We begin in Split, a town on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, is known for its beaches and the fortress-like complex at its center, Diocletian's Palace, erected by the Roman emperor in the 4th century. Within its white stone walls and under its courtyards are a cathedral and numerous shops, bars, cafes, hotels and houses. We will be located adjacent to the Riva Promenade on the harbor. Come a day early to explore Split.

The city of Zadar is a real treasure trove of archaeological and historical monuments dating back to antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as of numerous contemporary works of architecture, such as the world’s first Sea Organ (or Morske orgulje) and Nikola Bašić’s Monument to the Sun. Many churches and monuments from all periods of history have been preserved, and they reflect the art and architecture of all styles.

We will base ourselves in Zadar for five days in a beautiful seaside hotel. We will explore phytotherapy as practiced in Croatia with lectures, workshops, a visit to a distillery and botanical walk. We will ferry to Rava island to visit a distillery and spend a beach day on the island of Kornati as a mid-trip break before heading to the island of Hvar.

Our accommodations in Hvar are surrounded by pines and olive trees overlooking the Adriatic Sea. We remain in Hvar for three days to learn about the plants of the area and essential oil production. We will visit distilleries and enjoy lectures and workshops during the day and some of the nightlife Hvar has to offer in the evenings. Those leaving the tour at this point will travel back to Split for departure home. For those who stay on, we will travel by catamaran to Dubrovnik. Known for its distinctive Old Town, encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century, its well-preserved buildings range from baroque to Renaissance and paved with limestone. Here we will explore the Old Town and enjoy a lecture and workshop on perfumery.

Itinerary

*We encourage participants to fly into Split airport to arrive on Tuesday June 23 or Wednesday June 24 at the Hotel Slavija to adjust to the time zone and to be well-rested as we begin after breakfast on Thursday June 25. For those who are staying for the entire tour (including Dubrovnik) we recommend departing from the Dubrovnik airport. Hotel accommodations begin on June 24. For those arriving on the June 23, you will need to select the hotel add-on to secure a room. Prices are indicated per person for single and double occupancy for both the full tour and partial tour. The full tour includes the day in Dubrovnik and the perfumery class with Slobodanka Poštić.*

Day One - Thursday, June 25

We meet for breakfast in the hotel lobby followed by a welcome and introduction to the tour. Immediately after, we will depart for the Zadar region, stopping along the way for a visit to a large-scale distillery, to explore the process of distilling Helichrysum italicum from the region. We will stop for a light lunch during the day. We check in at our seaside hotel late afternoon and will have some time for the beach before dinner. We will base ourselves here for the four days.

Day Two - Friday, June 26

Participants will have the option to do yoga each morning from 7 am - 8 am, led by Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200). We will have breakfast at the hotel (provided) and there will be a one-hour window for those who want to swim again before the day's events. At 10 pm we welcome our guest instructor for the day Frane Herenda, Croatian pharmacist, aromatherapist and author. Frane will begin by discussing the essential oils common to Croatia and how they are used (current status, regulations and practice), followed by a workshop on making essential oil capsules. We will break for lunch and return for a workshop on making cosmetics for skin conditions. At 4:30 pm, we will transfer by midibus to Frane's parapharmacy where he will talk about the types of products found in such establishments and participants will have an opportunity to shop. After our visit we will have an opportunity to walk in Zadar's city center and enjoy dinner.

Day Three - Saturday, June 27

Yoga and breakfast followed by hiking and an herb walk (location TBD) led by our guest lecturer, Croatian herbalist Damir Gašpar. While on our walk we will harvest some herbs to make tinctures in the afternoon. We will enjoy lunch and then return to our hotel for a lecture on the use of herbal medicine in Croatia followed by a workshop on making tinctures. Participants will have free time for swimming before dinner in the evening at our hotel.

 Day Four - Sunday, June 28

We will depart early (7am - no yoga this morning) to catch our ferry to the Island of Rava. We will bring our breakfast with us to enjoy on the ferry. We arrive at 10 am and meet our guest educator, Ivana Ivić from Rava Artisan Distillery. Ivana will lead us on a walk to do some wild harvesting of myrtle and get us started on the distillation. We will break for lunch and a lecture on essential oil production and branding. Soon after we will enjoy the fruits of our labor and will bottle and label the essential oil and hydrosol. We will ferry back to Zadar for dinner in the city centre.

Day Five - Monday, June 29

Free day! Our day begins with yoga and breakfast and then we will transfer to cruise the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, islands of Kornati and to spend some time swimming and enjoying the beautiful scenery of hundred islands. We will visit the beautiful bay of Telašćica, where we will be having lunch (included). After the cruise, participants will have some free time in the late afternoon before the early evening lectures (TBD), followed by dinner at the hotel.

Day Six - Tuesday, June 30

We will have a morning yoga session and breakfast, then check out of our hotel. We will travel to another Croatian distillery, where we will be introduced to the essential oils they produce from the local aromatic plants. We will have lunch at the distillery before meeting our ferry at 3 pm to the island of Hvar. Upon our arrival at our hotel in Hvar, we will check in and participants will have some free time to enjoy before the evening lectures. Dinner follows the lectures. Hvar will be our home for the next two days.

Day Seven and Day Eight - Wednesday and Thursday, July 1-2

    The next two days will begin with yoga and breakfast, followed by a day with Clinical Phytotherapist and master distiller Marco Valussi. We will visit a distillery where Marco will discuss important aspects of the distilling process. Our days will also include lectures and workshops on professional distillation presented by Marco. Some free time will be available, and we will enjoy a wine tasting!

Day Nine - Friday, July 3

This is where some of our participants will leave to return home. After breakfast (no yoga today), we will check out of our hotel and divide in two groups. One group, finishing the tour, will take a ferry back to the mainland. For those staying on, we will make our way by catamaran to Dubrovnik. Upon arrival we will have lunch and then check in to our hotel. There will be some free time for swimming before we enjoy a walk in the Old Town area of Dubrovnik and discover various points of interest, including a visit to a pharmacy (TBD), and dinner in the city centre.  

Day Ten - Saturday, July 4

We begin once again with yoga and breakfast before we begin a day of perfumery with guest instructor Slobodanka Postic. Slobodanka will discuss natural perfumes and provide guidance on making our own natural perfume (to take home) using the essential oils of Croatia. Our program is from 9 am -5 pm with a 1 1/2-hour break for lunch. After the class there will be time for swimming and a nice walk in town, followed by dinner at the hotel. This concludes the Aromatic Study Tour.

*Participants will check out the next day to make their way to the airport.*

—IMPORTANT NOTES—

The tour involves a lot of walking/hiking and transfers will be via midibus, ferry, and catamaran. We strongly recommend that you take this into account when booking to ensure you feel physically fit to participate. Our timetable is tight and doesn't allow for delays with our transfers.

Consider packing light as you will need to be responsible for your own luggage and we have several transfers to our destinations. We have done our best to provide lovely lodgings (seaside and near the beach) and to base ourselves for two or more nights in a single location.

All participants are required to have travel insurance.

Bring a water bottle, hard cover notebook, hat, sturdy walking shoes, light jacket and a swimsuit. 

Check back often as more information will be added through April 1, 2020.

Register now!

A Note About Our Course: Course registrations will be evaluated on March 30. If the minimum is not met by then, the course may be cancelled and full refunds will be given. To ensure your desired course moves forward, we encourage you to sign up by February 29, 2020. A cancellation fee of 10% will be applied to any payments made should you decide to cancel. To avoid a cancellation fee, your course fees can be transferred to another upcoming class should you need to cancel. We ask that you do not purchase your airfare until the minimum number has been met. In the event we do not meet a minimum of 14 people number for this course, your course fees will be fully refunded. When the minimum number has been met, we will post an update to the course page and notify you by email so that you may purchase your flight if you have not already done so. In the event that we have filled the course (18 maximum), you can request to be placed on the wait-list in case of any cancellations. We recommend that you purchase a refundable ticket and travel insurance in case of any unforeseen issue. The IJPHA is not responsible for refunds for your travel. Travel insurance is required for this course.