SCOUTS: William and Robert

September 2023

Exploring the Kolpa river valley

After a two hour drive from Ljubljana on Friday morning, we arrived at the camp known as Eco-village Rinčica on the Kolpa river at about 11 am. We were greeted with a warm welcome that included coffee, homemade elderberry juice and a hearty plate of snacks consisting of cheese, cold cuts and local mushrooms. After spending some time admiring a couple of very friendly alpacas at the camp farm, we checked into our small wooden glamping hut that was situated right next to the river. Mid-September was already well past the peak tourist season, so we were one of the few guests in the camp, and the atmosphere was exceptionally peaceful. Just what we were looking for! 

After resting for a brief period and enjoying the serenity, we headed back to the camp office and suited up with helmets, lifejackets and neoprene suits to get ready for our river adventure. The camp owner, Tine, drove us 10 km upriver to the starting point, offering us some basic tips along the way for how to best negotiate the rapids. Once we arrived he helped us launch the canoe and wished us a safe and enjoyable experience. 

The river itself is a truly magical environment, with gentle, slow moving waters that allow for a variety of mesmerizing sounds from nature to emerge. It’s truly a therapeutic experience to just sit and enjoy the serenity… at least until approaching one of the 7 or 8 spots where we needed to carefully navigate through the minor rapids. Neither my son or I were very experienced at this, having done it only a couple previous times with a larger group, so this was the first opportunity to prove that we could do it all on our own. And we managed to succeed, more or less, aside from the largest rapids where we decided to carry the canoe over the rocks. We’ll surely be back to give it another try next time!

Making our way back to the camp, we passed by a couple canoes with loud and drunken paddlers, but they were few and far between. Most of the time we could not see anyone else on the river. After returning to our hut, we rested for a short break and then met up with Tine again, who took us on a sightseeing drive and short hike to see an amazing vantage point on the cliffs above the river. It was truly a scene that would leave a landscape artist spellbound. Heading back to the camp, Tine also invited us to a delightful fish dinner at a local restaurant, where they served fresh trout caught locally from the river. And back at the camp, we wound up our long and active day with a couple bottles of local craft beer known as Robinson Kolpa, named in honor of the more adventurous “Robinson” canoe tours on the river which last for 3 days or longer.

Saturday morning was our time to relax and enjoy a late breakfast in the camp kitchen before heading out on ebikes to explore more of the river valley. We crossed over the nearest bridge to ride along the Croatian side of the river, enjoying the beautiful nature of the Kolpa valley from another perspective. There was no traffic along the narrow paved road… just us and the river, with a couple sleepy villages along the way.  I think we discovered the perfect place to get away from it all 🙂

William & Robert

Photos by: William and Robert