Slovenia: Hike, Bike & Raft

Zivjo! Welcome to Slovenia. Often known as ‘Europe in Miniature’, small Slovenia has huge diversity. Luckily for adrenaline junkies, it also has plenty of active opportunities, from cycling, hiking and skiing, to canyoning, caving and boating. Ease into things with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight in Ljubljana, where your adventure begins. After, you’re free to start exploring the streets or maybe head out as a group for dinner at a local, traditional restaurant. Your trip leader will have all the best recommendations!

Head out on an orientation walk around cosmopolitan Ljubljana (pronounced 'Lyoob-Li-Yana'), the capital of Slovenia. Ljubljana is a city full of style, history, monuments, churches, museums and great restaurants. The Old Town consists of three main squares and Baroque houses, and you can visit the Ljubljana Castle, the Town Hall and Cathedral of St. Nicholas, the Triple Bridge and the open market under the arcade. In the early afternoon, board a local bus to Bled – with dense green mountains, a rocky cliff-top castle and an emerald-coloured lake (complete with a church on an island smack bang in the middle of it), it’s hard to take a bad photo here! You’ll head out on a hike around Bled and through Vintgar Gorge with your leader, stopping for snacks and photo breaks along the way. You’ll explore Bled’s gorgeous architecture and scenery, then walk across rapids, waterfalls and pools via an elevated boardwalk that clings to the craggy rock face. The iridescent water here has an almost ethereal quality, and clearly, you’ll spend a while in this amazing spot taking photos.

After breakfast, you’ll take a public bus to Lake Bohinj – the largest permanent glacial lake in the country. Take the cable car to the top of Mt Vogel, located within Triglav National Park. The upper station lies above 1500 m/4920 ft, from where you'll enjoy a hike along lush trails, looking down to the valley where deep green meets endless blue. Depending on weather conditions, you’ll head south towards the peak of Sija. After a rest stop at Suha hut, continue through this incredible Alpine scenery along the Bukovska Valley towards the final destination of Ribcev Laz – a quaint little village dominated by a 17th-century church with a fresco of St. Christopher on the outside wall. The church, the mountains, the little bridge over Lake Bohinj – it all looks like a beautiful film set.