Planina visevnik | Adele in Slovenia

In this blog I’d like to show you some of the highlights of Triglav National Park, including some of my personal favourite parts, which will hopefully provide some ideas and inspiration for those interested in exploring this wonderful part of Slovenia.

Triglav National Park is Slovenia’s only national park and is the heart of the Julian Alps. The park is located in the north-western part of Slovenia and is named after the country’s highest mountain, Mt. Triglav (2,864m). It covers an area of over 83,000 hectares.

On my blog I have always strived to ensure I give readers a personal account of my adventures and experiences in Slovenia, rather than just regurgitating information which is already readily available. Therefore, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve never actually been to the top of Triglav, though I’ve been close!

Unlike in some national parks, there are no official entry and exit points to the park, and no entrance fees to be paid. However, there are some rules by which visitors must abide to protect the flora and fauna of this jewel of nature. For example, wild flowers are not to be picked, no fires may be lit, and camping anywhere within the park, other than in designated campsites, is strictly forbidden.

One among my many favourite parts of Triglav National Park is Krn Lake (1391m) – as seen below, with Mt. Krn (2244m) in the background.

For this trip I started from the car park at the Savica waterfall in Bohinj and walked up to Komna (1520m), onwards past the Koča pod Bogatinom hut to the Vratca saddle then descended to the Dom pri Krnskih jezerih hut (1385m) where I stayed overnight. The next morning I got up (very!) early to hike up Mt. Krn, then returned the same way back to Savica. It makes a long 2nd day but the scenery is so wonderful, and other than the climb up to Krn, its reasonably easy going. If you don’t need to return back to Savica, then you can instead take the path down to the Dom dr. Klemena Juga hut (700m) in the Lepena valley from where you can explore the beautiful Soča valley.

The picture-postcard pretty Planina pri Jezeru highland is another of my favourites and the options for reaching it are numerous. I like to start from Stara Fužina and walk first to Vogar, from where there are magnificent views over Bohinj lake and the surrounding mountains, then past the Kosijev dom na Vogarju hut (1054m).

On this hike I continued first towards the Planina pri Jezeru hut (1453m) but then branched off towards Planina Blato (1147m) then to Planina Laz (1560m) – the oldest highland in Slovenia. From Planina Laz a very pleasant almost level route leads to Planina pri Jezeru from where, after a break for some sustenance, I returned to the Vogar highland and back to Stara Fužina. There are, however, also several other alternative routes that I have also taken, such as via Planina Viševnik and onwards to Pršivec (1761m).

Planina Laz is on part of the Tourist Cheese Route (Turistična sirarna pot). The route leads across the many highlands in the Bohinj area where cheese and other dairy products can be sampled and bought. The route, which is marked with yellow signs, also leads past numerous natural features of interest such as gorges, waterfalls, museums, churches, and archeological sites. The path covers a very wide area so its not possible to walk it in its entirety (at least not in a day), so it’s best to just choose part of it and visit one or two of the highlands and dairies.

One of the most popular destinations for hiking in Triglav National Park is the Seven Triglav Lakes Valley. It is doable in a day trip, particularly if you drive up the toll road, saving yourself approx. 1.5 hours of hiking, to begin at Planina Blato. However, to have time to fully experience and appreciate the entire length of the valley, it is best to stay at least one night in a mountain hut, such as the Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih (1685m), where you also get a chance to soak up the atmosphere of the surroundings, enjoy some hearty homemade food, and chat to some fellow hikers.

As you can see, there’s no shortage of routes to choose!

Wherever you see signs such as this one, you can buy home-produced cheese, sour milk, and other highland treats!

And you can certainly see exactly where it comes from. There are no food miles here!

Provided you have a map of the Julian Alps it is very easy to put together an itinerary for day, or multi-day, hikes. Routes are generally well-marked and there are plenty of mountain huts where you can overnight, though in the summer months I’d recommend booking ahead for the most popular huts – you wouldn’t want to hike all that way to find yourself without a bed for the night!

Triglav National Park awaits – time to get exploring!

Another fantastic week of high temperatures is behind us, though the rain on Saturday has now cooled things down quite significantly. Needless to say, I’ve been making the most of the fine weather with plenty of hiking and cycling trips.

The highlight of my week was a day spent in the Bohinj area, which never fails to impress. Here I will share the details to hopefully provide some ideas and inspiration and, just a reminder, that at weekends you can also travel to Bohinj on the Hop-On Hop-Off Tourist bus which costs just 5 euros per person for the whole day. More information here – http://www.radolca.si/en/hop-on-hop-off-radolca/

My day began with a 7am departure from Radovljica – in order to beat the traffic, the heat, and find a parking space – arriving in the village of Stara Fužina at 7.45 from where I began my hike. From there, less than an hour’s hike leads to a wonderful viewpoint overlooking the lake, the Julian Alps and the Vogel ski centre. This can be a destination in itself, as the views are more than just reward for the effort. For an added reward, just a further 5 minutes from the viewpoint, you can enjoy some mountain refreshment at the Vogar mountain hut (Koča na Vogarju) – 1054m.

I resisted the temptation and continued to Planina pri jezeru – 1453m (literally – highland by the lake), from where there are paths branching off in various directions. From here, it is just a further 2.5 hours (approx.) on foot to reach one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Julian Alps, the 7 Triglav Lakes Valley. However, I instead turned left to reach Planina Viševnik, then Vodićni vrh – 1486m, before descending back to the road which, eventually, returns to just near the Vogar hut and then back to Stara Fužina.

Those who would rather hike less but still reach the highlands and get some great views, can drive up to Planina Blato on the toll road (10 euros) – 1147m, from where the are numerous onward options on foot.

Now, I must admit that I’m a self-confessed wimp when it comes to cold water and, until last week, I had always declared any water I had dipped my big toe into as ‘too cold’. But last week, finally, after five-and-a-half hours of hiking, the cool water of Bohinj lake was calling my name. With the temperatures being so high for so long, the water in the lake was actually warm enough – even for me – and dare I say I actually enjoyed it!

If you’re looking for something to do this coming weekend on Sunday 2nd August it’s the annual Medieval Day in Linhart Square in Radovljica’s old town centre. It’s always a firm date in my diary and there’s something for all the family including market stalls selling local handicrafts and food, medieval dances, street performances and archery. More information here – http://www.radolca.si/en/what-to-do/events-1/medieval-day-in-linhart-square/83/310/

Adele in Slovenia

My life and adventures in Radovljica and throughout Slovenia

Tag Archives: Planina visevnik

Highlights of Triglav National Park!

Highland Hiking and Lakeside Chillin’ in Bohinj