid the crowds (which would've resulted in at least a 1 hour wait)...MORE>>

Overcrowding At Popular Destinations

We believe you want to find yourself in the surroundings of a gorgeous natural destination, but we're pretty sure you don't want to experience the same while slogging past a bunch of other ships and exposed propellers all the while being accosted by the sounds of far-too-loud music.

Crowds, parties, and the resulting ambient will always overpower one's ability to peacefully experience a tranquil location.

Long wait times in crowded queues for the Blue cave can significantly impact not only your positive expectations, but your overall impression of the entire trip. Furthermore, your enjoyment will be further lessened if you experience additional setbacks (during the same day, and on the same trip!), like overcrowding at the other must-see natural destinations like Green cave or Stiniva bay

Vessel And Skipper Reliability

Regardless of a boat's size and external appearance, in identical weather conditions two such vessels can have wildly different performance and characteristics (seaworthiness, stability, comfort).

Naturally, guests who aren't familiar with sailing usually allow a vessel's appearance to influence their decision-making, mostly along with the all-too-frequent "safety first!" spouted by shady dealers peddling questionable excursions. The speed boat used for the purposes of the excursion is just as important as the skipper doing the sailing. Don't be fooled by the aesthetically pleasing visual profiles of certain ships, as the type of vessel undertaking these daytrips must be able to navigate choppy, wavy seas, which means that such a vessel has to, above all else, have a hull built for such demanding conditions - vessel size itself is of secondary importance. Don't allow yourself to be deceived regarding the reliability and sailing characteristics of certain ships - rather, seek online information and guest reviews or testimonials pertaining to the company attempting to assure you they're the best choice. If you do, you're sure to find an article or two about a skipper or boat on wavy sea - if you don't, it should be viewed as a sign of alert! Heavy injuries occur every year, but aren't talked about. The injuries happen almost exclusively due to inadequate vessels or bad skippers, and mostly as a combination of both.

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What can we do for you?

What you should be aiming for is a reliable skipper who actively participates in regards to various situations, a vessel designed for choppy seas, and insurance that covers the entire duration of the trip (not just the basic package that insures guests aboard transport vessels). We would also like to draw your attention to illegitimate sales locations, and warn you against purchasing trips from street vendors, apartments and hostels; do so only in travel agencies (either online, or personally at the office itself). Buying tickets on the street, outside the confines of travel agencies, or via untrustworthy "tour organizers" can very easily land you in uncomfortable situations.

"...nearest hospital is 3 hours away!' and within seconds, I turned around and headed back to the boat. Obviously, considering that I was clinging on to dear life..."There were times where the boat rocked and we were thrown up in the air. Thankfully, we landed back on the boat!..." READ MORE>>

We must point out that swimming in the Blue cave is not allowed by the concessionaire. Your skipper is already well-informed during the early morning hours, and will have official information pertaining to the availability of the cave -- ie., whether or not it will be open -- and thus, should warn guests about the same, instead of withholding the information and forcing them to into a foreclosed situation. It is questionable whether the authors of the aforementioned article would have even departed for the trip if they'd known the cave was officially closed to visitors. Allowing guests to swim in hazardous situations and without the escort of a trained skipper-guide is both dangerous and irresponsible.

Sometimes, the sea looks calm, the day is sunny, no wind, but what's going on at the front of the Blue cave? Please watch the video below:

Should I stay or should I go...?

"...so we booked a full day trip through our hostel which included renting a boat and exploring the surrounding islands. The speedboat was ridiculously bumpy and me and Ellie were holding on for dear life. After an hour and a half (!) of speedboating (pretty sure we got whiplash), we arrived at our first stop: The Green Cave..." READ MORE>>

It takes our boats about 40 minutes of smooth sailing to make the trip from Hvar to the Green cave, even in conditions when the sea is choppy (the girls lost about 50 minutes of their so-called "excursion" just on this stretch alone). It's a regrettable fact that in a large number of cases, guests are quite often unaware that they've been tricked, or they don't see it that way. It's like they've resigned themselves to neglect, mistakes, and bad conduct, treating everything they suffer through as normal and acceptable. You can find the conclusion in the very same article:

"...only a certain number of people are allowed in the cave at a time, which means queueing for about an hour. If I'm honest, I can't say it's totally worth the wait. I mean, I think it's a beautiful place but you spend about 5 minutes in there in total and it's a very impersonal experience..." READ MORE>>

In addition to the previous tardiness (brought about by poor seaworthiness of the boat in question) and the one-hour wait at the entrance of the Blue cave, the girls lost almost 2 hours of their "trip". And whatever impression the beauty of the cave made on them, it will forever remain diminished by the all-too-long wait time in the queue.

"...As a huge wave soaked all of us on a particularly hairy crest that we white-knuckled through, I looked back at Skip. He gave me a hearty thumbs up. Things I learned on this boat ride: I tend to sing operatic notes when I'm scared. Every large wave transformed me into a soprano" ...READ MORE>>

A vessel's hull must be designed to handle choppy sea, and its skipper must be trained not only in safety, but also in smooth and relatively "dry" piloting. The difference between apparently "identical" vessels is more often than not entirely unmeasurable, but it nevertheless has a profound impact on safety as well as a guest's mood and their general satisfaction.
If you ask one of the self-styled "tour organizers" whether their trip is safe for children (even babies) up to 6 years of age, or for women in a high degree of pregnancy, you will often receive an affirmative answer. Our advice is that you refrain from asking such questions. From the articles listed above, you can safely conclude that such tours aren't intended for children that young, or pregnant women. Still, there exist different, and much more positive examples:

Ilirio's way #1
Ilirio's way #2

There are numerous examples which confirm that the way to the Blue cave hides many traps. Among our daily tasks are: weather conditions at sea and weather forecast according to micro-locations, vessel seaworthiness and general boat characteristics, bypassing of crowds, optimizing guests' impressions during each and every cave tour, constant supervision and care for passengers in addition to active safety support, guided explanations of visited locations, and much, much more.

Read about Ilirio's skipper-guides:

Tips

The main reason for this article is that not even we, the employees of Ilirio's Hvar Tours, would want to suffer negative experiences on an excursion, but rather expect good service which we paid for. That's why we purchased it in the first place, isn't it? Everyone can make a mistake, but all of us are especially sensitive when tricked on purpose.

The other reason - very important for us, and no less for you - is the fact that beside the articles/reviews on TripAdvisor, you won't find other contextually-positive texts on the internet, except our own. Problems arise when a potential guest comes across positive impressions written by guests who had taken part on our tour, and upon seeing entrancing photographs (taken at the secret locations which are a part of our excursions) then comes to the wrong conclusion that the same can be experienced and seen by booking any of the other generic day-trips to the Blue cave. That is a very costly mistake, and one which is often charged much more than it's worth!

Here we offer some advice, specifically, what to look out for when purchasing a Blue cave day-trip

Every passanger vessel must have a life jacket for each person on board

Prior to the start of the trip, ask to inspect the life jackets. If you don't feel the need to put them on, you may still do so during choppy sea, if only for your own comfort and ease of mind. Vessels used for Ilirio's Three Caves Tour have a full complement of life jackets for all aboard, plus an extra one.

Insurance for the duration of the trip

Insurance policies aboard passenger vessels do not cover accidents during the entire length of the excursion. If you've read the various articles we link to throughout our pages, you've surely noticed that besides actual time spent on the boat, guests often engage in other activities outside it: cliff jumping, swimming, snorkeling, transferring to smaller craft (operated and maintained by a concessionaire) in order to visit the Blue cave, nature walks... -all of these are activities which aren't covered by the basic passenger insurance aboard passenger vessels. Passenger transfer refers to transport (via speedboat) from point A to point B, but many tour operators falsely and purposefully mislabel their services as excursions, and market them as such. Ilirio's Three Caves Tour is, by the very definition of the word, a full-day excursion, during which we offer many extra activities in addition to the guided tour itself, and during which you're covered by insurance for the entire duration of the trip (the costs of which are included in the ticket price).

Beside being fully insured, maybe even more important is the fact that your skipper-guide during Ilirio's Three Caves Tour is a trained expert ready to offer help and assistance during each of the diverse activities undertaken over the course of the trip, and is not only fully qualified to do so, but will also actively participate alongside guests. Do not disregard advice pertaining to insurance and skipper qualifications -- doing so only puts you at unnecessary risk.

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How to prepare for the trip, and what to bring:

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to protect sensitive electronic equipment like cameras and phones? For protection against impact, you should bring a robust pack, and if you're concerned about water, a simple nylon bag bag will do.

Apparel and accessories:
Depending on the season, it's necessary to bring at least one long-sleeved shirt (preferably a windbreaker), swimming shorts or bathing suits, swim shoes, a towel, a hat, anti-UV sunscreen, some petty cash, and bottled water. Glass bottles and other fragile or sharp objects are never a good idea.

If you're a non-swimmer:
It's imperative you let the skipper know before the trip starts. There's no need to bring inflatable items like safety wheels and the like simply because the wind can carry them off during the higher-speed portions of the trip, and that's in addition to demanding your constant attention as you inflate/deflate the items between each stop location. For optimal efficiency and safety, simply make use of the life jackets we provide, which will not only allow you to feel comfortable and well-protected, but also affords you the opportunity to go for a swim wherever you like.