Adventure

With the winter school break in sight and two kids in tow bursting with energy, it was high time to plan a decent family vacation. We had practically tried all ski resorts in Slovenia already and some across the border in Italy and Austria as well, but nothing really appealed. Not with school-break crowds there anyway. Then it dawned on me. The Soča Valley, the long valley of the emerald green Soča River in northwestern Slovenia with a high-mountain ski resort and countless hiking trails, might be a tiny bit too celebrated in summer, but is highly overlooked in winter! No crowds, just lounging in perfection of the high mountains and expansive panoramas, hiking on empty sunny trails and exploring numerous frozen waterfalls in this spectacular and secluded valley. 

Sounds idyllic, right?!

I booked an apartment in Bovec, which would place us strategically for our planned winter fun: 2 minutes away from the cable car to the Kanin Ski Resort, 5 minutes from two beautiful and easy panoramic hikes, 13 minutes from the Great Soča Gorge, and 13 minutes from the Loška Koritnica Valley, a valley of a hundred waterfalls. Sure, Bovec doesn’t offer any spa resorts or any other means for idle pampering to be exact, but, honestly, we weren’t even looking for that. Being surrounded with so much beauty and outdoor options was enough for my family. 

Explore Soča Valley:
Twelve hikes in the Soča Valley in Slovenian mountains
A glimpse of WWI on a stunning traverse from Bohinj to the Soča
Where to hike around the Soča Valley in amazing western Slovenia
From Bohinj to Soča Valley Trek

With all big celebrations behind and before we leap fully into 2023, let’s take a step back for a moment and reflect. We’ve shared many unforgettable mountain adventures together; hiked, wandered carefree on undulating trails, climbed steep walls, overcoming fears of many kinds and sweating for the same goals. We’ve enjoyed sandwiches seated on conditionally comfortable rocks, yet snugly sunk into mesmerizing views. We yelled at the top of our lungs from the top of the mountains, sharing happiness with everyone around us. We’ve admired with big Wooows the mighty Alpine ibexes as they stretched their muscular bodies in the warm sun somewhere high up in the remote rocky world. We’ve become friends, connected with an invisible thread, knitted so precisely around our hearts as only the magic of the wildest mountains can do.

There are so many mountain adventures I would love to share with you! So here are a few photos of Our 2022 to reflect the beautiful trails we’ve walked together. Enjoy!

Hidden in southwestern Pokljuka, a high karst plateau in the Julian Alps with 6,300 ha of mostly fir forests, are numerous Alpine pastures with old wooden huts that seem lost in time. Some of them have been changed into tourist homes, while others are kept simple by the new generations of the old shepherd families. In summer, hikers can make a stop to taste delicious home-made cheeses, sour milk and sometimes local cured meats and štruklji – a welcome relief on their wanderings along the long trails of Pokljuka.

In winter, however, there is a sense of contented isolation. As often as not, from late-autumn until mid-spring the pastures, especially the higher ones, are uninhabited and inaccessible by car, and can only be reached on skis or showshoes. Set against a playground of high peaks of the Julians Alps and yet so snugly hidden in the otherwise thick forest, Pokljuka’s Alpine pastures offer perfect winter hiking goals with breathtaking views of the winter wonderland.

Hidden behind a long Alpine valley and a gorge with plummeting waterfalls and a winding narrow road going through rock-carved tunnels, is the high and steep eastern part of the Košuta massif. Measuring ten kilometers in length, Košuta is the longest mountain in Slovenia that boasts twelve peaks of over 2K meters. If the western side of the massif is popular with hikers due to its accessibility and relatively easy trails, among frequently visited peaks being Mt. Kofce and Veliki Vrh, the eastern side seems more remote and mysterious. Read about a beautiful sunset in the mountains on the top of Mt. Košutnikov Turn.

In the midst of forested hills set against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks lies a small lake with an idyllic island in the middle, and a medieval castle dramatically perched on a cliff above the shore. The lake color changes with seasons and it goes from deep blue-green in winter to sapphire blue in summer. Considered as one of the most beautiful Alpine resorts in Europe, Lake Bled has been a tourist destination for centuries, while it also regularly tops the lists of the most beautiful places in the world.  

Here is a list of best viewpoints of Lake Bled.

As we drive close to the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, heavy raindrops slowly dwindle and thick black clouds tear apart offering a peek of the mountains. Velika Planina, a high Alpine plateau on the Alps’ southern rim just 30 kilometers from Ljubljana, had just started to show some greenish hues in its vast brown fields after a long winter, yet in less than two months cows from the neighboring villages will be already grazing in those highland pastures. In April, however, as the snow melts away, Velika Planina is well-known for something else. Carpets of purple crocuses break out every year, turning Velika Planina into a blooming place straight out of a fairy tale!

Exploring Slovenia’s best spring hikes:
Flower hike on Golica
Velika Planina and crocuses
Goli Vrh above Jezersko

I’ve walked in the fairytale mountains above Lake Bohinj and between my first and second attempt to climb the 1,761-m peak Mt. Pršivec I realized something; to hike in that area you have to understand the background. Its remoteness nestled among towering mountains has shaped the locals over the centuries, giving them the skills to not only master the surrounding peaks but even conquer Mt. Triglav as the first. Tackling any trail in their playground might thus bring unexpected hiccups like a section of expert terrain on a trail marked as easy. Yet, dreamy views and the adventure will leave you craving for more.

Way up high – above the lively Alpine town of Kranjska Gora, a glacial valley with a mountain stream, the evergreen fir forests and an escarpment that ends with some of the highest mountains in Slovenia – is a comfortable 1,562-meter peak which offers a safe hike even in winter. The trail to get there narrows from a broad valley to a forest which ends quite unexpectedly on an open flat top. We gasped at the sight. Perhaps even more than the tall peaks, this rather low peak opens to sublime views and lets you soak up the intense history of the place and magic of the Alps without risking too much on the way.

Read about Visoki Mavrinc, a beautiful and safe hike above Kranjska Gora.

The freshly fallen snow has sprinkled the landscape white overnight and I’m warm in our cozy house on a brink of a forest thinking back of the past year. Truth to be told, I have mixed emotions about 2021. Like it or not, Covid has turned our lives upside down and changed our “normality” into a crippled shadow of the past. The world at the moment can feel beyond real… I just spent three days convincing my parents we can do Christmas celebrations in person after a negative rapid test… and I’m sure many of you can relate. The odd times call for regular trips outdoor to vent the daily stress by the serenity and tranquility of the nature. To this extent, I’m thankful for all adventures – big and small – we’ve shared on the trail so far. They’ve been priceless. Thank you for that! 

It has been an immense pleasure to be guiding every single one of you to the mountains; to hit the dusty or snowy trail, sweat and curse the steep slopes together, climb spectacular peaks, relax at lakes, run from massive thunderstorms, marvel at mind-blowing sunrises and sunsets, and cheer in the huts with even more like-minded adventurers. Together we made the almost impossible in this more and more virtual world possible… we felt completely alive and happy! Thank you again guys for coming on our tours and helping create this awesome energy! You are the best!

Let’s see our Slovenia mountain adventures in pictures…

As the sun sparkles over the emerald green Soča River, which winds from its source at 990 meters above Trenta all the way to the Adriatic Sea at Italy’s Trieste, the surrounding hills and mountains call for an adventure. There are endless hiking options in the Soča Valley and it would be wrong to think that one could only get a kick out of the river. While the Soča truly is spectacular and deserves the attention, the Soča Valley is just so much more; it’s interwoven with various hiking trails that bring us either high up into the Alpine world, or to hidden waterfalls, meadows with wooden houses out of a fairy tale, gorgeous lakes, and even mysterious remains of the WWI.

Let’s dive in the best hikes in the Soča Valley.

Exploring Slovenia’s best treks:
From Bohinj to Soča Valley Trek
Soča Valley and the Alps
7 Triglav Lakes Trek
The Karavanke Alps Traverse

Read also:
Where to hike around the Soča Valley in amazing Western Slovenia
Twelve hikes in the Soča Valley in Slovenian mountains
Glimpse of WWI on a stunning traverse from Bohinj to the Soča
Best of Soča Valley in winter: from skiing, panoramic hiking to frozen waterfalls