Škocjan Education Trail

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 2 km
Duration: 1 hour

If you follow the droplet – the symbol of the education trail, it will lead you through the wonderful karst landscape of the Škocjan Caves Park. On the way you will see natural karst phenomena and cultural heritage. The trail begins and ends at the Information Centre in Matavun. It is about 2 km long and takes roughly an hour, leading you around the Velika and Mala Dolina, where you can enjoy the beautiful views of deep collapse dolines, sheer rock faces, the Reka disappearing underground and surrounding hills. Also on the education trail are the Jakopin and Jurij barns in Škocjan, which contain ethnographical collections and a collection about the discovery and exploration of the Škocjan Caves.

Žirovnica Cultural Heritage Path

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 10 km
Duration: 4 – 5 hours

The Žirovnica Cultural Heritage Path is one of the oldest themed trails in Slovenia and has unique significance in the Slovenian cultural environment, inviting people to actively explore tradition. It connects monuments of culture and history in the villages at the foot of Mt. Stol in the Karavanke range: The houses where Prešeren, Matija Čop, the authors Fran Saleški Finžgar and Janez Jalen were born, in Vrba, Žirovnica, Doslovče and Rodine respectively, and Anton Janša’s commemorative beehive in Breznica. The 10 kilometre long circular route runs along local, village roads and cart tracks, partly also across a meadow above the villages. Signposts guide us from one monument to the next. They are posted in both directions so you can begin exploring the itinerary anywhere you like.

Vinotour

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 11 – 24 km
Duration: 3 – 6 hours

Vinotour is an international trail which leads through picturesque hillside vineyards, past the heart-shaped road, one of the most commonly photographed corners of Slovenia. It is made up of paths that lead across the courtyards of Slovenian and Austrian vineyard farms.

A particularity of these paths is that we can randomly adapt the distance we walk. There are five circular trails (red, orange, blue, green, yellow), from 11 to 24 km in length. The trails are indicated with yellow markings and bottle-shaped signs. Different colours correspond to the names of different routes.

1. Red trail: 11 km, 19 stops, 3 hours
2. Orange trail: 22 km, 29 stops, 5.5 hours
3. Blue trail: 24 km, 28 stops, 6 hours
4. Green trail: 13 km, 14 stops, 3.5 hours
5. Yellow trail (mostly on Austrian wine roads): 12 km, 18 stops, 3 hours

Kingfisher Nature Trail

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 5.2 km
Duration: 2 hours

This trail leads nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts from the village of Cerovo towards Vodomčev Gaj, through the edge of the forest, past wet meadows, to the hamlet of Podlom and the source of the Podlomščica stream. According to the Tale of the People of Podlom, that is where the Land of the Podlom is located. From here the trail rises up gently through karstified woodland to Županova jama cave. It continues in the direction of a rare surviving example of a medieval tabor or defensive compound built to protect the local population against raiding Ottoman Turks, Tabor Cerovo. From there the trail returns back down towards the village of Cerovo. The entire route of the circular trail is 5.2 km long and you can also walk a smaller circle by going directly to Cerovo from Podlom. The trail is signposted and has three information panels with panoramic maps of the area.

A particularly interesting feature are the information panels with panoramic maps. They are made in such a way that with the help of a web application on the phone or tablet, the visitor can see the whole trail in a modern, interactive way. Folded panoramic maps of the Kingfisher Nature Trail have also been made with which it is possible to use the web application.

Along the way you can stop at 22 information panels with educational content. Another of the trail’s particularities are panels on which there are pictures and short descriptions of the birds that live here and on which you can listen to the sounds made by different birds. In the area of the nature trail, nesting boxes for bird species including the blue tit, treecreeper, great tit, crested tit and other woodland birds have been fitted in cooperation with ornithologists. Special large nesting boxes have also been set up for Ural owls, barn owls and tawny owls. Nesting places for bats have also been set up around Županova Jama and Tabor Cerovo.

The aim and key target of the project to expand the nature trail, which began successfully in Log below the village of Cerovo, is to inform and educate people of all ages about conservation and the meaning of biodiversity, and man’s relationship with nature.

Strunjan: A Portrait by the Sea

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 5.3 km
Duration: 1.5 hours

The themed circular trail reveals all aspects of Strunjan that have been created by the sea and can be seen in the natural and cultural sights of this unique, preserved section of the Slovenian coastline. The circular trail around the park uncovers all the seaside hiding places that visitors can discover. There are 15 stops with interactive content and benches made of sandstone, and four entry points. The trail, whose starting point is the Centre of the Strunjan Landscape Park in the Strunjan saltpans, is roughly 5.5 km long and takes about one and a half hours to walk.

Karst Living Museum

Difficulty level: easy
Length: depends on the route
Duration: 2–4 hours

There are not many places in the world where you can see so many typical karst phenomena in one place: sinkholes, uvalas, dolines, limestone pavements, potholes and of course underground caves. This living museum, presenting the natural and cultural heritage of the traditional karst over an area of over 700 hectares, is a unique natural and environmentally important area. Most of it is within the Natura 2000 protection area. This natural museum lies between Sežana, Lipica and the former Slovenian-Italian border, in parallel with the connecting axis that was the old Austro-Hungarian road between Sežana and Basovizza. The museum features thematic and cross-border recreational trails and well-marked points of interest. A visit to the Karst Living Museum is an exceptional experience because its area is classified as the so-called classic karst, with the highest concentration of karst phenomena, and a large number of entries in the register of protected natural values and protected natural areas. Located on its margin is the oldest tourist cave in Europe, Vilenica Cave, and the most picturesque non-tourist cave in Slovenia, Gustinčič Cave. Deep down below the surface flows the River Reka which, after crossing the Italian border, is called Timavo. The Karst Living Museum is crossed by the Alpe Adria Trail and the Josef Ressel Forest Educational Trail, starting in the Basovizza Natural Sciences Didactic Centre (IT) and finishing in Lipica Stud Farm (SLO).

Kneipp Barefoot Path

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 3.2 km
Duration: 1 hour

It is a pleasure to take off your shoes, step out barefoot and feel the earth under your feet. Walking barefoot is one of the most effective natural therapies for the body. The 3.2 km long barefoot trail features twelve exercises. It runs across a meadow, sand, through the forest and other natural materials. The small feet muscles will gain strength when they touch the softness of grass, bark, earth, sand, and pebbles. Along the way, you can also perform other Kneipp therapies in the natural environment, such as stork walking and taking a hand bath. The starting point is at Terme Snovik, a spa resort located in Tuhinjska Dolina (Tuhinj Valley).

Biser the Dwarf Educational Trail

Level of difficulty: moderate
Duration: 2 hours

The Biser the Dwarf Educational Trail is intended for all generations from nursery school children to pensioners. The trail is a form of green sustainable tourism and connects the municipalities of Velenje and Dobrna. It covers the fields of biology, history, geography, cultural and natural heritage, diet, agriculture, hiking, psychology and relaxation. On the trail you will discover the characteristics of the environment you are walking through such as the forest and water. You will see the Temnjaški potok stream, Vovkov mlin mill, a forest, Kačji grad castle, the Blažiš collection of antiques and the Domačija Lamperček farmhouse where the trail begins and ends.

Educational Trail Drvošec

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 7.5 km (there and back)
Duration: 3.5 – 4 hours (there and back)

The Educational Trail Drvošec, which offers exceptional views of Cerkniško jezero, runs from the Rešeto swallow-hole and ends about 500 m before the bridge ahead of the village Otok. The trail mainly leads through the forest and its length of 3.7 km (in one direction) means it is appropriate for everyone, just as long as they choose the right footwear.  The route through the unspoilt nature of Cerkniško jezero is enhanced by many information or educational points (food chain, the lynx climbing frame, silhouettes of a bear and a wolf). However, the highlights are the views from the observatories called Kuharca and Klejni vrh, and from the 10-metre high tower Otočec, from which you can admire the exceptional dimensions of this karst phenomenon.  The trail is marked with an icon depicting a bittern, and you can follow it on the markings on the pillars all along the trail.

Themed trail through Logarska Dolina

Difficulty level: easy
Length: 7 km (one way)
Duration: 3 hours (one way)

The trail through Logarska Dolina is a natural-ethnographic trail, which leads through wonderful spots of preserved nature and culture of the Logarska Dolina Nature Park. These include the source of the Savinja, mighty boulders, the shepherd’s hut and the charcoal-burner’s hut, hunters’ tower, giant juniper and many others, the high point of the trail is the Rinka waterfall.

About one kilometre after entering the Logar Valley, you will notice wooden signposts on the right, before you cross the bridge. You will need about 3 hours to cover the distance of 7 km at a steady pace (in one direction). It is possible to begin walking at different points along the valley, thereby adapting or shortening your trip.