Cycle Around Julian Alps – Slovenia

This was the first self guided trip I had done. The service from life adventures was excellent all the way through from my initial email enquiry to my final transport. I really enjoyed the self guided experience. It was good to be able to set my own pace and itinerary. I also didn't get lonely as I ran into other people doing similar tours. Life adventures also provided maps and comprehensive instructions that even somebody like me with no sense of direction managed. I would highly recommend Slovenia as a cycle destination. A beautiful country but not as busy as Italy. Most of the roads were quiet and some were on bike trails.

In brief, this trip was outstanding. Of course, we were very lucky with having pleasant weather. However, I enjoyed this trip so much because the care, preparation and knowledge of the staff in setting up the trip was just top notch. It was so well done that we only missed one turn on the entire trip. And even then, we used the map that was provided to quickly get back on the right route. The trip up Vrsic Pass was challenging, but Ellen and I are so glad we did it. It was an accomplishment. The scenery throughout the trip was spectacular and the roads/trails were a joy to bike. We are used to so much more vehicle traffic on the roads in Southern California, so traffic wasn't a concern for us in Slovenia.

We got the 4-day self guided tour around the Julian Alps. Katarina was amazing explaining every single detail of the route! She provided us with a map with the route we needed to follow the 4 days. Most of the trail is either on public roads or cycling trails. I would say this is a fairly easy route, assuming you have a normal fitness level. On day 2, we decided to skip the transport (included in the package) go cycle from Kranjska Gora through Vrisic Pass. That was probably the only tough part of the trip (21 hairpin bends uphill!, I think about 8-10kms), but totally worth it and doable by anyone. This is not a race and you can stop along the way and enjoy the beautiful landscape or grab a bite/drink. Then you conquer the top of the mountain and you feel sooo good. Then another 20 something hairpin bends downhill, only fun and perfect for the legs! (not so good for the breaks haha). If you are not up for this challenge, just use the private transport included in the package and they will drop you up the Vrisic Pass where you can just start the cycling day, through the Trenta valley, down to Bovec ending up at Kobarid. Day 3 is fun, including a trip by train with the bikes to Bohinjska Bistrica. If I ever repeat this trip, I would add some more kilometers to it and perhaps more offroad cycling. When cycling on road, cars are generally respectful but you somehow miss the essence of cycling around nature. And that's perhaps one of the most beautiful areas to cycle or hike in Europe I would say. It was our first time in Slovenia and what a country! Friendly people, great food and good beer :)