Zmajeva špilja — Attraction in Općina Nerežišća

Slavic myths & legends mixed with the histories of people migration & of Brac island itself, religious "takeovers," and modern-day informed speculations/ knowledge shared by ethnologists, linguists & art historians. This is what you get when you visit the Dragon Cave with Zoran, "The Guide." I don't think I've received a better guided tour by anyone anywhere in the world. He is a Croatian national treasure, having accumulated so much knowledge over the 23 years (since 2000) he's been conducting tours of the Dragon Cave. Zoran popularizes what the more obscure branches of academic study so much, that those scholars embrace him for his storytelling. And we, the tourists, are enriched by it.

The weaver of tales made the Dragon Cave come alive in our imagination. The climb itself consists of 20% - 30% grade hills (the way up) in places that are, thankfully, not terribly long. The way down is longer and easier grade, on which you see wine grapes literally grown on hills so steep you wonder how they harvest them! Sturdy shoes (hiking boots are helpful, as sneakers would barely cut it) and bottles of water are essential, or you risk, well, health & safety! I found it necessary to use my hiking stick on the way down, for balance and my knees. Food too.

The views are beautiful, To be able to see far out beyond the Brac shores to Hvar & other islands. Our day was mostly cloudy, so we didn't get to see the brilliant colors of the Adriatic (the sea was navy blue, not green or aqua blue as we've seen on sunnier days). But the tradeoff was a not intensely hot climb.

The point of this visit, though, is primarily in the telling of tales. You'd be remiss not to pay the €12 pp (unless your group is too small, in which case Zoran asks for more - our family of 4 paid €20 pp for a last-minute, custom tour) to come all the way out here and miss the stories behind what's up there on the walls. And believe me, there are layers upon layers of history & stories that you'll...

This is a fantastic half day tour and I can't recommend it enough! Its a steep 1 hour walk up the hill to the cave but Zoran (the guide) makes sure to break it into short sections by stopping to tell you all of the local history, folklore and mythology associated with the area. He clearly loves his job and has spoken to many world experts about the cave and he shares all their theories and ideas with you along the way. The cave isn't massive but has amazing carvings and the views over Brac are epic. It is a moderately difficult climb but very doable with a bit of determination, decent trainers/walking shoes and lots of water. The cost is 80 kuna per person if you meet Zoran at Murvica or for 130 he will transport you to/from Bol centre. It's worth noting Zoran is the only person with the key to the cave so if you go on your own you won't be able to get inside - to be honest it was his detailed explanations that made the tour so good anyway! We text him on our arrival to Bol and he added us to his tour the next day. In total there were 10 in the group so a lovely size. One of the highlights of our...

Zoran's Cave not Dragon's Cave... We arrived at the cave without a guide but the guide (I assume Zoran) was starting a tour and told us to stay away and not to talk because then he would let us in for free later. We offered to pay to get in but he refused. After a while when I went to ask him politely how much longer it would take to enter he started yelling at me that he told me 10 minutes and not even 8 minutes passed and threatened that he would refuse us entrance altogether... Somehow we were second class citizens that he would let in for free if we didn't bother him while talking for the paying tour. We sat quiet as puppies at the cave door. I don't understand how he can be so nice to those who pay for the tour and so rude to others... In short it's not the Dragon's cave, it's Zoran's cave who holds the key and gives orders to those who don't pay him enough. We repeatedly offered to pay for the visit but we didn't want to pay for the whole tour given that we only went ro visit the cave. In short, an unpleasant experience and...