Mljet National Park

The western third of Mljet is a national park built around two lakes, Veliko and Malo Jezero, which are not lakes at all but seawater inlets connected to the Adriatic by a narrow channel. The water is warm, clear and calm, ringed by dense Aleppo pine forest that comes right down to the shore, and you can swim, kayak or cycle the loop around them. On a small island in the middle of the larger lake stands a Benedictine monastery founded in the twelfth century, reached by the park's own boat, with a church, cloister and a café under the trees. Mljet is also the island that some traditions identify as Ogygia, where Calypso is said to have held Odysseus for seven years, which is unprovable and entirely in keeping with the atmosphere.

What you actually see

• The monastery islet - the twelfth-century Benedictine monastery on its island in Veliko Jezero.
• The lake circuit - a flat cycling and walking loop around both saltwater lakes.
• Swimming in the lakes - warmer and calmer than the open sea, with easy entries from the shore.
• Odysseus Cave - a sea cave on the south coast, outside the park, reached by a short walk and a swim.

When to go

June and September are ideal: warm water, open ferries and manageable numbers. July and August bring day-trippers from Dubrovnik in volume. Outside the summer season ferry frequency drops sharply and much of the island closes.

Honest expectations

Day trips from Dubrovnik give you only a few hours on the island, most of it around the lakes, and the return schedule dictates everything. Staying overnight changes Mljet completely, since the day boats leave in the late afternoon and the island empties. Bicycle hire is the practical way to see the park and sells out in high season.

Nearby

The Pelješac peninsula and its wine villages are on the mainland route; Korčula lies to the north.