June 2026
Forest Experience in Radlje ob Dravi
On arrival we were greeted by Tonja and Ajda, the organizers, who are the really friendly and knowledgeable. They brought us to the Manor which was reinstated to the original state and then converted to a new modern museum. We were brought to the Virtual Reality (VR) show of the magnificent Pahernik forest. It was then explained to us how the Pahernik family had for generations taught on how to incorporate buildings in the nature. It is because Ivan Paherniks work, we now see beautiful homes amongst the forest and minimal deforestation in the upper region Koroska. After the VR and briefing, we were brought on a tour of the interactive museum showcasing the history, buildings and natural findings. It is a very educational and interesting place to learn for Zarya. After which is a drive to Pahernik forest. We saw the biggest spruce tree expanding almost 3 meters wide and drank from a small creek.
We later drove to the Kajzer Farm, which is right on top of the hills surrounding Radlje. To our disbelief, it was a mini reunion for Tomaz, as he had actually been to the farm more than 20 years ago as he was friends with one of the sons. The farm was run by generations of the Praznik family covering 65 hectares of farm and forest. We met with 3 generations of Ivan, wife Yolanda and daughter Marusa. They have cows, chickens, sheep, cats, pigs and bees on the farm. At night, a herd of deer will graze in the nearby hills and they would hunt for wild animals.
We were explained how life in the farm was and because the farm is located so high up, it was a self-sustaining home. The family were friendly and warm and they explained that they would only travel once a month for groceries or necessities in to the town, which is very different on how we live now. We were brought to harvest some honey from the hives and processed the honey-comb to extract the honey. Then they served us Slovene lunch with their homemade aronia and apple juices. We had soup starters, then dumplings, beef dish as mains and potica for desserts.
After the farm we drove back to the town, where we were brought to our accommodation, Omina Hiska (Grandma house). It was located in the centre of the valley, so you can see the 360 surrounding hills in Radlje. The home is nicely renovated and they maintained the original designs of the house. As you walk into the home, we were greeted with a lovely welcome basket by the organizers. We quickly changed and headed towards the Aquapark.
The Aquapark in Radlje is the first natural man-made pool from the water spring and is filtered using only nature and plants. The water is pushed towards this natural filter and has no chemical treatments. As such, there are limited number of swimmers at any point of time in the pool. They would drain and clean it yearly and change the plants as necessary. It was a hot summer day, so we enjoyed swimming and basking by the pool for almost 3 hours. It was really a perfect ending to our first day in Radlje.
On day 2, we woke up to the sound of a flock of sheep behind the home. Tomaz made breakfast from the basket of sourdough rye bread, eggs, cheese, butter, homemade jam, apple juices and coffee. A true Slovenian breakfast, ready for our next activities in town.
We met Tonja and Ajda again at the Aktivarium area in town. We were brought to an old re-instated barn where they have a room for the Apijatheraphy. We felt very relaxed in the room, smelling and listening to the bees. After Zarya and Tomaz was able to play around the zipline and outdoor activities built. I was brought to the other end of the field to enjoy some herb garden and nature yoga. It was a truly and eye-opening moment for me to enjoy nature and taking time to listen and feel the surrounding. Finally, we were brought to the Time Brewery restaurant to enjoy a traditional mushroom soup and process for brewing beer. We ended the day and said our goodbyes, but we will definitely come and visit Radjle ob Dravi again for more nature and outdoor activities. We thank the organizers from Radio SI all the sponsors for giving us the opportunity to experience Radlje. An especially warm mention to Ajda and Tonja for their superb hospitality.
Zarya, Marliza and Tomaž
Photos by: Tomaž and Marliza
