Achingly beautiful and tranquil, Jezersko boasts a wide range of challenging hiking trails as well as easier walks, scattered farms and homesteads, picture-perfect scenery, and no traffic jams. tourist traps or crowds. Add into the mix friendly locals, traditional food and more, and Jezersko is the place to be!

Jezersko really is a hiker’s paradise and a haven of peace for those looking for a total escape from the day-to-day, whether you visit for an active break or just for some much-needed rest and relaxation.

The village lies at an altitude of 906 metres above sea-level at the foot of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Karavanke range and is Slovenia’s first, and indeed only, true mountaineering village. It is one of the villages included in the Bergsteiger Dorfer Association of Mountain Villages, which is no mean feat when you consider that all the other villages are in well-known mountainous areas, such as Bavaria and Tyrol.

The Jezersko Mountain Trail is ideal for those seeking some challenging hikes. You can walk the entire trail, staying at mountain huts along the way, or choose sections for shorter hut-to-hut routes or just pick and choose day hikes – the choice is yours!

For my recent hike I decided to choose a circular route (yes, you know me and my penchant for circular hikes!) which first leads to the Ceška koča mountain hut (1,543m), then onward to the Kranjska koča na Ledinah hut (1,700m).

The trail, or rather many trails, begin at the car park at the end of the Ravenska kočna valley, where there are information boards about the valley and the various trails and attractions.

There are a choice of trails that lead up to the Ceska koca hut, including a via ferata trail for those looking for extra adventure. I chose the trail that leads off to the right of the car park, first for around 5 minutes on the flat before leading up steeply through the forest to the Stularjeva planina mountain pasture.

Thereafter the trail continues up to the hut, with a few hurdles to encounter en-route, though nothing technically difficult. In total it takes cca. 1.5 hours.

In addition to its fantastic location, what makes the Češka koca mountain hut unique is that it was built in 1900 by the Prague-based Czech branch of the Slovene Mountaineering Association, after which the hut was named. It has been renovated many times over the years but has retained its original appearance.

You are spoilt for choice with onward routes from the hut. Many of Jezersko’s mighty mountains such as Grintovec, Skuta and Kočna can be reached in 3-4 hours, or you can continue, as I did, towards the Kranjska koča na Ledinah hut, from where there are also numerous onward hikes.

There is a choice of 2 routes between the two huts, however, at the time of writing (July 2019) the ‘skozi Žrelo‘ trail, which is considered ‘very demanding’, is closed – not that I had intended to take it anyway! The alternative route first descends to join the ‘Slovenska pot‘ (The Slovene Trail). In places the path is narrow and there is a steep drop, but there is iron railing and foot rungs in the most exposed places.

After descending for cca.15 mins, the trail joins the ‘Slovenska pot’ and begins to ascend steeply. There is one section – quite a long one – where there are iron rails and rungs and therefore extreme caution is required, but, credit where its due, the trail is well maintained and secure.

Unlike the Ceška koca hut, it can’t be said that the Kranjska koča hut is anything to look at, and in fact due to its position its almost impossible to get a good photo of it as one can’t get far enough from the hut to capture it. It is, however, a good base for onward hikes and/or for having a breather before returning to the valley.

Almost all the onward trails from the Kranjska koča na Ledinah hut, such as those to Koroška Rinka and Kranjska Rinka are marked as ‘very demanding’ (zelo zahtevni poti), so are only suitable for those with significant mountaineering experience and proper equipment.

Not being one for such adventurous challenges, I descended back to the valley on the much easier Lovska pot (Hunters’ Trail), which makes for a perfect circular half-day hike. The path leads directly back down to the car park in around 1.5 hours.

There are also numerous easier hikes and other attractions and activities in the Jezersko area, so there’s something for everyone – more about which in another blog post soon! In the meantime, a great way to find out more about the village and immerse yourself in its local culture is to attend a performance of ‘The Stories of Jezersko‘ (Jezerske štorije), which takes place on Fridays during July and August at Jenk’s Barracks (Jenkova kasarna).

And another way to learn more about Jezersko is to taste some of its traditional cuisine. A good place to start is at the beautiful Planšar Lake (Planšarsko jezero), where on Saturdays at 5pm throughout the summer you can attend a demonstration of cooking the local dish ‘masunek’ over an open fire.

While I, in fact no one, can guarantee the weather – a glorious morning was forecast for the day of the hike described above, however, as is evident from the photos, the mountain tops were largely shrouded in cloud for much of the hike – in Jezersko you can, however, be assured of wonderful nature, peace, friendly locals and a break from the hustle of bustle of life. But don’t just take my word for it…!

© Adele in Slovenia