September 2020
FINALIST#8: Explore the Wonders of Nature
We experienced two days exploring the beautiful Cerknica region, which truly is one of Slovenia’s hidden gems. As a couple currently living in Kranj, from Canada and Mateja’s global life which even she’s confused by, it was a pleasure exploring this lesser-known region of Slovenia. We had a fantastic, well-informed guide Dejan from Zeleni Kras and met many locals who shared their stories and experiences of life in the area.
Day one began with meeting Dejan and venturing into Rakov Skocjan, the natural park which started with a hike leading to the Little Natural Bridge and then to the Big Natural Bridge. Along the way, Dejan gave us information about the park itself as well as the nature you encounter throughout. The park and river system here are incredible. If you only drive the main road of the park you would never know what is here. You might catch a glimpse of the river as it appears above ground here and there, but to really understand this place, hiking the full trail and seeing the natural bridges is a requirement. As Dejan explained, the entire area is like Swiss cheese. There are sinkholes (formerly enclosed caves) throughout the greater karst area. Being able to walk from the top of the bridge, down the sides of the holes to the base and meet the river is a real pleasure and accessible even for families.
Next up we headed off to Cerknica Lake. There was a great view spot just above the three holes where the lake flows underground in the Northwest corner of the lake to capture an expansive view of the valley and lake. From here, we travelled to the site of the new visitors’ center in Dolenje Jezero and took a canoe trip across the lake. We were lucky to experience the lake with water due to heavy rains the previous few days. Again, Dejan explained the phenomenon of this disappearing lake and some of the strategies once used to try and stop its disappearing act, as well as fish management practices. We paddled to one of the holes where the water either flows into or out of the lake and enjoyed a hearty picnic lunch on the shore, provided by Gostilna in Pizzerija Pri Stani, in Zerovnica. The water was like a glassy smooth mirror and very calming.
After our canoe trip, we had an intimate experience at Krisna Jama due to the small group sizes. This cave is AMAZING! It’s a natural cave with 45 lakes in total. It’s the only truly natural cave in Slovenia with no lighting or power inside. Our guide, Gasper, provided us all with torches for safety and to see the features inside. As you get deeper and further into the cave, you experience pitch black like you’ve never seen. Couple this with the sound of the river flowing past…and it’s a mind-blowing experience. We took a short walk through the cave before reaching the launch point of the zodiac ride. From here, we continued on in the zodiac until the first lake while Gasper provided great information about the stalactites and stalagmites, the infamous giant cave bear, bats and more. In the heat of summer, this place provides a fantastic experience as well as free air-con!
We left Krisna Jama and drove to Grad Sneznik to wrap up the day. Here Dejan took us around the castle grounds, shared some history of the building and previous occupants. The castle is beautiful, like a fairytale castle, and truly worth seeing! To conclude our day, Dejan took us back to our lodging where we ate delicious food at Gostilna in Pizzerija Pri Stani and stayed at their incredibly well-presented and beautiful apartments.
Day two began with a hearty breakfast then taking a short hike on one of the newly created trails on the western side of Cerknica Lake to an elevated platform to view wildlife and the valley. Dejan provided us with binoculars to view the birds and animals in their habitat and filled us in on how they designed the many new information points along the trail. Once again, seeing the lake from an elevated vantage was fantastic as it helps you understand the size and workings of the waterway.
After our hike, we visited Jezerski Hram Museum in Dolenje Jezero which is a family run business. Here we got to visually experience the lake through the filling and draining process made possible by the handcrafted model (which is about 2 meters by 4 meters) built in the 90’s. The detail and precision is outstanding and listening to Kristina explain the workings of the lake as the demonstration was happening was really great as she is a fantastic storyteller! She also showed us the old canoes used to fish or transport people and livestock across the lake and explained the building process of these canoes which is really quite amazing.
Our experience came to an end with a fabulous traditional Slovene lunch at Agriturismo Bela Griva, where we had a wonderful homemade country-style 4-course meal. Needless to say it was delicious and of course filling!
Thank you again to Dejan from www.zelenikras.si for a wonderful two days and all the great information that you shared with us! This region is truly a hidden gem of Slovenia and if you like to get off the beaten path and see lesser known sights, this region is a must-do.
By: Adam Bangay (from Canada) & Mateja Henigman (from Canada/Australia/New Zealand/Slovenia)
Photos: Adam & Mateja
