SwimTrek

I did Greece this past September with Swim Trek and it was absolutely one of the best weeks of my life (and I've been around 55 years). I'm going back to do Croatia with them this year along with a group from the South End Rowing Club here in San Francisco.

What a great endorsement -- that's what I was hoping to hear! Closest thing to a dream vacation that I can imagine, anyway. So, I picked Malta in the fall (maybe Greece the following year).

wow this sounds great. I'd never heard of such an adventure group before. The NZ/Australia ones would be my choice but looks like they have fewer of them...

Going on Swimtrek soon....! Greek Cyclades...feeling nervous!! Any tips on anything....for planning, training, packing, transfers etc!!?

I did the Greek Cyclades trip last June and it was fantastic. Days spent on a sailing yacht and in the water, nights in a comfortable hotel. The food was great, on one of the islands there was a restaurant run by two brothers with the most delicious food I can ever remember. I don't think any special prep is needed other than the ability to swim 5-6km in open water at a relaxed pace. On our trip there was a Brit who had only learned to swim recently and only swam *** stroke, he was extremely fit as he was a serious fell(sp?) runner (running up and down mountains - it's a Brit thing) but not speedy by any stretch and caused no problems. My only problem was sunburn, but I was able to buy a chafe-guard shirt and was ok after that. One the longest swim a couple of the slower swimmers wore fins to make it easier to stay with their group. Highly highly recommended!

I did Croatia last fall and had a great time. The first night they have everyone swim a set distance to decide who goes in the fast group and who belongs in the slow group. On ours, one person was sort of in-between. She was about my speed, but got much colder waiting for the others to catch up and couldn't get on with a wetsuit so was given fins and moved up to the fast group. I had to slow down from time to time to let the other two "slows" catch up, but that was okay, it was not a competition. The recommended train-to distance for this trip was 5k. I only made it to 4, but since they shortened the swims slightly for us slower people, it wasn't a problem. I just wish I'd done some really hilly hikes to prepare for the walking part. The swims were no problem, but my feet and legs really suffered walking over all those hills.

Here's my friend's tale of his Swim Trek experience: mymsc.ca/Article.jsp

Thanks for all the trip reports! I'm considering Croatia as the most immediately doable for me. All the details - hillwalking, sunburn, divided groups, take my flippers - are great beta! Any problems with security? Entrusting your passport and ticket home to others while out frolicking? Did you use special goggles for saltwater swimming? Thanks, VB

Thanks, Ripple! Helps the dreaming! Thanks to Lindsay for linking his friend's account. The Cyclades caught my attention first - the wine-dark sea - so it is good to know the conditions and actual swim segment lengths as they play out in real life. :wave: VB

Hi Everyone: As a part-time swim guide the past 2 years for Swim-Trek's Croatia trip & and as a customer 3 years ago on the Greece trip, I've enjoyed reading the postings. For the Croatia trip, bring some good walking shoes (there's a 1-hour hike to the Krka waterfalls and there can be some shorter island hikes that are on rocky trails). The Croatia trips stay at Privic (when there is one trip going, you stay the whole week there - when two concurrent trips are running, you spend 3-days at Privic and 3-days at another location). The reason I mention this is that the Hotel Maestral on Privic will require you to hand over your passport while staying there but there is absolutely nothing to worry about. This island town is very small and the people exceptionally friendly. And as someone mentioned, the after dinner liquor they serve is like rocket fuel - one is all you need! And the Greece trip is equally great with a lot of hiking (at least when I did it 3 years ago). I hope all of you have a great time - the guides love what they're doing and do whatevery they can to make sure you have the vacation of a lifetime. And for those of you who wish you could sign up today but just can't justify going all the way over to Croatia or Greece, you can check out www.bajaex.com/.../SwimmingExpedition.html I've been working with Baja Expeditions in La Paz Mexico (they've been leading kayaking & whale watching trips for 25 years) and in October they will be offering 2 1-week swimming expeditions in La Paz. If anyone has any other questions about Swim Trek, I can give you my spin both as a customer and as a guide. Gary