Day three starts with the best breakfast in Slovenia at the Hotel Sonje ob Soci in Bovec. The owner’s wife is more than a chef, perhaps a humble food magician. She takes pride in her tasty delicacies. My favourite was the Zuchini carpacio, fresh from her garden. The whitewater rafting was calm. The personel enthuastic. Tolmin via Kobarid was hot at 40 degrees. Marko has a good bikeshop in Tolmin. He made the necessary adjustments to Benita’s derailer that gave her more gears for those uphills. The Hotel Krn ( or Dvorec) has had a facelift with the new owner. The old criticism in Tripadvisor is unfair. It was, however, our only hotel without aircon. The chef was friendly and recommended an excellant Sauvignon Blanc of the area. Day four included the longest and toughest climb for me. Benita had less problems. Fortunately uphills are rewarded with views and downhills. All the sweat disappeared with the sumptuous meal with superb wines at Medana. Thanks, Tina, for this special treat. Our taxidriver to Nova Gorica was punctual and knowledgable. We discussed Slovenia’s unusual 10day war for independence in 1991. All our drivers were proud ambassadors.

Day five started with the taxi up to Stanjel. Absorbing the beauty downhill was shear pleasure. We often stopped at bars for water or coffee. English was never a problem. A cooldown shower fell when we were in the Skočjan Caves. The pickup at Lipica worked well. Majestic Lipizzaners. We laughed when we crammed the bikes and 2 tall bodies into the taxi. With Benita on my lap we arrived at Hotel Roma in Trieste. I washed our cycling clothes every evening. It dried sufficiently overnight. Day six started with the ferrycrossing to Muggia. I would strongly recommend this change to your itineary. The ferry pickup is near the hotel. It takes 30 minutes to cross. It is cheap and you avoid all the Trieste traffic. At Muggia cycle back for 10 minutes towards Trieste. The Parenzana route is after the first small bridge. Out of Italy and back into Slovenia with its short scenic 42 km coastline. The clean well-lit 550m old railway tunnel says much of a country ensuring safe rides for cyclists. Portoroz is like a beehive of tourists. All enjoying their vacations. Day seven we cross the Croatian border. All our hotels on the entire trip were superb. We drank the local water in our bathrooms. We slept very comfortably. Yes, there were days when the cumalative affect was felt in my 67 year old legs but the rewards made it disappear. Regarding the required fitnesslevel for the trip.

In Cape Town we try to cycle regularly. We are not fanatics. It was good to experience en route how popular tourismcycling is. Croatia’s section of the Parenzana is more stoney. We had 3 punctures and were ably assisted by our host from B and B Antico in Motovun. Please convey my appreciation to him again. Day eight to Porec we decided to remain on tar. To sum up. The trip has incredible potential and many of my friends will partake. I would rate the tour 4.5 out of 5. Thanks to Life Adventures and all the roleplayers.

H. R.

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I have been an active biker for the past three decades and in this time I’ve experienced first class biking moments that took place in various parts of Slovenia. I mostly like to set out on a tour in the central or north-western part of Slovenia, where the landscape is more hilly, with a network of valleys, lakes and rivers. One can also find more demanding biking trails in these parts, which makes me happy and fills me with great energy. I am a diverse biker and as such can always find good biking tours and challenges. While biking, I become acquainted with towns, villages, mountains, passes and secluded pearls of nature in my homeland. I can without any hesitation say that Slovenia offers remarkable routes for mountain bikers as well as bikers which search for more demanding enduro trails and for all those, who find pleasure in longer mountain biking tours (also multi-day ones).

My marvelous little country, where a tourist slogan stands – Feel Green, Active and Healthy – offers excellent chances for an adventure or the so called gravel biking. Slovenia has a network of gravel and forest roads, which are just right for all cyclo-cross, adventure (gravel) or travel (trekking) bikers. Those can find a bikers’ paradise in this country, full of explore cycling and discovering unspoiled natural areas. Longer cycling tours can be very well feasible as multi-day, stage cycling with an overnight in cosy, small hotels and private pensions along the route. One can find dynamic trails through forests, across vast plains, wine groves, corn fields, green meadows and mountain mule tracks. While on tour, a biker can become acquainted with new towns and villages, meet nice and friendly locals as well as experience charming accommodations for a much deserved rest after an active day. For some bike trekkers with panniers on the bike, who like to “travel slow – explore more”, Slovenia can be just right and a very appropriate destination, due to its small scale and close proximity of villages and towns. One can cycle across Slovenia in one week and experience landscapes from the Pannonia planes all the way to the Adriatic Sea.

I must admit, I am not a road cyclist, but I find myself of a road bike now and then and set out on a longer, dynamic stage. I love to ascend on the well-known Vrsic mountain pass, sometimes even higher, on the marvelous Mangart saddle or other popular passes in the Julian Alps. These are first class winding roads, full of magnificent views and cycling challenges. Slovenia is a paradise for road cycling, for one can choose between lowland areas in the east or mountainous areas in the south-west, by the Adriatic Coast, or the more challenging and true mountainous stages in the north-western part of Slovenia. Road cyclists, which have already visited Slovenia, can say that the stages are simply remarkable and the landscape and nature unique. Everything is in close proximity and there is enough good quality infrastructure along the roads, which makes cyclists feel very safe.

I can proudly say that this little land “on the sunny side of the Alps”, a term our locals like to use, is an excellent choice for all types of bikers: lovers of mountain trails, road cyclists as well as travel (trekking) researchers and E-bike users. Slovenia is an undiscovered biking gem, which is slowly being polished, slowly awakening and this is an excellent opportunity for all bikers to experience unspoilt and remarkable natural wonders. Slovenia is considered Europe’s green destination.

Written and photography by Matei Mejovsek

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Slovenia is a unique destination for a self-guided way of exploring and traveling. It is a great destination for people who prefer an active experience – the best and most excellent experience in the time that is available. A self-guided way of exploring Slovenia is appropriate due to its small size and big variability. Actually, Slovenia is a paradise for travelers, who wish to have an orderly and well organized holiday, full of excellent impressions, but not in groups and with masses of people. It is for all new age explorers, who believe in the pristine contact and who look also in the directions where others don’t, who love to become one with what nature has to offer and find pleasure with getting to know true wonders of the land and local people.

We are also aware of the natural resources and the beauties of our land. That is why we have taken self-guided traveling seriously quite some time ago and thus matured into a trustworthy partner, who is there for you throughout your travel. Hundreds of satisfied customers, our friends today, are the thing we can be most proud of. We are of-course also proud of our programs, which we have constructed with care and enthusiasm, like we would be creating for our own wishes and needs. At last but not least, we are proud of our people on the field and of those in the offices, who are dedicated to the business, do their best and are the true backbone to your travel.

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Nestling between the Alps, the Pannonian Plain and the Adriatic Sea, in the south-eastern part of the European continent, Croatia jealously protects eight national parks, ten nature parks and a whole range of special reserves, including plant life, animals, geological formations…

Croatia’s amazing landscape enables various possibilities for activities. You can find hundreds of sparkling waterfalls and more than a thousand islands where you can sea-kayak or sail. You will enjoy canyoning, rafting or kayaking in the green mountain rivers, in its rapids and impressive canyons. After a few challenging activities you can hike in the karst and mellow plains, through many paths running between rivers, mountain peaks, tiny island ports and beaches, leading to Illyrian hill forts, to Roman ruins, to towns and cities that are themselves monuments, to ethno-entities of popular architecture.

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Cycling on the Parenzana is a true cycling poetry. The goal is to cycle to the finish line in Poreč, to cycle a route that is 130 kilometres long, a route that was once a railway, and while doing this one intensively experiences the landscape, towns and meets the local people. Parenzana is in its core a cycling adventure with experiencing the best of Istria. The route that goes through Italy and Slovenia is asphalt / paved and one cycles through towns which are linked well to tourism and offer plenty of good infrastructure. When one pushes the pedals towards the Croatian part of Istria, an even better cycling exploration begins on the narrow route of the former railway, with the surroundings and paths kept as they once were. One cycles on a stony and gravel route, part also on asphalt and part on the typical Istrian soil with its well known red color – a part of the route from Vižnjada to Poreč. The tour is not demanding, but it also isn‘t considered as easy, for one has to conquer several gentle slopes – the toughest one being the one from Mirna to Motovun – as well as several stony descends, where one has to hold the handlebar firmly in the hands.

Parenzana is one pure cycling pleasure. On our cycling path we indulged with excellent Istrian culinary, saw charming towns and villages – Grožnjan, Motovun,… visited Sečovlje Salina Nature Park and felt the warmth of the Adriatic Sea. We slept in small, boutique hotels and with local people on agro tourisms. These are considered as a good choice, an excellent experience for one is in close contact with homemade food/culinary and local Istrian people. If we add numerous well known taverns with Istrian wine, the package is complete. Cycling on the Parenzana is more than just cycling, it is an active experience of Istria, taking it all in – in slow sips.

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The Julian Alps are considered as one of the most beautiful and best for hiking and multi-days, hut to hut trekking tours. Excellent mountain huts, mostly built in the former Century, open their doors to hikers and visitors between June and October. The paths in the Julian Alps are well seen and marked. With a good map of the area, some preparation and proper hiking equipment, one can take a challenge of crossing the Julian Alps in a relatively safe way. There are numerous routes and they well connect the valleys with mountain huts – at the secluded areas of the mountains also with basically equipped bivouacs and of-course they connect the valleys with the top of the mountains as well. Julian Alps are serious mountains due to their heights and weather dynamics! I will not go into detail and describe the feeling when a storm surprises a hiker in the middle of a sunny summer day, but I can tell you that it is not pleasant at all. One needs to take these mountains seriously and approach them with respect.

I have hiked in the mountains for the past thirty years and many things have changed in this time. Julian Alps were once reserved only for true hikers, but one can find paths nowadays in the lower parts of the Alps, which are also appropriate for families and all who are not such good walkers on a demanding terrain. There are also more and more demanding routes or via ferratas, where we need extra climbing equipment and knowledge – suitable for experienced hikers. The most beautiful hiking tours are the ones, which connect mountain huts at various parts of the Julian Alps into a multi-day trekking tour. Once you are up from the valley, you don’t have to descend down, but walk from hut to hut and do the distances. There is enough comfort in the huts for spending several days in the mountains.

Julian Alps are magical, unique and seductively beautiful. It is an unspoiled mountain world of high peaks, sharp ridges and mountain lakes. We can easily highlight the Triglav Lakes Valley with its magical symphony of nature and lakes. A bit to the West is the Krn Lake, which is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The area that surrounds the highest Slovenian mountain – Mt Triglav, a 2864 meters summit is remarkably dynamic and surrounded by steep walls, which emphasize it as a center point of the Julian Alps. The majority of the Julian Alps belong to the Triglav National Park, which has a task of protecting the unspoiled nature of the area.

After so many years of active hiking and climbing in the Julian Alps, I find that I have just now put the mountaineering equipment a bit to the side and began to explore this mountain pearl in all its variety. I enjoy the mountains by walking the easier paths as well and I explore the forests and pastures with my family. I can see the spark in the little eyes and I know that I am passing on the passion for these mountains and nature. The Julian Alps are a “must do” – at least once in a life time.

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»Oh Triglav, my home, how gorgeous you are! …« is the beginning of the song composed by priest, mountaineer, composer and patriot Jakob Aljaz (1845-1927). At the beginning of 20th century Slovenia was ruled by Germans. Slovenian Alps became one of important »battle field« where identity of Slovene nation was built. The shape of the highest Mt. Triglav (2864 meters above sea level) is like “three heads” (“Tri glave”; Triglav) and is represented in white on the blue background on Slovene national coat-of-arms. Nowadays, it is like a maxim that every true Slovenian has to be on the top of Triglav at least once in a lifetime. It is not so difficult to reach the summit in the summer, but it can be quite hard in winter time!

Mount Triglav is undoubtedly the best-known and most visited Slovene mountain. A classical ascent of Slovenia’s highest mountain, recognizable by its outstanding figure of Three Heads. One does not have to be a keen mountaineer to climb it, but some hiking experience is welcome. Mt Triglav – an impressive 2,864m three headed monster – represents for Slovenian people an eternal symbol of national consciousness and it enjoys its unique reputation. It is part of the Triglav National Park – the area of the Julian Alps in north-western Slovenia – which is staggeringly beautiful and so demands special treatment. Triglav National Park covers 838 square kilometres. It is almost entirely covered by the Eastern Julian Alps ans it is the biggest protected area in the country. It has the status of a special protected area, which is stricter than in other landscape parks in Slovenia.

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Slovenia is a marvelous country for mountain biking. One can find here somewhat forgotten paths, diverse single trails and remote forest roads, which connect mountain meadows as well as the valleys below. Biking trails can be found for every biker, in all seasons, with the exception of the winter time, when it is usually too cold and there is too much snow: even in the lower areas – at the foothills of the Alps. It is best to bike in the spring time, from around April to June and then later, from the middle of August to October, when the temperatures are most acceptable for pedaling. The summer months are also a good choice, if one takes into consideration the fact, that some days will be very hot, especially once the trails get down to the valleys. A refreshing fact is that one can find many crystal clear rivers and lakes, which are appropriate for a quick jump and a cooling swim. Exceptional quality is also the fact that the water in the mountain streams and rivers is drinkable.

Nature in the mountainous Slovenian world is remarkable. Slovenia is the green paradise of Europe, which maybe the local population is not so much aware of. We are proud owners of pristine mountains, healthy forests and clean rivers. Even the air is different and one can breathe in the oxygen with full lungs. I have experienced this on numerous occasions, while biking with friends high up in the Karavanken Mountains. We took in full breaths of clean alpine air, paddling somewhere high uphill. I usually stop at a certain point of the tour, sit on a tree stump or rock and simply admire the surrounding landscape, take in the view and fully “recharge my batteries”. These are such pleasant feelings, which are difficult to explain, like the ones, when after a biking tour, I step under a shower all tired and sweaty. Simply, amazing.

Mountain Biking in the Slovenian mountains is an unforgettable adventure. At each kilometer one bikes, it is possible to experience something special and unexpected. Slovenia is almost a little mysterious, when the word touches mountain biking and biking tours. On one hand, one can find marvelous biking trails, but on the other hand, a lot of energy and good will has to be put into making it all work – to make it a surplus biking tour.

Once Slovenia gets under your skin, with its mountains, nature and biking paths, there is no way back.. you will return again and again.. for more.

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