Where to go in Bohinj

Where to go in Bohinj

Some places impress me every time I visit them. Regardless of the time of year and the frequency of visits, or the company I’m with. I don’t know exactly if this has to do with the energy of the place, nature, memories, or anything else. But probably a little bit of everything. Bohinj is undoubtedly a place with everything, the most beautiful lake in Slovenia, one of the most beautiful waterfalls, beautiful valleys and gorges, ski resort, crystal clear rivers, and streams, probably the most beautiful alpine mountains, a fantastic starting point for hiking, good infrastructure and little special locals. That is why it isn’t very difficult to answer the question of Is Lake Bohinj worth visiting?

Bohinj and its surroundings offer us many opportunities for active leisure. Everything from walks, hikes, cycling, rowing, rafting, supping, and paragliding to sightseeing, and swimming in a crystal clear lake. If you are nearby, I warmly recommend that you stop in Bohinj and get to know its beauties.

This time we will go on 10 wonderful family trips in Bohinj, we will visit the Mostnica troughs, the Voje valley and the waterfall on Mostnica, of course, we will not go without the Savica waterfall, we will jump to the viewpoints on Vogar mountain and Peč above Bohinj. to the Vogel ski resort, visit the beautiful spring of the Bohinj bistrica river, Grmečica, and Bezena waterfalls and at the end take a walk around Lake Bohinj.

Many people ask me, how much time is worth spending in Bohinj? If you like an active lifestyle, that you can easily spend there one week or more. Because there are so many things to do, you can go for an easy walk, of a trail to many different mountains, you can ride a bike to lots of places, you can swim, row or sup on the lake, visit cultural sights around Bohinj and do many more things.

Sights of Bohinj

If you are looking for more demanding tours in the vicinity of this Slovenian natural pearl, I suggest you look at the idea for a trip to Lake Krn, Triglav Lakes, the ascent to Šija, Rodica, Črna prst, Mahavšček, Veliko Špičje, and Triglav.

Mostnica troughs

Voje is a beautiful alpine valley, which in my opinion is far too little known among Slovenes. Some time ago I asked 7 of my friends if anyone knows this valley if they have been to it before. I wasn’t really surprised when we came to the conclusion that none of them had been to Voje yet, and 5 of them didn’t even know where to put the valley…

I didn’t know the Voje valley for a long time, but I was a very regular guest of Bohinj, I also went to the Blato mountain at least 10 times, but there was simply no time for Voje. Hand on heart, I don’t even know why. Probably no one told me about the troughs, the waterfall, and other beauties.

The Mostnica troughs are another of the troughs that our rivers have carved into the softer rock over the past thousands and thousands of years. Personally, I was positively surprised by the beauty of the Mostnica gorge. These troughs are not as extremely deep as those of Tolminka or Koritnica, but they are more accessible, similar to the Soča troughs.

I also really like that you can see the Mostnica gorge from both sides and so now on one side you can see better views of the depth of the gorge. The Mostnica River has carved some fantastically beautiful shapes into the stone. Especially the elephant standing at the end of the most picturesque part of the trough is remarkable. The entire trough measures about 2 kilometers in length, so this is a nice walk where you will be well hidden under the treetops from the strong sun rays.

The path along the troughs is perfectly protected, but in some places, it takes us completely above the troughs and offers us truly exceptional views of the water, which changes color between emerald green and blue below us. In some places, the flow of the Mostnica is completely calibrated, while in other places the Mostnica shows its strength and flows through rapids and waterfalls roaring towards the Sava Bohinjka.

For a starting point, it is best to drive to a paid parking lot (€ 3 per hour) on the edge of Stare Fužine. From there we have only a short walk to the gorge.

Entrance fee for the circular route through the Mostnica gorge:

Children from 7 to 14 let2 €
Adults4 €
Payment only with cash
4K video of elephant in Mostnica gorge

Mostnica Waterfall

You can extend the walk through the gorge a little deeper into the Voje valley and walk past the mountain hut and further among the pastures all the way to the snack bar at the waterfall, which is only a minute’s walk from our destination, Mostnica Waterfall.

Mostnica Waterfall is the largest waterfall in the Voje Valley, measuring 20 meters in height and offering us extremely beautiful scenery. Especially in the spring months, when Mostnica is more watery, the situation in front of the waterfall is very refreshing, as the water sprays on all sides. Water, on the other hand, produces a real loud roar.

The waterfall is somewhat neglected and there is not much talk about it when we talk about the natural sights of Bohinj. Of course, the waterfall is not as magnificent as the one below Komarča, where the Bohinj branch of our longest river originates, but I warmly recommend a visit to the Voja valley and the Mostnica waterfall.

If you are a fan of soaking in crystal clear and cold water, Mostnica and its tributaries offer us quite a few beautiful and peaceful pools, where you can cool down without any worries.

For the entire walk from the parking lot, through the gorge, to the Mostnica waterfall, you will need a good hour and a half.

4k Mostnica waterfall

Savica Waterfall

In addition to Lake Bohinj itself, the Savica waterfall is certainly the biggest attraction available to tourists in this part of Slovenia. Savica Waterfall, which is also the spring of the Sava Bohinjka, which together with the Sava Dolinka forms the longest Slovenian river and also by far the largest tributary to one of the longest and largest watercourses in Europe, the Danube River.

Savica Waterfall is a mighty waterfall, 78 meters high, and on the day of vomiting from a cave in the wall of Komarča. The waterfall falls into an artificial pond, which was created due to the dam a few 10 meters below the waterfall. The water in the pond is, of course, crystal clear and you can’t enjoy enough at this green color.

Savica Waterfall or the large waterfall has a slightly further left even smaller brother, which originates from the second hole in the mighty wall of Komarča. If a larger waterfall can dry up on really rare occasions, when dry periods are longer than a month, the small one is active all the time.

The entire basin that fills the source of the Savica comes from the area of Black Lake, which lies above Komarča and is the first of seven lakes in a fairytale valley of 7 lakes. The water flows through cracks and abysses to one of the most beautiful and also the most visited waterfalls in Slovenia and begins our longest river.

https://youtu.be/Kz5y_RvmMaU

How do you get to slap Savica?

You can reach the starting point for visiting the Savica waterfall on foot, along the footpath from Ukanc (60min), by bike, car, or by bus. The bus runs from Ribčev laz to the hut at Savica only in the summer season and runs to Ukanc throughout the year. From the parking lot at the Savica hut, we have to walk along a beautifully landscaped path to the viewpoint at the Savica Waterfall. The ascent takes about 30 minutes.

Entrance fee to see the Savica waterfall:

Children from 7 to 14 let 2 €
Adults4 €
Payment only with cash and credit cards

However, the parking lot (parking is paid) at the hut near Savica is also one of the more popular starting points for hikes to the mountains. From here you can attack the Triglav Lakes via Komarča, but if you head to the other side, the old military route will take you to Komna and further deeper into the heart of the Julian Alps.

4K Video of Savica spring just above waterfall Savica

Viewpoint and Vogar mountain

Mount Vogar and Mount Blato, not far from it, are some of the most popular starting points for hikes in the Julian Alps. You can drive to both mountains in your car (price 20 € per day). However, transporting by car to the top was not an idea for this trip. For the starting point for the ascent to the Vogar mountain, we will choose the same parking lot as for the Mostnica gorge, ie the parking lot on the edge of Stara Fužina.

From there, we will head for about 500 meters along the asphalt road, and then the markings will direct us to the old military path, which will take us to the mountain in a not too steep ascent.

If you plan to see both the Vogar mountain pasture and the Mostnica gorge, you can get directly from the gorge to the point where you head towards Vogar from the road on a macadam path, thus saving yourself some time.

The first, slightly longer stop on the way to the Vogar mountain will probably be made at the parachute take-off point, which is also one of the most beautiful vantage points in the vicinity of Bohinj. A real paradise for enjoying the views and silence (especially in the afternoon, when hikers are no longer so numerous). On a viewpoint is also standing monument of fallen soldiers from 2. World war.

Right at the place where our trail goes around the viewpoint point, it is even more sloping and takes us across the pastures and past the former Pasteur houses, which are now more or less converted into weekends, towards the Vogar mountain.

Peč above Bohinj

We can see our largest lake from different perspectives. From those that are more from a bird’s eye view, I have in mind mainly the Vogel Ski Resort and the Komna hut, and finally, the viewpoint below the Vogar mountain, while Peč is much lower and also an easily accessible viewpoint. But no less attractive.

Above Ribčev laz we can see practically the entire lake and the mentioned village at its outflow into the river Sava Bohinjka.

The best way to get to the viewpoint is to take the road from the old church on the bridge at the end of the lake to Stara Fužina. in about 30 minutes ascent.

4K video from Peč viewpoint

Vodnikov razgledik view point

Despite the fact that on the slopes of the Bohinj basin you can enjoy many truly breathtaking views, Vodnikov razgledik view point is certainly one of the most beautiful of them. The observation peak, which is a little over 1,000 meters high, is located above the village of Koprivnik on the slopes of Pokljuka.

The easiest access to the viewpoint is from the idyllic village of Koprivnik, there are some parking lots near the church in the village, and from there the lighted wooden signs will direct us to our destination.

It is not very difficult to find out that the viewpoint is named after our poet, who was the first pastor in Koprivnik parish. Valentin Vodnik was a great lover of nature and often visited the lookout peak that bears his name today. In addition, during the three years he spent in Koprivnik, he “flied around” many other beautiful spots, including Galetovec above Bohinjska Bela.

Vogel ski resort

Vogel is one of our most beautiful ski resorts, which is not only visited in the winter months but is also an extremely popular excursion point during the summer holidays. The fact that a cable car with probably the most beautiful view in the whole of Slovenia brings us to a height of just over 1,500 meters above sea level certainly contributes to the great popularity of this ski resort above the southern part of Lake Bohinj.

The plateau part of the ski resort stretches somewhere between 1500 and 1800 meters high. The ascent to the Šija mountain, which is just over 1,900 meters high, which lies above the last cable car on Vogel, is also extremely popular. Read more about the ascent to Šija here.

Vogel is also a very popular starting point for attacking many longer and shorter tours of our Julian Alps. In a few hours you can walk to Komna or Črna prst, the Tolmin is not very far either.

Vogel offers us one of the most beautiful views, if not the most beautiful of all Slovenian ski resorts. Due to this, it is visited by a lot of tourists in the summer, who, due to their poor physical condition, cannot get so high other than by car or gondola.

Vogel offers visitors a rather varied offer of food and drinks, and in addition, not far from the upper station of the cable car, you can also get authentic home-made milk products on the Zadnji Vogel mountain.

You can descend into the valley on foot over Žagarjev graben, or along the mountain path that will take you to Ribčev laz. Personally, the path to Ribčev laz is much more pleasant than to Žagajev graben, where it can be extremely hot, and the path is quite annoying due to larger stones and rocks.

However, a trip with a cable car to Vogel will cost you around 80 euros if you have a family of 5, if you eat something else above, you will quickly spend 130 euros. So think about it if you didn’t want to jump to Vogel on foot instead. ?

Return ticket price for Vogel cable car

Adults29,5€
Seniors and teenagers26€
Children15€
Price for season 2024

Spring of Bohinjska bistrica

I must admit that until recently I was not at the spring of the Bohinjska bistrica. No one even told me there was anything to see. I have been on holiday in Bohinjska bistrica a few times in the past, as well as in Kobla, but interestingly none of the locals boasted that the spring of their river is very special.

You can reach the spring of the Bohinjska bistrica from the end of the village when the signs direct you to a forest path, which at first gradually climbs, but only to the forest road, which you reach after about 15 minutes of walking. From there, the path is quite flat and soon leads us along a rather wide tractor path to a short ascent, at the top of which we will hear for the first time the roar of a river that flows from the slopes of the southern Bohinj mountains.

The Bohinjska bisrica is about 3 kilometers long and is the largest tributary of the Sava Bohinjka.

The Bohinjska Bistrica spring is also a source of drinking water 3 kilometers away, so a water catchment has been made just a few meters below the spring, but the Bistrica spring is still extremely beautiful!

4K video f Bohinjska bistrica spring

Grmečica waterfall

Grmečica is a stream that flows into the Sava Bohinjka valley near Nomlje, but on the right side of the Sava. It has its water hinterland on the Jelovica plateau, which accompanies Sava Bohinjka practically from Bohinjska Bistrica all the way to the confluence with Saba Dolinka. In fact, it goes a little further, as the Sava then runs parallel to the slope of Jelovice also along the Gorenjska Plain.

In the last few meters (a good 100m) of its descent towards the valley, the Grmečica stream carved a beautiful gorge in the rocks, which is also used for canyoning. The gorge ends with an 8-meter-high waterfall that falls into a beautiful little pool, and the whole “scene” has an extraordinary rolling pasture and views of the slopes of the Pokljuska Plateau. Really beautiful!

You can go towards the waterfall and gorge from two different directions. The first option is to turn left in the village of Nomenj, in front of the inn (from the direction of Bled), onto the dirt road, which then takes you under the railway line, a few 100 meters further on, and you will reach a well-maintained parking lot, and from there to the waterfall, take about 10 minutes walk.

Another option is to drive to the village of Log, turn left at the bus station, and carefully drive over the unsecured railway crossing. You can park your vehicle right behind the crossing, and then take a 15-minute walk to the waterfall on foot, across the bridge and then between the pastures.

https://youtu.be/H-AOUirqgqk


Bezena Watterfalls

A visit to the waterfalls, which are hidden above the village of Nomenj, in the confluence of the Bezena stream, is suitable for more experienced hikers. The path along the gorge is not well-maintained and part of the path has to be done on unpaved roads, and the slopes are quite steep and you can quickly slip. But the reward when climbing to the highest of the waterfalls is truly exceptional.

If you still decide to visit the gorge, then I advise you to park somewhere in the village of Nomenj, and then go up through the village along the stream. At the last house, which is already in the forest, the path ends and there you have to follow the stream along the pathless path to the waterfalls, which otherwise start only about 100 meters higher.

It is not difficult to get to the 1st waterfall, which is about 15 meters high, but higher waterfalls are a bigger challenge. If you are from the stream, or from its left bank (viewed in the direction of the stream), you will come to a poorly traveled path that will take you to the water catchment, which is about 15 minutes higher, where the steel pipeline also leads.


At the start of the pipeline, there is a slightly more challenging part where you have to go down to the stream. A few 10 meters higher, you will be greeted by an exceptional view of several small streams flowing into the riverbed from all directions. The entire waterfall is certainly higher than 40 meters and is truly something extraordinary. I visited it myself at the end of March, after it hadn’t rained for more than a month, but the snow on Pokljuka was still melting and the stream was very well watered. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the water level is like in the summer drought.

Hike around the Bohinj lake

Today we have another destination that is very popular among visitors of Bohinj. Around our largest permanent lake there is a pleasant and well-kept hiking path, which can be easily cycled, but it will be necessary to get off the bike in 2 or 3 parts for a few meters.

The entire route around lake Bohinj is almost 11 kilometers long and at an average pace, you will need about 2 hours for the entire route.

Especially the northern shore of the lake is beautiful and much less populated than other accessible parts of the lake, so I suggest you take a swimsuit and towel, and in pleasant and hot weather stop for a few minutes, refresh and then continue towards your destination.

Conclusion

For the finish little school. Many tourists asks me, how do you pronounce Bohinj? The word Bohinj is pronounced (Bo-hin). Very simple. 🙂

As I mentioned at the beginning, Bohinj is one of my favorite destinations for nature trips. Like Bovec, Bohinj and its surroundings have an exceptional nature, which offers visitors many opportunities for a variety of active holidays.

I believe that with the suggestions I have offered you, you will brighten up a few days of your visit to Bohinj and get to know some of the most beautiful corners of our country.

I wish you a pleasant holiday and go to Nature!

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