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Hiking in Slovenia - Sunday, November 7, 2004
I have grown up to be quite a lazy person, so hiking has kind of lost its place in my life, but I was pretty active at it as a kid. It's a shame, really, since Slovenia offers a great variety of hiking opportunities, whether you are looking for easy routes or extreme hard rock climbing.
The thing you would really want to look out for is the weather. Spring usually hits us in the middle of March, but snow does not rise above 2000m (6500ft) before end of May. April is very tricky and you have a slightly bigger chance of getting lucky in May, but the best time for hiking around here is June until October. That is also the »main season«, which means all the cottages and cabins are open. Go up out of season and you have a great chance of ending up soaked wet and without a place to run to for shelter. Another phenomena, which could bereave you of the astonishing views peaks offer, is fog. So, even during high season, you will really want to check out the humidity, to assure you make the best of your hike.
Must sees, especially for any first timers are mostly covered in the Julian Alps. The number one place you would want to go: Triglav National park. Triglav, which also appears in our national flag, is with its 2864m (9396ft) the highest mountain peak in Slovenia and there is a saying here that: »You are not a true Slovene, if you haven't been atop of Triglav yet.« That would make me a non-citizen then. Yes, I am ashamed to admit, that I haven't conquered it yet. The furthest I have come is Kredarica hut at 2515m (8251ft), but then the weather went into a striking decline and we had to head back. Wrong timing! Still, Kredarica is a name, you will want to keep in mind, as you will definitely need to rest there, when climbing Triglav. It is open June 29 - September 25.
The lowest point of the park, crossed with high mountain ridges and beautiful river valleys of Soča and Sava, is Tolmin Gorge. A trademark of the place, though, is most definitely the Seven lakes Valley or the Valley of the Triglav lakes (hut next to the lakes open June 20th till September 30th). A 2 hour's and a half walk will take you to Vršič mountain pass, which is at 1611m (5285ft), the highest of the kind in our lovely land. Being accessible by car, it is often the starting point of many hikes.
Even the hike atop Špik, which is also the fondest memory of hiking I have. We went there in my 4th year of high school and totally bonded over it as a class. It took us a bit under 5 hours to get to the breath taking view at 2477m (8127ft) above sea level. We started of at Vršič pass, went passed Krnica, through Kačji greben (Snake crest) and made a good long pause on the greenest meadows at Lipnica (2418m [7933ft]). From there on comes the most unpleasant part of the climb, the scree under the peak. The view from the top is more than rewarding, though.
Apart from hiking opportunities, you should also take advantage of the two mountain lakes in the region- Bohinj and Bled. They are both great for strolls or water activities. Bohinj is the bigger and the colder one (the temperature doesn't rise above 17°C, that is 62.2°F) and also the one more appropriate for sporting activities (boating, fishing...). You can put your tent up in camp Zlatorog and just relax for a few days by the water. But Bled is the one considered a symbol of our mountains. With its artificial island with a church lying in the middle of it. There is a wishing bell inside the church, so make sure to check the island out. You can get there by boat, swim to it during summer or even skate to it in winter, when the the lake freezes over. The two camps near the Bled lake are Šobec and Lesce. The price for a one night stay ranges from $5 to $12. The same goes for mountain huts.
I would say hiking in Slovenia is most definitely a unique experience; one that any eager hiker should enjoy. If you take the weather serious and prepare properly for your endeavor, you are guaranteed an awesome day/week/month. :)
PS: Since we are a wee land, you really should take full advantage of your stay here... So, drive around a bit, come to Ljubljana (if you give me a head's up, I'd love to meet you), check out the cultural monuments, taste our beer. Live it up in good ol' SLO. ;-)
Coversion:
1ft = 0.30m or 1m = 3.28ft
- Created:
- Sunday, November 7, 2004 at 1:43 AM
- Last Modified:
- Wednesday, November 10, 2004 at 11:57 PM