The Odysseus Cave on Mljet: Hidden Croatia

Have you heard about the Odysseus Cave on Mljet Island, Croatia? Mljet island is truly one of the hidden gems of Croatia, and finding the Odysseus Cave is one of the best activities to do on Mljet. 

If you’ve been here before, you know by now that literary travel is kind of my thing. I’ve spent the last few years traveling the US and Europe in search of the best indie bookstores, beautiful libraries, and literary sights and writing about them so you never miss out again. 

While Croatia may not be known as a literary travel destination per se, there are some sights of interest here. When I found out that some people identify the cave in which Odysseus was held captive by Calypso as being in Croatia, of course I had to find it for myself.

But whether your interest is more literary, seeking out locations from Homer’s The Odyssey, or you are just looking for fun things to do on a day trip from Dubrovnik, I promise you that the Odysseus Cave does not disappoint. 

Don’t forget to pin this post for later reference: 

Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.

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Calypso and Odysseus in The Odyssey

Before we get to all the details you need to know to find the Odysseus cave on Mljet, let’s talk about why this literary travel sight is significant. To do that, we need to know a little bit about the Greek epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer.

The Odyssey is perhaps the most well-known epic poem in all of Western literature and one of my must-read books set in Greece. Sequentially, it follows another epic poem attributed to Homer, The Illiad, which dramatizes the events of the Trojan War.

The Odyssey tells the rest of the story, that is, Odysseus’s long journey back home to Ithaca. After fighting the Trojan war for 10 years, it was Odysseus that came up with the brilliant plan to trick the Trojans with the wooden horse, which led to the sacking and ruin of Troy. Now, Odysseus wants to return home to his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, but he is barred at every turn, and the journey home takes him another 10 years.

To be fair, a prophet of sorts, the “old warrior Halitherses,” did foretell this very thing:

“After many blows, and all his shipmates lost,
after twenty years had wheeled by, he would come home,
unrecognized by all…”

the odyssey, homer, translated by robert fagles

The Greek gods play an important role in The Odyssey, as Odysseus ends up caught in the middle. His difficult journey home is attributed to these warring gods. Odysseus has the love and favor of Athena, goddess of wisdom, and the ire of Poseidon, god of the sea (he did blind his son, Polythemus the Cyclops, after all. I’m not sure you can blame him for that grudge).

But on his way home, Odysseus and his men manage to piss off another god, Helios, the sun god. Going against Circe‘s advice, Odysseus and his men kill Helios’s beloved cattle. As punishment, Zeus strikes Odysseus’s ship with lightening, and all of his men drown.

Odysseus survives the shipwreck by using pieces of the ship’s mast and keel to create a makeshift raft. After drifting along for 9 days, Odysseus makes it to the mythical island of Ogygia, the island of Calpyso the sea nymph. There, Calypso holds him captive for the next seven years.

“But one man alone…
his heart set on his wife and his return — Calypso,
the bewitching nymph, the lustrous goddess, held him back,
deep in her arching caverns, craving him for a husband.”

the odyssey, homer, translated by robert fagles

Calpyso and Odysseus become lovers, though historians and writers have quite different takes on just how heartbroken Odysseus was to be taken prisoner by the sexy goddess.

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is always crying, grieving for his wife, son, and homeland. More modern Greek mythology retellings cast Odysseus’s captivity in a different light (“oh nooo… please, goddess, don’t take me captive in your cave and have sex with me repeatedly, nooooo”).

After seven years, Athena convinces Zeus to take pity on Odysseus, and Calypso is forced to help Odysseus build a raft on which to make it home to Ithaca.

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Related: Interested in more Homeric sites? Check out my guide on where to find Homer’s tomb on Ios, Greece.

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The Odysseus Cave on Mljet Island

People love to speculate about the mythical locations described in The Odyssey. While it’s unclear why, at some point, somebody chose the island of Mljet, now a part of Croatia, as one of the possible real-world locations of Ogygia, Calpyso’s island.

Today, visitors can visit the cave in which Calypso and Odysseus supposedly lived for seven years. The journey to the Odysseus Cave on Mljet is an adventure all its own. Interested visitors will have to hike about 1.2 km, or 0.75 miles, along a craggy cliff, to reach the remote cave on the coast of Mljet.

Once you have arrived at the Odysseus Cave, you will be rewarded with incomparable views: a white, rocky, wild shoreline contrasted against the clear blue water of the Adriatic Sea.

Believe it when I tell you that the waters at the Odysseus Cave on Mljet are incomparable. The sea is so clear you can easily see for meters, all the way to the bottom, with all the beautiful coral and fish below you.

Once you’ve reached the shore, you’ll need to enter the Odysseus Cave by water. For thrill seekers, there are several places where you can cliff jump, anywhere from beginner to intermediate. Or, you can simply jump in from a sea-level entry point and skip the free fall.

Now that you’ve entered the water, swim into the mouth of the Odysseus Cave. Inside, there is a small piece of land, perhaps where Calypso and Odysseus would have made their bed, with an opening to the sky overhead. In the water, there’s all kinds of coral and sea life around you. It’s really an indescribably magical experience.  

When you’ve finished swimming around in the Odysseus Cave, find the spot on the cliff with a rope anchored onto the rocks, as holding onto this makes for a manageable exit back onto the shore. Let the sun dry you as you relax on the rocky shore, perhaps enjoying a small picnic while you’re there. Or, you can avail yourself of the small, makeshift bar someone has set up next to the Odysseus Cave.

While here, take a moment and picture Odysseus stranded here for 7 years. I’ll leave it to you to choose which version of the tale you prefer. Maybe it’s Homer’s:

“Off he sat on a headland, weeping there as always,
wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish,
gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears.”

The odyssey, by homer, translated by robert fagles

Maybe you prefer a more salacious version of the tale. I won’t tell. The choice, my friend, is up to you.

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When to visit

Many people recommend visiting the Odysseus Cave around 12 noon, as that is when the sunlight pours through the vertical opening in the cave, lighting up the water and the cave around you. 

Others will tell you to avoid this time, because that’s when it will be the most crowded with other people. 

I arrived around 11:30 am, and while there were several other small groups of visitors, it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment one bit. The Odysseus Cave is still very much a hidden gem in Croatia, so it’s unlikely you’ll see hordes of other visitors there. 

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How long do you need to visit the Odysseus Cave?

In summary, the trip to the Odysseus Cave including the hike and swimming will take anywhere from 2-3 hours on average. The hike to the Odysseus Cave takes about 20- 30 minutes each way for an average walker, potentially a little longer on the return, as it’s mostly an uphill climb.

As for how long you’ll spend at the cave, it’s obviously up to you, but I’d recommend planning on at least an hour here. Leave yourself a longer period of time if you love cliff diving, basking in the sun, or if you plan to stay awhile at the seaside bar, chatting with its friendly owners. 

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How to find the Odysseus Cave on Mljet

There are several options to get to Mljet from mainland Croatia (see below), but to get to Odysseus’s cave you will need to either bring or rent a car or take a taxi. 

Once on the island of Mljet, drive or take a taxi to Tommy’s Supermarket (D120, 20225, Sobra, Croatia). It is only a 7-10 minute drive from the Sobra ferry port, 30 minutes from the Port of Pomena, and 25 minutes from Polače port. 

Park your car near Tommy’s Supermarket, but make sure you don’t park in their designated spots (check the signs). There should be plenty of street parking in the area that is not reserved for their customers.

A bit uphill and across the street from Tommy’s, look for the brown sign that indicates the beginning of the path to the Odysseus Cave.  From here, it’s about a 25-30 minute hike for a sure-footed hiker, downhill on the way to the cave and uphill on the way back. 

You’ll be hiking on loose gravel, paved pathways, and light climbing on jagged rocks. I think it’s doable for most in shape people who have hiked on similar terrain, but as always know your limits. 

While the hiking path is generally easy to follow, there are a couple points where it gets confusing. I recommend downloading the map on AllTrails so you can be sure you don’t get lost.

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What to bring with you

Finding this particular literary travel sight in Croatia is a bit of an adventure, so you’ll want to be prepared. Here’s my recommendations for what to bring with you when you visit the Odysseus Cave:

What to wear:

• Shoes with good soles as there is loose rock as well as some scrambling on sharp rocks. This could be a sturdy pair of water shoes, hiking sandals, or sturdy sneakers that you take off when you get there
• Swimsuit if you want to get in the water (you will)
• Swim cover-up for hiking
• Hat for sun protection (optional) 

Bring with you:

• Sunscreen (preferably reef-safe sunscreen)
• Snorkel goggles / snorkel — you’ll want to see inside the cave and the coral reef in and surrounding it, plus that blue! Also, this will help you avoid touching jellyfish or sea urchins. 
• Towel (I like these compact microfiber towels that pack small in your suitcase)  
• Plenty of drinking water (always bring more than you think you’ll need) 

Optional extras: 

• Change of clothes for the hike back up (optional; but if you are prone to chafing from a wet swimsuit, I really recommend this. I was fine as a female with a wet bikini, but the men who wore swim trunks all got a good amount of uncomfortable chafing on the hike back up). 

• Picnic / snacks — we ended up staying much longer than I originally thought we would, and having lunch with us as we saw others did would have been nice
• Cash if you want a cold drink at the seaside bar 
• Waterproof camera (I use a GoPro) 
• Flotation device if you’re not a strong swimmer 
• A small pad to sit on if desired, as there’s nowhere to sit except on pointy, jagged rocks  
• Benadryl spray in case of jellyfish sting (this is what I always packed with me at Hawaii beaches, as it takes away a lot of the sting) 
• Waterproof fanny pack if you don’t trust your valuables to sit on the rocks unattended while you swim

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Tips for visiting

• At noon, light streams in through the top hole of the Odysseus Cave, lighting up the clear blue water in a magical way. While this may be the busiest time at the cave, it’s also totally worthwhile 
• If you’re bringing children, or if you’re not a strong swimmer, you may want to bring a flotation device as you do need to swim a little ways to get to and from the cave 
• Watch out for jelly fish! I saw 8-10 jelly fish swimming around the cave, though I hear they are rare in Croatia 
• Download the AllTrails map if you are a Pro member. The path is generally easy to follow, but it’s still possible to get lost

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Related: Spending more time in Eastern Europe? Check out Istanbul’s hidden gem, the Book Bazaar

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Getting to Mljet Island

Mljet is without doubt one of the best hidden gems of Croatia. It came onto my radar because of this literary travel sight, but I’ve even talked to local Croatians who hadn’t heard of the island or had never considered visiting.

Mljet is also home to a national park, Mljet National Park, something you should definitely include this in your Mljet itinerary. It’s a 30-40-minute drive or taxi ride from where you’ll park for the Odysseus Cave hike. In the national park, you can swim, kayak, or hike around two beautiful saltwater lakes and/or visit an island monastery (on an island within an island).

Other things you can put on your Mljet itinerary include visiting some beautiful beaches, hiking, and scuba diving.

Mljet as a day trip from Dubrovnik or Split

Mljet is a great day trip to include in your Croatia itinerary or on a Croatia road trip. There are several different ferry ports for traveling between Dubrovnik or Split and Mljet. Check Ferryhopper to find the best ferry ports and times for your travel schedule.

If you are planning to bring a car, make sure you inform your rental company, as you will likely have to pay an additional fee to bring it on a ferry (it was 17 euros for me). To take the car ferry, you will have to drive to the Propratano ferry port, which is about an hour’s drive from Dubrovnik. Ferry times are limited, so make sure you check the schedule ahead of time and get there with plenty of time. Cars start lining up about 30 minutes before the ferry departure time. 

Make sure you are 100% confident on the last ferry times of the day, or you will be spending an unexpected night on Mljet island. 

If you don’t want to worry about ferry timetables and ports, there are some companies that offer organized day trips to Mljet from Dubrovnik.

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Staying overnight on Mljet

If you’re staying on Mljet, your options for accommodations are mostly small, private rentals by people who live on the island.

If you’re looking for privately owned vacation rentals, I recommend checking VRBO. I’ve personally had much better experiences with their owners and rentals than I have with their primary competitor.

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Well, have I convinced you to add the Odysseus Cave on Mljet to your literary travel bucket list?

What other locations from The Odyssey would you be interested in visiting IRL?

Don’t forget to pin this post for future travels.