Follow the hiking trails of breathtaking Soča valley
A self-guided walking holiday based in the town of Bovec, which takes you on a series of hikes along the turquoise river Soča/Isonzo. Our specially designed trails will take you beside historic monuments, across alpine pastures covered with wildflowers and under cascading waterfalls. Take a drip in the refreshingly cool springs, or watch rainbow trout swirl in the crystal-clear waters of the glacial Soča River. All set in the majestic alpine landscape of western Julian Alps.
Suitable for hikers of very average fitness and highly recommended for photography enthusiasts.
As a pre-trip, you may consider our Goldhorn Trail from Bohinj to Bovec.
Itinerary
Day 1: ARRIVAL IN BOVEC
The capital of the Soča Valley, Bovec offers plenty for hiking enthusiasts. With the Julian Alps dominating the skyline, the Soča River below and Triglav National Park all around, you could spend a week walking in this unspoilt countryside without ever doing the same thing twice. It's a beautiful country and Bovec is a pleasant town in which to base yourself for outdoor activities.
TOUR A: (car transfer) BOVEC – MOŽNICA CANYON – KLUŽE FORTRESS – BOVEC (intermediate, 3 hrs, ↔ 9.3 km, ↑ 100 m, ↓ 200 m)
A morning car transfer brings you to the starting point of your walk – entrance to the Moznica river canyon. The landscape and surrounding mountains you will walk through were once background to many WW1 battles. Several bitter conflicts were fought here between the Austrian Empire and the Italians. Stop at Kluze Fortress. Built more than a century ago to block access to Southern Austria, it has survived all subsequent wars and is now an impressive anti-war museum. The trail passes by the remains of many once mighty fortifications.
TOUR B: BOVEC – VIRJE WATERFALL – BOVEC (easy, 3 hrs, ↔ 10.9 km, ↑↓ 210 m)
A relaxing stroll brings you to the western town of Bovec, where the theme here is pure water. A little stream with an impossibly pronounceable name, Gljun, is fed by the vast underground world of the Kanin limestone range. Depending on the weather and season, its waters tumble down a 30-foot waterfall before entering the Soca River. The return to Bovec takes you through broad meadows resplendent with summer wildflower, whose backdrop is dominated by the “Slovene Matterhorn” Mt. Svinjak.
TOUR C: BOVEC - LEPENA VALLEY (intermediate, 4 hrs, ↔ 14 km, ↑ 150 m, ↓ 410 m)
After a short car transfer the day's walk takes you to the "Queen of the Alpine Waters" – the turquoise-coloured River Soca/Isonzo and Trenta Valley. Its breathtaking colors have wowed many walkers and water sportsmen for centuries. Follow the trail along the river, look into the limestone canyon and freshen up in one of the many shallow pools.
TOUR D: BOVEC – KANIN – BOVEC (easy, 3 hrs, ↔ 9 km, ↑ 50 m, ↓ 530 m)
Take a cable car ride up to Mt. Kanin. The upper station of the cable car, 970 m asl, there is a wonderful viewpoint of the Bovec region, the surrounding Slovene and Italian mountain ranges and the Soča River Valley. The walk crosses mountain pastures covered with wildflowers and an occasional sheep farm.
TOUR E: BOVEC – SRPENICA – ČEZSOČA – BOVEC (easy, 4 hrs, ↔ 15 km, ↑ 280 m, ↓ 190 m)
Car transfer to Srpenica. From this quaint little village, crossing the 63 metre-long hanging “Bridge of lovers”, you will tale last river walk along the right bank of Soča back to Bovec. The river bend is also the best spot to see the huge Boka waterfall. The waterfall is fed by waters from underground caves deep in the Kanin range and water levels can reach the height of 100 meters. Take a lunch in one of popular local pubs in Čezsoča and head back to Bovec.
One day is free, so you can spend it relaxing or use the time to enjoy one of many other sporting activities: white water rafting, canyoning, paragliding, zip-lining...
Day 8: DEPARTURE
After breakfast or extension of your stay.
Price
Price per person based on two people sharing:
Low season: April 22 to May 20 and September 17 to October 14, 2023: 715 EUR
High season: May 21 to September 16, 2023: 735 EUR
(Currency converter)
Price includes:
• accommodation in hotel of choice, in a two-bed room with WC and shower, on a bed & breakfast basis
• transfer on tours A, C and E
• information pack including route description and corresponding maps in electronic form
• GPS data
• local tourist and other taxes
• backup service (hotline) during the walk
Supplements:
• single travelers 190 EUR
• single room 135 EUR
• printed information package in English including route notes and corresponding maps delivered upon arrival 30 EUR
Not included: entrance fees, lunches, drinks with meals, saunas and massages in hotels
Transfers:
Venice Marco Polo Airport to Bovec
1–3 persons: 240 EUR
4–8 persons: 290 EUR
Trieste Airport to Bovec
1–3 persons: 140 EUR
4–8 persons: 170 EUR
Ljubljana Airport to Bovec
1–3 persons: 150 EUR
4–8 persons: 175 EUR
Ljubljana City to Bovec
1–3 persons: 160 EUR
4–8 persons: 185 EUR
Other transfer routes prices on request
Accommodation
Helia supports responsible travel. On our trips we therefore use small, authentic hotels and guesthouses with character operated by locals or their families. Here you can find the list of standard accommodation we primarily use on the trip. The actual hotel may differ from this list, depending on time of booking and rooms availability.
Day 1-7 4* Hotel Mangart / Hotel Sanje ob Soči Bovec
Travel options
Starting point of this trip is Bovec in NW Slovenia.
Getting there...
By plane: closest airports are Trieste (TST) in Italy, Ljubljana (LJU) and Klagenfurt (KLA) in Austria. Several airlines serve them. From all of them you need a local transfer, travel times are approximately 1h 30 min, please ask us for the transfer price.
By train: closest stations are Most na Soči in Slovenia and Tarvisio Boscoverde in Italy, in both cases a transfer takes 45 min, please check with us for costs of relevant transfers from these train stations to Bovec.
By bus: Flixbus stops at Tarvisio, Italy
By car: closest exit is on Italian motorway A23 Alpe-Adria Venice - Vienna. Exit Tarvisio. From here take the road over Predil Pass to Bovec, 30 kms, nice scenic road! Car can be parked for free at the hotel where you are staying for the duration of our tour.
... and away
Use above mentioned connections in reverse.
