Great Emerald Adventure

One of the greatest and most unforgettable things to do during one’s travel in Slovenia.

By LAJF INC.

November 26^th, 2015

out of everyday life

If you are at least a little bit of an adrenaline junkie and a nature lover, then a true disconnection from an everyday life on the northwestern part of Slovenia is the real thing for you. Its all about experiencing a 1-day trip around the Julian Alps through the Triglav National Park, which is excellent for taking in a large dose of adrenaline: going through the Fratarica Canyon and descending down the Soca river in a raft.

The trip originally begins in Bled so all of those who start from Ljubljana have to get up a bit earlier in the morning to catch the transfer from Bled. My girlfriend Klara and I took the morning train from Ljubljana and joined the rest of the group at Bled train station. We soon learned that the Great Emerald Adventure is an excellent dose of socializing with a group of people who think alike. The minivan was ful of people from all over the world and we soon debated about things and covered all current topics. After an hour of driving I began to grasp the width of the trip. This happened at the moment when we descended on a steep and narrow road from the Predel Mountain Pass down to the Koritnica Valley.

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CANYONING IN FRATARICA

Our guide Borut opened the back door of the minivan and there we saw a box full of helmets, another one full of belts and the third piece – a large barrel full of carefully prepared neoprene suits to battle the fresh mountain water. “Yes, my friends, there is no way back now” Borut sad, with a bit of a funny tune. I guess he saw our serious faces and tried to loosen us up. We were all busy taking in the surroundings, looking at where we were. We were at the end of the world, in a valley of the emerald river, in the heart of the Julian Alps with the high mountains all around. Borut explained that this is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled parts of Slovenia, here one finds visitors only in the summer season for the weather is otherwise too harsh and reserved only for experienced sportsmen.

We then got to know the equipment. I got in my hand a neoprene suit, neoprene socks, helmet, harness and shoes, along with instructions on how to put it on and use it. Before we knew it, we were walking up a well marked mountain path, all the way up to the start of the Fratarica stream, which Borut proudly described as “one of the most beautiful canyons in Slovenia”. We believed every word he said, for the side view of the stream showed real beauty. The emerald water flew from pool to pool, somewhere it was a bit wilder and elsewhere it fell into a deep pool and made a marvelous sound.

We stopped at a viewpoint half way up to admire the 55 meter waterfall called Parabola. One can’t believe, looking at the waterfall from a far, that we will descend there, where the mass of water is falling down the cliff. But if Borut says so.. Yes, I admit, I was a bit afraid.

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FEEL SO REJUVENATED

After 20 minutes, we were standing in full gear before the entrance to the canyon. We were listening to the last part of instructions from Borut, who pointed out safety, team cooperation and proper use of equipment. On the way down to the valley, we jumped into the first pool as a warm-up. One big splash and we were few meters lower. We descended down a natural slide and ended up in a pool of refreshing water. At a bit more difficult rocky descend, we learned how to use the rope and how to descend down into a deep pool with the help of a technical device and rope. What a great experience! “I feel so rejuvenated!” screamed my better half.

Now we approached the Parabola waterfall, this time from where our descend began. Borut told us that he will take full control of our descend at this point and all we have to do is to enjoy it. It was soon my turn to go and the gush of the water beat on me in all its strength. I was a bit afraid, but the feeling was fantastic. The whole group united in the pool again, all full of energy, adrenaline and happiness. Borut shook our hands to congratulate and we made a team “HOORAY!”

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CRAZY ADVENTURE

What followed was for me the prettiest part of Fratarica. The bottom part of the stream was full of complex transitions, descending on ropes down polished rocks and jumping into pools. At the end, the water calmed down and this is where we simply swam out of the canyon. It was a true and crazy adventure. One of a kind! I believe it was absolutely the best way to get to know the nature in its heart – through activity and adrenaline. Canyoning in Fratarica simply cannot be forgotten, for it is a special form of experience, one that fills you up and inspires you in all its beauty.

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WHITE WATER RAFTING

A drive in the minivan took us past the Kluze Fortress towards Bovec, which is considered an “adrenalin mecca” of Slovenia. In this pretty small town, we took the time for quick lunch - typical Slovenian - tasty and full of calories. We chatted a lot and revived memories of our fresh canyoning experience. Borut is an experienced guide, a true canyoning master and has an excellent knowledge of the area. It doesn’t come as a surprise that he has been doing this every summer for the past ten years. Almost every day during the busy summer months.

We continued with our adventure day on the Soca river a bit further down from Bovec. This river, a true beauty due to its pure, emerald color, is considered as white water rafting paradise. Our guide named Roli joined us on the shore of the river. He is an interesting guy and a true entertainer. We put on dry neoprene suits for rafting, comfortable shoes, life jackets and sat on the shore. Roli told us the whole theory of descending down the river in a raft and stressed that the most important part is to have fun on the rapids.

Next moment, we were carrying the raft as a team to the water, sat on it, took the paddles and descended down the river. The first part was easy and a good opportunity to warm up and learn the basics before the toughest and fastest part of the river. About 15 minutes have passed before we reached a very dynamic part of the river where we all held on to our paddles and steered the raft past numerous rocky boulders and across deep rapids. Roli yelled: right, left, paddle forward, back,… The river later calmed down so we had time to rest. Soon after, the emerald beauty showed again its strength and bounced us like we were on a wild bull.

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SLOVENIAN BEER IS EXCELLENT!

We parked the raft in a calmer part of the river, jump into the water, swam around and had a fantastic time. Soca river is one of a kind and white water rafting was an unforgettable adventure. After the rafting experience, Borut greeted us with cold beers, which felt just heavenly after having activities in the 33 degrees Celsius. Slovenian beer is excellent! We chatted a bit, dried off, changed clothes and jumped in the minivan. It was late afternoon and we still had a drive back through the Trenta Valley and across the Vrsic Mountain Pass to the eastern part of the Julian Alps.

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TRENTA VALLEY,...

Minivan turned in the direction that took us up the along the Soca river. We turned into the Trenta Valley, which is unique with its deep gorges and emerald water. A short stop at the Gorges soothes the soul: looking down below how the water gushes among rocks and a couple of ten meters later flows into a marvelous and wide pool. We continued with our drive through the Trenta Valley through numerous curves and bends towards the highest mountain pass in the Julian Alps: Vrsic (1611 meters). A quick stop at the top offered a magical view of the Julian Alps mountain range. I felt a bit tired and looking at the West felt like a regeneration of my inner self. A truly wonderful view.

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ROAD BACK HOME

Several curves now took us down towards Kranjska Gora. During our way, Borut pointed towards the face of the maiden, carved by nature in a natural rock high up on the mountains. Amazing what nature can do. When we reached the valley, we stopped for a moment at the glacial lake Jasna, where we made a group photo. Borut also took pictures of us in the Fratarica Canyon with a go-pro on his helmet so we will have proof of our adventure. We then continued with our drive through the valley where the Sava river flows and we were soon back to Bled. This is where our journey ended. Although tired from the best day ever, we ended up chatting with the lady at the LIFE Adventures office, who organized our trip and she kindly shared with us her knowledge of the best places to eat.

Yes, we definitely decided that we were staying a while at the Julian Alps and the Bled Lake. We said goodbye to Borut, who was just an amazing guide, a true man with a big heart, who can made our day unforgettable. We shared contacts with the rest of the group and wished each other a safe journey. For Klara and me, this day will remain as one of the top moments of our lives, when we came so close to the unspoiled nature and saw what it has to offer and how beautiful Slovenia is with its kind people and amazing nature.