'RETURN TO THE SOURCE'
A FENG SHUI STUDY RETREAT IN CROATIA, SEPTEMBER 2005
WITH JON SANDIFER

Travel Details

OLIB ISLAND

The island where I run the courses is 40 mile from Zadar, a large town dating back to Roman times.
The only way to reach Olib is to take the high speed catamaran from Zadar harbour. Journey time is 2 hours and costs about £ 3 each way.

FERRY TIMES

dep: Zadar at 11.00 am
arr: Olib at 13.10 pm

For the return journey to Zadar
dep:Olib at 05.20 am
arr. Zadar 07.30 am
This is the Saturday schedule

http://www.jadrolinija.hr

ZADAR AIRPORT
The airport is 7 miles ( 12 km) from Zadar. A bus can take you either way for 20 kunas (£2) or you could take a taxi. Get the price in advance of the journey.

HOTELS IN ZADAR
You may need to stay in Zadar on the way to Olib .
Flights from Zagreb arrive in Zadar at 22.00hr daily
There are several hotels - find one in the old town, close to the ferry. Prices range from 200 - 45 kunas per night (£ 20-£45) www.croatia.hr

GETTING TO ZADAR
Here you have many options. Basically, you must get to the ferry in Zadar at least 30 minutes earlier. I can arrange to book a ticket for you in advance.
The only direct connection to Zadar is via the Croatian captal, Zagreb. Croatia Arilines http://www.croatiaairlines.com fly from
Zagreb daily at 21.10 and arrive in Zadar at 22.00 ( Flight )U 672)
For the return flight to Zagreb the flight leaves at 06.45 arriving in Zagreb at 07.30, daily.
Croatia Airlines connect with direct flights to : London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris

GETTING TO CROATIA
Here you have many options. The Croatian coast and islands are stunning and you may decide to come earlier or leave later. You could then fly into Split or Dubrovnik and make your own way to Zadar by ferry, bus or car hire.

EasyJet fly daily to Ljubljana in Slovenia. You could hire a car as part of the package and get to Zadar.
There is a rumour that by Easter 2005, EasyJet may be flying to Pula, Croatia.Again there is car hire or an 8 hour ferry from Pula to Zadar is also possible.
http://www.easyjet.com

Excel Airways fly direct from London Gatwick to Split on Mondays for £149 return. Split is another beautiful Roman and Byzantine city. Buses from Split to Zadar are regular and take 2 hours.
http://www.excelairways.com

BEST DEAL

Hidden Croatia fly direct from London Gatwick every Saturday to Zadar arriving at 09.20-enough time to catch the ferry to Olib at 11.00. Return flights are also on Saturdays direct to Gatwick leaving at 13.00 arriving at Gatwick at 16.00
Price £169-£189
Need to call to book on 0871 208 0075

www.hiddencroatia.com

Other Croatia flights to look out for can be found on http://www.croatianaffair.com

FROM USA TO CROATIA
There are only 300 inhabitants on Olib Island. Many of their families now live in New York and New Jersey, coming over every summer. The language is not aproblem, if like me , your Croatian is limited to ordering a coffee! This means that there are many tried and tested and inexpensive methods of getting to Zadar. E-mail me if you have questions.
As an example a round trip from JFK to Zadar is $ 1,336.00
http://www.orbitz.com

RAILWAYS
You can get to Zadar by train, or make your way there via other destinations across Europe.
http://www.europeanrail.com

FERRIES
Croatia has a very large network of ferries. You could plan to leave or arrive in Zadar from : Pula. Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka or visit other islands also.
http://www.jadrolinija.hr

TOURISM
Plenty of information and links.
http://www.croatia.hr

VISAS
No visas required for EU, USA, Canadian, Australian and NZ citizens. Other nationalities can find out more at http://www.mvp.hr

CURRENCY
The Croatian currency is the kuna.
Notes 10,20,50,100 and 200. Coins for 1 kuna and less.
Rates : 10.5 kuna =£ 1.00
Rates : euro 1.48 = £ 1.00
7.5 kuna= euro 1.00

LANGUAGE
Croatian of course and many youngsters - high school age to forties have a pretty good knowledge of English. Older Croatians will often have some knowledge of German and in Zadar and Olib many of the older generation will speak Italian as well.

CONCLUSION
The courses, Olib, the food, the climate, the sea, the company of others and the teacher - are all well worth the effort! If I can help out at all with travel ideas then do e-mail me. I promise you that the journey is worth it !
As you may know , I travelled the world on a shoestring from the age of 17-23 . I worked and travelled over 85.000 miles, visiting 56 countries. Now, the total is 68. I have slept on many islands in the Seychelles, Kenya, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Norway - but Olib is something special ! Keep quiet about it !