Adventure

As the owner of a touring agency and a mountain guide, I feel fortunate to spend so much time exploring Slovenia’s mountains—reaching beautiful, remote places that many people only dream about. Whether it’s a daring ascent of Triglav, Slovenia’s highest peak, wandering through colorful meadows in the remote mountains above Jezersko, or a dreamy hike in the hills around Lake Bled—we’ve done it all, and it’s been pretty incredible.

Explore Hidden Corners
7 Triglav Lakes Trek
3 Day – 2 Huts – 25 KM

This past summer, Tracey, a wonderful guest from Australia with whom I shared two great via ferratas, asked me whether I ever influence people’s decisions when choosing a tour. Beyond making professional recommendations based on a guest’s skills and experience, I have to admit that I do. To be honest, I often try to weave a bit of my own hiking wishes into the decision-making process—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In the end, our guests get to experience the very best places at the best possible time of the season.

When the mountains are in bloom, we choose the most beautiful routes among fragile daffodils, crocuses, wild orchids, gentians, edelweiss, and more. When heavy rainfall fills the enchanting 7 Triglav Lakes to the brim—and sometimes beyond—we happily skip other hikes and head there instead. When it’s time for a breathtaking via ferrata, we climb Mala Mojstrovka; when we’re after something more challenging, we take on the bold ascent of Mangart, the third highest mountain of Slovenia, or the lovely Gradiška Tura, even if it means a longer drive than the more popular routes nearby.

Having explored the Slovenian mountains for decades, I can confidently say that those who have trusted Exploring Slovenia have never been disappointed—biased or not.

To prove that, here are ten highlights of our best mountain hikes and climbs in the summer season 2023. Enjoy!

Exploring Slovenia’s best day hikes:
Stunning Julian Alps
Fairytale hike in Karavanke
Goli Vrh above Jezersko
Flower hike on Golica

As the season turns around and we are suddenly faced with high temperatures and lots of hot sun, it’s nice to look back and daydream about the awesome mountain adventures you’ve done in the past months. Due to a colder start of the spring, the nature remained in its snooze mode for a couple of weeks longer this year, but once it finally did wake up, it was freaking insane! I’d never seen so many daffodils in the mountains before, nor had the mid-elevation peaks looked so lush and verdant in early June.

Let’s go through the most memorable mountain hikes in Slovenia (and one awesome climb!) that we explored together this spring.

Explore Hidden Corners
Flower Hike on Golica

Close your eyes and listen for a moment. Did you hear loud voices from the road outside? Or a faint rumble of a home appliance? In an ever-louder noisy world of the valley one needs a sporadic retreat to the silent world of amazingly wild and incredibly remote mountains. To lie down in an empty Alpine meadow, bask in the warmth, and daydream to the light symphony of birdsong and distant whistles of a chamois guarding its territory. There is no need for silence but only to become in sync with nature, whose vague silhouette we can barely still recognize in the cities.

Whether you live here or are planning just a short visit, here is a list of the best twelve beginner-to-advanced hikes and climbs in Slovenia I’ve done this summer. Maybe you’ll find an intriguing idea for a bad-ass family outdoor adventure or maybe you’ll head for a romantic getaway high up in the mountains. Either way, while you’re huffing and puffing your way to the top, stop for a bit to reflect and appreciate how divinely different the Alpine world actually is. Serene and tranquil.

Here are twelve beautiful mountain hikes and climbs in Slovenian Alps. Enjoy!

I’m very excited to give you a story written by Nick, our very special guest from Ireland who hiked and climbed with us last summer. Enjoy the read!

It was a wonderful sunny summer’s day in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. I had been comfortably dined and rested at the hotel and just finished a magnificent breakfast that was truly regal in its volume and variety. That day was my first day climbing of a ten-day mountaineering trip expertly planned by Exploring Slovenia. As the early morning sun warmed me up, I eagerly awaited the arrival of Neja, who owns the company, and has arranged all the guiding and mountain accommodation for my stay in the Julian Alps. Neja arrived promptly and introduced me to Samo, an IFMGA mountain guide and an expert on these demanding high level routes. Neja and I had planned some tough climbing over the coming days and I quickly found both Neja and Samo easy going, chatty and with a good sense of fun too.

{A disclaimer for the wise: conditions in the mountains can change very quickly, therefore plan your climb accordingly; read about the planned route, check the avalanche reports, the amount of snow in the mountains, and reports about the temperature and wind changes, consult with mountain guides and local climbers,…}

As crocuses, primroses and spring snowflakes awake from the hard soil and the nature in the valleys begins to pick up more vibrant hues of blue and green, the mountains continue to stand firmly their winter ground in the face of the awakening spring. You drive to them in perfect sunshine, but end up climbing in temperatures way below freezing with occasional snow blizzards and fierce wind chills. Yet, the freezing temperatures make the snow stable and awesome for some serious winter ascents, and that’s what counts when you’re slowly battling your way up on the steep snow glazed slopes.

It’s the connection we have with nature and mountains, wandering steps into the unknown, carpets of colourful flowers along the trail, drifting clouds over towering peaks, and huge expanses to rest your gaze upon. It’s a way of life, and something all outdoor loving parents would wish to pass onto their children; but the question is: are your children ready to endure some mountain climbing? If you’re dreaming about conquering Triglav, the highest mountain of Slovenia with your child… you should know that you’re not alone and that there are many ways to climb it safely.

I’ve made it no secret that the Julian Alps are one of my favorite corners of Slovenia. Remote and rugged mountainous landscapes full of pinnacles, huge rocks scattered along open trails, vertical walls and dense forests. I love them. That’s why I was thrilled beyond words to return there in September after a busy summer only to experience the most unforgettable adventures. The three-day traverse from Bohinj to the Soča Valley was simply gorgeous, but the two Triglav climbs definitely packed more adrenaline. Exciting times!

It’s been 124 years since Jakob Aljaž, a great patriot and a priest, paid one Austro-Hungarian gulden for the top of Slovenia’s highest mountain. The amount of money one could have bought 50 eggs or 10 liters of milk for. His idea was to oppose the prevalent Germanization of the Slovenian people and the mountains in the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then.

Once the top of Slovenia was again Slovenian, he had a 2×1.25 m symbolic tower erected at the top of Triglav on 7 August 1895. In the following years he also mined an almost impassable 30-cm ridge between the peaks of Triglav and Mali Triglav into the nicely wide ridge we know today; besides, he also built the mountain hut Kredarica at 2,515 m and the Aljaž Hut in the Vrata Valley below Triglav. His far-reaching idea was to stimulate more Slovenians to visit the mountains, conquer the very top of Slovenia – the symbol of the Slovenian nation, make new legendary routes, and thus make the mountains Slovenian again.

I love mountains. I love the people, the energy, and the genuine love for anything that’s outdoors. Yet more and more, I’ve been noticing a trend lately towards regular people like you and me taking greater risks, perhaps too big to handle safely. Although everyone passionate about mountains should feel equally deserving of climbing them regardless of experience, age, or gender, there are ways to minimize the risks.

Certain places resonate with us, hikers, in many unique and mysterious ways. Whether I can envision myself exploring one mountain top after another or just falling in love with a particular area, often-times I find myself returning to some spots again and again.

The Upper Soča Valley is definitely one of the corners of Slovenia where I have left bits of my heart.