We decided to spend the remaining few days of our old vacation time in Slovenia, looking forward to being in the Alps. In this corona crisis, we really missed alpine hiking trips, so there was no doubt whether we would go to Slovenia or not, on those few days off. There are two locations where we are regular guests (at least once a year), namely Bohinj and Bovec. Since we haven’t been to Bovec for a long time (even a few years), the decision wasn’t difficult.
For us lovers of the alps and alpine regions, this little place is simply perfect. It offers so many opportunities for various outdoor activities, from walks in the nature, hiking and mountaineering (to Kanin, Mangart, Jalovec, Krn, Bavški Grintavec, and countless lesser known, but equally beautiful mountains), cycling to rafting, kayaking, stand up paddling, and other water activities. Every time we come here, we feel like we are in the heart of the Alps, surrounded by high mountain peaks and emerald clear waters of the Soča river. For all of us who prefer natural tourism, and even a little “stronger” action, this place seems to have come to life from our wildest dreams 😊. There is so much breathtaking nature here that there are no words I can use now to describe it.
What makes our stay in Bovec even more beautiful every time we are here, are our extremely nice and kind hosts, Majda, Bojan and Jernej from Skok Apartments. Each time they go a step further in their kindness, enthusiasm and desire to help us plan our stay in their beautiful town. More than 9 years ago we came to Bovec for the first time and since then we return to them every time – we don’t even look for other accommodation 😊. In those 9 years, other than renting the apartments, they opened the Bovec Alpine School – a shop for mountaineering/outdoor equipment, but also an agency for guided hiking tours, a winter ski school, rafting on the Soča river and many other outdoor activities. On such an active vacation, what more does a person need😁? Yes, I know this sounds like an advertisement now (no, it’s not a paid ad), but these people certainly deserve it – with their work and their character and their infectious enthusiasm they always make us feel welcome and like we’re at home – and we warmly recommend them.
But let’s get back to our topic. Out of a total of 4 days that we will spend on this trip, we decided to dedicate the middle 2 days to all-day hiking. We have planned 2 individual hiking trips, to Rombon and Briceljk, and they will be described in the next story – we enjoyed them so much and we think that they deserve their own story 😁.
And what about the first and last day, or as we refer to them the days of travel? As soon as we decided we’re going to Bovec, I suggested that we make a small road trip through the Soča Valley on the first day. The days are quite long now, we said we’ll check in at 7 pm, we will leave home early in the morning, we have enough time. The same goes for the last day, the day of returning home – I suggested a shorter, half-day hike to Lake Krn (1391 m), the largest Slovenian high-altitude lake, with the possibility of changing the plan on the way, when we see how tired we will be from the previous two full days of hiking.
1. day (arrival day)
The Soča river is a 138 km long alpine river with its source in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps, and flows into the Adriatic Sea in the Gulf of Trieste, near the town of Monfalcone. This area is not unknown to us because we have come to Bovec several times – but only to hike. We have already climbed many mountains here, taken mountain roads and passes, visited promenades and forest paths. This time we wanted to dedicate at least one day to the Soča Valley, so we made the following plan for our first day: Kanal ob Soči, Most na Soči, Tolmin Gorge (ticket for adults 5-8 EUR, depending on the season), Kozjak waterfall (ticket 4 EUR from May 16 to October 31), Nadiža river (if we would have enough time) and Boka waterfall (just a short look around, because we have already visited it several times, and it is right next to the road before arriving in Bovec).
I will not describe these locations in particular detail, because there are really countless of these descriptions on the web, and with a short “googling” you can find everything you are interested in. Instead, here are some pictures of one beautiful (though occasionally rainy) day spent in nature 😊.
Kanal ob Soči
Most na Soči
Tolmin Gorge
Kozjak waterfall
Boka waterfall
Unfortunately, after we finished our walk to the Kozjak waterfall, it was already late and we had to check into the apartment so the Nadiža river fell out of the plan. But well, something has to stay for next time too – because we’ll be back for sure 😊. As another interesting location, we would recommend the source of the Soča river – we did not plan it this time because we have visited it before, but it is definitely worth a visit.
4. day (departure day)
On the morning of the departure day, we woke up quite tired from the last 3 days. It was immediately clear to us that we would not hike to Lake Krn – we could not gather the enthusiasm for that 😅. And the weather didn’t seem good either, it was quite cloudy, maybe it will rain, and various other excuses to justify giving up on the original plan 😄.
As an alternative, I suggested that we cross the Vršič pass and descend to Kranjska Gora, where we will spend a few hours sunbathing on Lake Jasna and maybe take a short walk around the lake and along the river (or stream) Pišnica. Needless to say, this idea was greeted with enthusiasm.
On our way from Bovec to Vršič we stopped at the Great Soča Gorge – when we were already there and had all day ahead of us, it will be a pity not to see another beautiful water location. We stayed there for a little over an hour, walked along the canyon, took some photos and admired the indescribably clean, light blue to emerald colored Soča river.
We did not stop at the Vršič pass this time – this is an extremely popular starting point for Mojstrovke, Prisojnik, Slemenova špica and many other peaks in the area (because its height is 1611 m), and even that day was no different, judging by the crowds in the parking lot.
We continued towards Kranjska Gora. Lake Jasna is a beautiful alpine lake where you can swim, which is a convenience we use every time we hike in the area – there is no better remedy for a tired body and tense muscles, than the cold water of alpine rivers or lakes.
Of course, when we were already in Kranjska Gora, we had to take a short walk around Zelenci, as well. It is a nature reserve located just behind Podkoren, near Kranjska Gora, and otherwise known as the extremely popular Instagram photo location 😊.
In order for this day (and our whole mini vacation) to be complete, on our way home we stopped for an hour or two in Ljubljana, in BTC shopping mall for a short tour of sports’ equipement shops and a little shopping 😊.
On this mini vacation we got pretty tired, but also recharged our batteries to survive until the next weekend…so, in anticipation of the description of the remaining 2 days of our hiking adventures, see you in the next story….