THRILLGROUNDS Ground 41 · Dalmatia: Split to Dubrovnik · Croatia · Omiš · Makarska · Zadvarje · Dubrovnik · Zadar
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Omiš from the air: the green Cetina reaching the Adriatic between the town and the beach

43° 27′ N · 16° 41′ E · From a glass ledge on Biokovo to the sea under Dubrovnik's walls · Ground 41

Dalmatia: Split to Dubrovnik

The Adriatic is flat.
The mountain behind it is not.

Biokovo rises straight out of the sea behind Makarska, and everything on these grounds hangs off that wall or the river that cuts through it. The Cetina leaves the karst at Zadvarje over a 55-metre waterfall, runs twelve kilometres of rapids and reaches the sea at Omiš under eight zipline wires. These grounds start on a glass horseshoe 1,228 m above the coast road, drop into the canyon on a cable and on a rope, and end twice at sea level: in a raft on the Cetina and in a kayak under the walls of Dubrovnik, two hours down the coast.

1 · the view3 · sweaty palms5 · heart in your throat
Jump
Visitors on the glass horseshoe of the Biokovo Skywalk, the Makarska coast far below

Stop 1 · Glass skywalk · Biokovo Nature Park, above Makarska

1,228M ABOVE THE SEA

A glass horseshoe eleven metres out over nothing

The road climbs thirteen kilometres of hairpins from the sea, and at the Ravna Vlaška pass a glass horseshoe pushes eleven metres out over the cliff. You look down between your shoes at the Makarska Riviera, 1,200 metres below.

Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
Altitude
1,228 m above sea level
Platform
semicircle 8.5 m across, about 11 m beyond the cliff edge, glass floor
Where
Ravna Vlaška, km 13 of the Biokovo road, about 6 km east of Makarska
Opened
July 2020 – the first skywalk in Croatia

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A zipline rider with arms spread crossing a gorge in front of a roaring waterfall (symbolic image, Grand Falls, not the Cetina)

Two practice wires of 25 metres, then the real thing: eight cables down the Cetina canyon, 2,100 metres in all, the longest 700 metres and 150 metres up. Below you the water is green, the walls white, the wind real.

Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
Wires
8, total 2,100 m; longest 700 m
Height
150 m above the canyon floor on the big wire
Speed & time
up to about 70 km/h; about 2.5 hours in all
Who
7+, up to 140 kg; groups of 2–12, meeting point in Omiš

Photo: a zipline over the Grand Falls gorge in New Brunswick, Canada – not the Cetina.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 2 · Zipline · Zipline Croatia, Cetina canyon, Omiš

150M ABOVE THE CETINA

Eight wires down the canyon, the longest 700 metres

A canyoner in a red life vest abseiling down the white face of a waterfall (symbolic image, not the Cetina)

Stop 3 · Canyoning · Cetina canyon, Zadvarje

55M · THE GUBAVICA ABSEIL

Down the face of a 55-metre waterfall on a rope

The basic tour is swimming, sliding and jumps of up to ten metres through a canyon 150 metres deep. The extreme tour starts on top of the Velika Gubavica and lowers you 55 metres down the wet face of the falls.

Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
The falls
Velika Gubavica, about 55 m; canyon walls up to 150 m
Extreme tour
55-m abseil down the waterfall, a second abseil of about 25 m, about 4 hours
Basic tour
2.1 km of canyon, jumps up to 10 m, 2–2.5 hours
Start
Zadvarje, 20 km up the river from Omiš; pick-ups from Split

Photo: a waterfall abseil elsewhere, not the Gubavica.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A red raft with paddlers threading a rapid between boulders on the green Cetina

Three hours down the canyon: easy rapids, long green pools, a cliff to jump from at three or six metres and a cave behind a waterfall that you swim into. Croatia's family river, and the most-booked thing on the Cetina.

Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
River
12 km, class II–III rapids, about 3 hours on the water
Extras
cliff jumps of 3 or 6 m, a spring cave with stalactites
Who
from about 5 years with a parent; vests and helmets provided
Start
Omiš, or pick-up in Split; April–October

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 4 · Rafting · Cetina canyon, above Omiš

0M · ON THE CETINA

Twelve kilometres of class II–III water, a cliff and a cave

Sea kayaks leaving Pile bay below the cliff of Fort Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik

Stop 5 · Sea kayaking · Pile bay, Lokrum & Betina cave, Dubrovnik

0M · UNDER THE CITY WALLS

Five kilometres under the walls, then round Lokrum

You launch from the pebbles of Pile bay with Fort Lovrijenac over your shoulder and paddle along the base of the walls, 25 metres of stone straight up from the water. Then Betina cave for a swim, Lokrum, and back into the sunset.

Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
Route
about 5 km, 2–3 hours: Pile bay, the city walls, Betina cave, Lokrum island
Break
20–30 minutes swimming and snorkelling at Betina cave
Who
no experience needed; double kayaks, guided groups
Most booked
4,424 reviews on the leading tour – Dalmatia's best-selling adventure

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Touchdown. Now build your day on these grounds.

    Also on these grounds

    Buža and the cliff jumps

    Pulse 3/5

    Through a hole in the seaward wall of the old town, the Buža bars sit on the rocks where locals jump into deep water from a few metres up – unmarked, unguarded, at your own risk, and the best swim in Dubrovnik.

    The grounds in numbers

    ActivityPulseThe numberDurationFromReviewsBookable online
    Biokovo SkywalkBook now →
    Zipline · OmišBook now →
    Canyoning · CetinaBook now →
    Rafting · CetinaBook now →
    Sea kayak · DubrovnikBook now →

    Before you jump

    How high and how long is the Omiš zipline?

    Zipline Croatia's course in the Cetina canyon, 3 km from Omiš, has eight wires with a total of 2,100 m; the longest is 700 m and runs 150 m above the river at up to about 70 km/h. The whole tour takes around 2.5 hours with two guides, from age 7 and up to 140 kg. About €80 on GetYourGuide or Viator, with pick-ups from Split.

    How do I get to the Biokovo Skywalk?

    The Skywalk stands at 1,228 m on the Ravna Vlaška pass, 13 km up the Biokovo road from the coast, about 6 km east of Makarska as the crow flies. Private cars need a timed park permit; easier are the tuk-tuk, buggy or minibus tours from Makarska for €45–59, which include the ticket and skip the queue at the gate.

    Basic or extreme canyoning on the Cetina?

    Basic is 2–2.5 hours of swimming, sliding and optional jumps of up to 10 m through the 150-m gorge near Zadvarje, from about €50. Extreme adds ropes: a 55-metre abseil down the face of the Velika Gubavica waterfall and a second abseil of about 25 m, roughly 4 hours, from about €60–80. Both start in Zadvarje with pick-ups from Split and Omiš.

    Is Cetina rafting suitable for children?

    Yes – the 12-km stretch is class II–III, about three hours, and the operators take children from about five with a parent. The cliff jumps (3 or 6 m) and the swim into the cave are optional. Season April to October; the water is cold even in August, wetsuits are usually included.

    What is the sea kayaking tour in Dubrovnik like?

    About 5 km in 2–3 hours: from the beach in Pile bay under Fort Lovrijenac, along the base of the city walls to Betina cave for a 20–30-minute swim and snorkel, round Lokrum island and back. No experience needed, double kayaks. Sunset departures are the popular ones; the leading tour has more than 4,400 reviews.