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Slovenia Hut-to-Hut 2008

The Julian Alps
Hut-to-Hut

The Trip

Sharing borders with Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the east and Croatia and the Adriatic Sea to the south, Slovenia boasts incredible natural diversity for such a diminutive country. Beginning in the Prague-like capitol of Ljubljana, we will first visit the lakeside town of Bled with its picturesque island church and hillside castle, before making our way northwest to the Julian Alps, the centerpiece of this 10 day hut-to-hut hike. Once one of the best kept secrets and little traveled corners of the Alps, this area has recently been rediscovered.

Much of our route will pass through Triglav National Park, one of Europe’s oldest and largest parks. Encompassing the tallest peaks in Slovenia, including Triglav at 2,864m, this is not only a landscape towering limestone spires, but rich medieval forest and lush open valleys. Dotted with old world mountain huts set in green meadows and along emerald green lakes, this area offers a hiking experience reminiscent of a bygone era. Descending to the Soca Valley known for its unspoiled beauty and rich history, we will return to Ljubljana via the wine growing region Goriska Brda.

This year, for the first time, Distant Journeys will be working in collaboration TrekTrek Adventures (www.travelslovenia.com), a Slovenian adventure travel company. TrekTrek is one of the foremost active travel companies in Slovenia, working to introduce travelers to the many unspoiled natural treasures the country possesses. Our group will be accompanied by both a Distant Journeys and TrekTrek guide.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Rendez vous at the Ljubljana Airport at 1:00 pm for a group transfer to our hotel in the center of Slovenia’s capitol, Ljuljana. After checking into our hotel, we will have time to wander the quaint, narrow streets of the old city along left bank of the Ljubljanica River. Baroque townhouses, stately churches and medieval bridges give the Old Town the feel of a smaller less crowded version of Prague. We can also climb up to the Ljubljana Castle on Castle Hill overlooking the city. From clock tower of the castle there are far ranging views to city below and beyond to the Kamniske Alps to the north. Welcome dinner and orientation.

Day 2: After breakfast we will head northwest to the province of Gorenjska which encompasses Triglav National Park and the Julian Alps. Enroute to the start of our hike we will stop briefly at Lake Bled. With it’s fairytale island church and mountainside castle against a backdrop of distant mountain peaks, it’s one of the most picturesque lake in Slovenia.

From Bled we cross the forested Pokljuka Plateau to the foot of the Julian Alps where we will begin our hike. Our lunchtime destination is the grass carpeted summit of Debela Pec (2,014m). From here we will have breathtaking views of Julian Alps and it’s centerpiece , Mount Triglav (2864m), Slovenia's highest mountain. We will finish the day at Lipanca and the friendly mountain hut of Blejska Koca (1633 m) where Joze will welcome us delicious herbal tea.

Day 3: Today we will have constant views of Mt. Triglav as we hike from Lipanca (1292m) to the high alpine meadows of Visevnik (1615 m). Traditional wooden shepherds cottages dot the landscape, as we make our way to our hut for the night, Vodnikov dom (1817m) set just below Mt. Triglav overlooking the pastures of Velo Polje.

Day 4: Today we make our way into the heart of Triglav National Park and some of Slovenia’s finest mountain scenery. Surrounded by peaks reaching over 2,000m, we will reach the highest point of the day the pass of Cez Hribarice (2,358m). From here we descend into the valley of Seven Triglav lakes. It is a spectacular landscape of turquoise lakes and limestone peaks. Set in the middle of the valley is our lakeside hut of Koca Pri Triglavskih Jezerih (1,685m). This is an ideal place to spend a night.

Day 5: Relatively short day, from the hut our route meanders along paths with wide-open views of the green pastures and surrounding peaks. Descending to Planina Pri jezeru (1450 m) the high alpine scenery becomes more muted as we are hike though blossoming meadows and for the first time glimpse Bohinj Lake in thedistance. Once at the lake we’ll have time for an afternoon deep before heading for our hotel.

Day 6: Development has been prohibited along the shoreline of Lake Bohinj, the largest body of water in Slovenia, and as such the area retains a peaceful quality while offering a grange of activities. You will the day free to walk around the lake, go for a swim, canoe, or bike ride. Local restaurants provide a wonderful opportunity to sample some traditional specialties, home-made cheese and a glass of Slovenian wine.

Day 7: This day we take a ride around Julian Alps en route to the valley of river Soca, crossing the Vrsic pass (1625m). The pass used to be the border line between Italy and Austro-Hungarian Empire. There are breathtaking views and with a bit of luck you can see dozens of delicate white Edelweiss flowers along our route. We hike above the Vrsic mountain pass to Sleme and have a picnic lunch next to a charming tiny glacier lake. From here Italy and Austria are within our view. From the pass we will have a scenic drive along the winding road brings us to Bovec, the centre of Soca valley and our accommodations for the next two nights.

Day 8: The upper Soca valley is surrounded by exquisite alpine scenery. This is the most western part of Triglav national park. Like parts of the Dolomites, this area saw quite a bit of fighting during WWI and was used as a setting in Hemingway’s “Farewell to Arms”. An old Italian route well bring us to the Krnska lakes (1385 m). Battle relics form are still visible along our route. A three hour climb rewards us with views over impressing white limestone peaks. We return back to valley of Lepena and head to Bovec.

Day 9: The 96km long valley of the untamed Soca River is one of the most unspoilt valleys in the Alps, especially in its upper reaches as it winds through Triglav National Park. Ironically, this beautiful valley the setting of some of the bloodiest fighting of WWI.

We will take a walk along the chute on Tolminka River, the lowest point of Triglav national park and then to prove how rapidly the scenery can change in Slovenia, we will head to the Goriska Brda, a hilly winegrowing area with its hilltop villages and churches. We will visit a local wine producer who will talk to us about their wine production after which we will proceed to a nearby renaissance castle where some local gourmet dishes await us. In the afternoon we will return to Ljubljana. Farewell dinner.

Day 10: The trip will end with a group transfer in the morning to Ljubljana Airport

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Additional Information

Included:

Group transfer to and from the Ljubljana Airport, all accommodations, all breakfasts, all dinners, transfers as per itinerary, guides, and as always lots of great hiking.

Not Included:

Airfare, lunches, optional/individual transfers or excursions, items not on set dinner menu, beverages, tips to guides, insurance, items of personal nature

Luggage:

This hike is not vehicle supported. You will need to carry a small to moderate sized pack with only the clothing and accessories you will need for the duration of hike. (See our sample packing list.) With advances in synthetic clothing and other travel gear, it's possible to keep your pack weight to 20 lbs. including lunch and water. Any extra luggage or belongings you may have can be left at the hotel in Ljubljana.

Accommodations and Facilities:

The accommodations on this hut-to-hut hike vary from comfortable 3 star hotels to rustic mountain huts.

Hotels: For this 10-day hut-to-hut hike we spend 5 nights in comfortable hotels with private baths, Ljubljana (2 nights), Lake Bohinj (2 nights) and Bovec.

Mountain Huts: We spend 4 nights in mountain huts. The large number of mountain huts sprinkle throughout the Julian Alps is a testament to Slovenians' love of the outdoors. Slovenia’s huts are rustic and simple old world mountain accommodations with bunk rooms, shared facilities, and common dining rooms where hearty Slovenian meals are served. Each hut has its own charm, unique character and pristine and peaceful setting!

Travel: It is most

It is most convenient to fly into Ljubljana’s Letalisce Airport which is located 23 kilometers north of the city. Ljubljana can also be reach by train from anywhere within Europe, just be sure to allow extra travel time. It is four hours from Venice by train and six hours from Innsbruck or Vienna.

Meeting Point:

Ljubljana’s Letalisce Airport at 2:00 pm day 1 for a group transfer to our hotel in Ljubljana.

Ending Point:

Group transfer to the Ljubljana’s Letalisce Airport arriving about 9:00 am.

For a more detailed itinerary or to register please call.-->