Slovenian natural paradise

 

 

The valley of Bohinj and its lake is today part of the Triglav national park and is preserved as part of the natural and cultural landscape. So the shore of the lake remains pristine and the people can truly be proud of it. It’s due to the unspoiled nature that Bohinj attracts me more than the Lake Bled, which does get warmer during summer and is more convenient for summer dips and swims. The Alps and the mountain climate make sure it never gets too hot in Bohinj.

 

The valley of Bohinj offers many alternatives for an active holiday. The picturesque mountain tops offer hiking opportunities and there’s swimming and boat rides on the lake, or a white water adventure down the Sava Bohinjka. You can also go rock climbing, canyoning or even parachute flying. The world of gorges and deep river beds can also be experienced from a safer distance. The picturesque river channel of Mostnica are just half and hour’s walk from the lake and the river Mostnica is making its way through the side valley of Voje, through a deep and narrow canyon, sometimes only a meter wide. You can admire the river below from the safe bridge, offering beautiful views of the wild river, or along the well-marked walking path taking you all the way to the waterfall of Voj. There are several waterfalls nearby, but not one measures up to Savica, which is further up from the beginning of the lake. You might have seen the two water streams falling from the rock above before, in pictures, but you really should make the effort to walk up to the lookout platform. 

 

 

Mountain lovers can find many different hiking paths (from easy to hard). One of the most beautiful is the hike to the valley of the Triglav lakes, from where you can continue to the national highest peak. A less difficult is the walk towards the hotel at Vogel (elevation 1540 m), which you can also reach with a cable cart. Or if you don’t fancy going uphill, you can take a two hour walk around the lake or visit the nearby village, which is more or less still in its original shape. You ca cross the Stonebridge at Ričičev Laz and go pass the church of St. John the Baptist towards Stara Fužina, named by the former iron industry (fužina – the iron smelting furnace). The surrounding mountains still feature cattle pastures and you can visit the museum of cattle herders with its ethnographical collection. It’s set up in the former chees making building, with equipment about half a century old. The village is also a great starting point to explore the valley of Voja and the tall mountains around the valley. 

 

 

My last visit here was with the whole family, so my daughter Tanita and doggie Lie was with us. We found a nice and price friendly accommodation in Hostel pod Voglom, which is part of the HI network (a room with breakfast was 16€). It’s a family oriented and friendly hostel and for additional 5€/night we could have our doggie with us as well. It’s among the biggest hostels in Slovenia, but still made us feel really welcome and cosy. There’s a friendly and well prepared staff and the interior is really nice, so the wooden elements really make you feel warm and welcome. My room reminded me of a mountain cabin. Lia wanted to stay in one of the beds, but was content with the space behind the sink. We didn’t really miss a private bathroom, as there was the one just down the hall. The heart of the hostel is a restaurant with a huge lookout, where we enjoyed our self-service breakfasts and if you order in advance, you can have dinner there too. The restaurant reminds you of a large living room, with a nice place next to the fireplace or next to the old time jukebox machine – still working The next room is a sort of a library or you can play a game of pool or table soccer, or maybe throw some darts… And naturally, there’s the wi-fi connection in the hostel.

 

 

The location of the hostel is really idyilic and just at arm’s length of the lake. Some would say it’s too remote, but all nature or adrenalin lovers would think the world of it, just because it is remote! It’s not a problem if you don’t have your own transportation as the bus stop is just nearby and you can reach it on foot as well, since Ribičev Laz is close by. There’s also a shop there, which is a sort of tourist centre of Bohinj. This is where the boats land, to take you on a tour of the lake. You can also shoot some mini golf, or even try out your climbing skills.

 

I was really impressed by two old-timer busses, which are rare in Slovenia, as they were produced in the states – Thomas and Blue bird. “Both work. We use them for group trips and adrenalin adventures… or as shuttles for the railroad station or the airport,” the receptionist explained to me. 

 

 

And as part of the hostel you cannot go pass the PAC sports agency, that makes sure you will not get bored. There’s an adrenalin park just next to the park. There you can test out your skills and concquer fear on different obstacles 8 meters up in the air. For conclusion you can take the ride on the giant swing. You can also try the slackline park nearby, but you can only jus rent a folding bed and catch some sun in the garden, or play some table tennis. Even the youngest visitors have a park for them. You can also rent a mountain bike, kayak, canoe, boat or a SUP, and they also have hiking and climbing equipment. They are also organizing events and offer hostel guests 10% discount. You can go rafting down the river, or by hydrospeed, go canyoning in the valeys of Mostnica, Jerečica or Grmečica, take a guided mountain bike tour, visit the cave Govic or the cave Pod babjim zobom and more. There are also skiing packages in winter, and ice climbing in Mlačca in Mojstrana, or sledging down the longest slope in Slovenia - Vogar... 

 

 

There’s no real off season on the hostel. The main summer season is great, with spring and autumn featuring many school groups and winter sport lovers throughout winter, also enjoying the great slopes at Vogel. Hostel pod Voglom is well worth a visit so you can see why it got the best hostel of 2010 award by Slovenian tourist association.