Private Blue and Green Caves Speedboat Tour with Sunj Beach Dubrovnik

Leaving Dubrovnik by speedboat: the bridge and Grebeni Lighthouse

The tour starts at the departure point in Dubrovnik that we confirm after booking, and within minutes you are speeding out of the harbour, under the tall cable-stayed bridge that marks the entrance to the Rijeka Dubrovačka inlet and past the open sea. The first photo stop is Grebeni, a small rocky islet with a lighthouse just off the Lapad peninsula, where the captain slows down so you can shoot the lighthouse against the coastline and the island of Lokrum behind the city.

This short run also shows why a Dubrovnik private speedboat tour is worth it: the boat is fast, the seats are cushioned and there is nobody else on board, so you stop when you want and skip what you do not. From Grebeni the captain sets course north-west towards Koločep, the closest of the Elaphiti Islands, about twenty minutes away across open water.

The Green Cave

The first swim of the day is at the Green Cave, a wide, low sea cave on the south side of Koločep where the sunlight bounces off a pale seabed and turns the water a deep emerald. The captain anchors at the mouth, hands out masks and snorkels, and you jump straight in; the water is usually calm and clear, and you can float into the cave and look up at the rock ceiling glowing green from below.

This stop lasts about thirty minutes and is a good warm-up for the Blue Cave because the entrance is open and easy, even for first-time snorkellers. Life jackets are on board for anyone who prefers to float, and the guide stays in the water with you. The action camera supplied on the boat is ideal here: the green light and the fish around the rocks are the first great footage of your Blue Cave and Green Cave Dubrovnik tour.

The Blue Cave on Koločep Island

The Blue Cave is the reason most people book a Blue Cave Dubrovnik private boat tour. It lies in the cliffs of Koločep, a small car-free island with pine woods, two villages and a coastline cut by caves. You reach it by swimming through a short, low opening from the sea; inside, light enters from below the surface and fills the chamber with an intense electric blue that reflects off the walls and your own skin. You swim in together with your guide, who knows the entrance and the sea conditions.

You spend about fifty minutes here, long enough for everyone to swim into the cave, take photos and snorkel outside it. Next to the cave is a rock ledge used as a cliff-jump spot for those who want a thrill. The Blue Cave is best in the late morning and early afternoon, when the sun is high and the glow strongest, and is only entered when the sea is calm; your captain decides on the day.

Three Green Caves and the hidden sea caves of Koločep

After the Blue Cave the boat continues along the steep south coast of Koločep, where the cliffs hide a series of smaller caves that bigger excursion boats pass by. The three Green Caves each have their own colour and shape: one is a tall crack in the cliff, another a shallow dome where the seabed glows, the third a rock arch you can snorkel beneath. The captain weaves the boat in close to each one, and you swim or snorkel into the ones the sea allows.

This part of the circuit takes about forty-five minutes and is where a private boat makes the biggest difference: with no timetable to keep, you can linger where the fish are thickest or move on when you have seen enough. It is also the most scenic stretch of coastline on the tour, with pine trees above the cliffs and the open Adriatic beyond, so keep the camera running.

Šunj Beach on Lopud Island

From Koločep the speedboat crosses to Lopud, the middle island of the Elaphiti group, and rounds its southern tip into a sheltered bay with a wide crescent of pale sand. This is Šunj, famous as the only white-sand beach near Dubrovnik and the main reason a Sunj Beach Lopud boat trip is so popular in summer. The bay is shallow a long way out, the water warms early in the season and the sand is soft, so it suits families and anyone who wants a proper beach rather than a rocky platform.

You have about an hour and a half of free time here. Swim, snorkel, rent a sunbed or walk up the path behind the beach; a couple of simple places sell snacks in high season (food is not included). The island is car-free, and Lopud town, with its Franciscan monastery and gardens, lies over the hill. The captain collects you from the beach for the ride back, with a last viewpoint photo stop before Dubrovnik.