When we crossed the border into Slovenia, it felt like almost immediately we could see mountains, and not long after that, bright blue rivers beneath them.
We were crossing the border from Italy. We had decided to fly into Venice Marco Polo airport instead of Ljubljana as it saved about 3 hours of driving on the UK side. It meant we could fly from Bristol instead of London, but it left us with a 2 hour drive in the morning to get from Venice to Slovenia. After a late night running around Marco Polo airport looking for the car hire desk before it shut (note, it’s at the very top of the multi storey car park and it is not clear all all), and an early morning as we determinedly headed for Slovenia as early as possible, we were pretty tired.
Our first view of the Soča river
But our spirits were buoyed by the landscapes. This is what we were here for – to see alpine rivers and lakes that seem impossibly blue. We arrived into the Kobarid area first, and headed for the first check point on my map – The Soča river. We parked in a large gravel lay-by and headed for Brv čez Sočo bridge near Kamp Lazar. Some steep steps take you down to the footbridge, an old wooden suspension bridge that bounces around as you walk across. But you don’t notice once you look up and see the blue river rushing toward you, with steep mountains in the background. We don’t have mountains where we live, so we become awestruck every time we see them like this.
Beyond the bridge at a viewing platform, I asked a couple taking a selfie if they would like me to take their picture. They said ‘ok’ but seemed annoyed, and kept taking a selfie before starting to scurry away. It turned out that the lack of shared language between us has them thinking I’m actually asking them to move out of the way so I can take my own photo! Thankfully we managed to clear this up, but it felt embarrassing nonetheless. Shaking it off, we started walking up to Slap Kozjak waterfall.
Kozjak waterfall
The hike to Kozjak waterfall from the other side of the bridge is only about half a mile uphill. The entry is €5 per person, and as the ticket booth is very close to the actual waterfall, it seems like a lot for a short walk. However, in comparison to a recent holiday in Jamaica where everything was 20 USD to enter, it simultaneously felt like a steal. The walk up was easy, and eventually diverged onto the actual stream where a couple of bridges and wooden walkways added to a grotto-like atmosphere. This only intensified when we rounded the corner and were struck by the view of the waterfall itself.
Crashing through what would be a cave if it weren’t for the crack in the top where the water pours through, the waterfall is tall and slim and falls into a bright blue pool of water. It is crystal clear – I know some people swim here but the water was shallow at this point. You’d also be putting on quite a show for the people on the raised viewing platform.
We considered wading through the water to get closer to the falls but we felt like we’d be ruining other people’s view so we didn’t. If we’d been here earlier in the day perhaps we would have in order to feel the power of the waterfall up close.
There’s not a lot of space on the viewing platform, and there’s nowhere really to sit and relax, so it’s a bit of a ‘look, see and leave’ situation. This isn’t my favourite, but the waterfall is impressive and unique. It’s cave like surroundings are not like anything I have seen before. It seems as though we have timed things just right as we head to leave and a few large groups are tackling the stone bridge and wooden walkways.
Most na Soči
From the Kozjak waterfall and the Soča river, we drove to our Air BnB in Most na Soči near Tolmin. The early start caught up with me and I slept a little while Fraser explored the area and made friends with the resident cat. In the evening we walked through our sweet part of the village with vines twining overhead and cats sitting in barn doors, and we headed down to the river. Our accommodation was only a ten minute walk from the Soča river, and a really different part to what we’d seen earlier. Here the river is wide and deep, it slows down to such a pace that I think it’s referred to as a lake here. It’s the perfect place to paddle board, kayak and swim.
After crossing an old stone arch bridge into the main part of Most na Soči (it’s still pretty small) we got pizzas to go from Pizzerija Jezero (around €9) and took them down to the river to eat. A little rain came in but we noticed how it barely dampened the colour of the water as we watched someone paddle board through the rising mist.
Tomorrow we head to Slap Virje Waterfall, Bovec and the Great Soča Gorge.
