August 8: Slovenia Stuns
I don’t typically wake up at 5:45am on vacation. But when I found out about a 12-hour hiking and rafting tour of Slovenia that highlighted some of the country’s greatest gems, I leaped at the opportunity to meet up with my guide and three fellow travelers early this morning for what turned out to be one of the highlights of my summer trip. Read more of the details here.
I took an instant liking to our leader, Timothy, an affable young Slovakian college student who also plays competitive hockey. He got right down to business, leaving on time and expertly driving us through the foothills of the Julian Alps in our air-conditioned van to the base of Pericnik Waterfall, one of Slovenia’s highest.
After climbing over 170 feet almost straight up, we stopped at the top of the lower falls to take in the stunning sight of the frothy white sheets of water from the upper falls cascading over the sheer limestone cliffs above. Following a small damp path through a walkway in the rocks, we passed behind the falls, listening to the sound of water crashing below and feeling the wet droplets of condensation from the cavernous ceiling raining down on us.
Not long afterwards we crossed over the border to visit Lake Predil in what is now Italy but apparently used to be part of Slovenia. Situated high in the alps at an elevation of over 3,000 feet, this breathtaking body of water is an electrifying light green color with hints of turquoise framed by light brown sandy beaches. It was so restorative to sit on the rocks near the shore, gaze out at the lake and the alps, and enjoy a small snack.
Traveling back to Slovenia to the rafting base camp on the Socha River, we met up with our river guide, Nacho for what I would have to say is the best rafting expedition I have ever been on. I didn’t realize when I booked the tour that some travelers come to this country just for the trip down this dazzling, clear, turquoise-tinted waterway. As we navigated through a variety of level one through three whitewater passages, we could see in crisp detail the white sandy riverbed and tan and pink colored rocks below us.
When Nacho pulled over after a few rapids and told us we were flipping the raft upside down and sliding off it into the river, I thought he was joking. At first a little hesitant, I executed what he described as an "extreme Granny maneuver,” gently lowering myself onto the capsized boat and hesitantly sliding face first into the refreshing cool water. However, after a few attempts I got confident enough to take running leaps and slide briskly into the frothy broth below.
Although the trip had far too many highlights to include all of them here in detail, I can say that we went on several additional spectacular hikes, including one across a rickety wooden bridge further up the Socha River and another around a smaller yet equally stunning lake.
On our way back to Bled, we rode up and over the Julian Alps on a dizzying number of switchback curves, fighting for the meager road space with hundreds of other motorists and even a large tour bus that had us backing down the mountain so it could work its way around the bend. At one point near the top of the pass, we stopped for a simply magnificent view of the alps with sheep grazing on grass in the foreground. What a fantastic day!
