What better to do on a warm sunny day than take a leisurely 30 minute cruise on the tranquil Lake Bohinj?
Small boats moored to the jetty in Lake Bohinj.
The Boat Bohinj is a beautifully crafted, 59 year old, wooden vessel made in Konigsee, Bavaria and is 19 metres long. Due to the lake being eco-friendly it’s run by a 6w electric motor with a top speed of 10kmh.
Tickets are available at the landing jetty or you can have as many trips as you like with the Bohinj Guest Card which is inclusive on an Inghams holiday.
We started our cruise at the Ribcev Laz or eastern end of the lake, not far from the Hotel Jezero. As we pulled away from the small jetty we had a fantastic view of the iconic St John the Baptist Church over the small stone bridge leading to Stara Fucina.
We then motored down the northern side of the lake under the towering edifice of Mt Prsivec, the lakes tallest peak at 1700 metre. During the cruise we were kept entertained and informed by Peter, the young crewman, who pointed out landmarks and told stories of the lake. Did you know that the water of the lake is refreshed 3 times during the year, making it one if the freshest lakes in Europe? No, neither did we!
We soon arrived at the landing at the Zlatarog Camping ground at the Ukanc end of the lake and decided to have a stroll around the many paths, finding ourselves on the delightful Goldenhorn Fairy Trail, an interactive walk for the young or young at heart.
A walk with seven stops, it combines seven Bohinj fairy tales with typical magical characters, each with their own station.
Activities on trails are designed to encourage the use of seven senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, type, balance, and kinaesthetic. You can discover puzzles, games, statues and information plaques detailing local flora, fauna and statues of legendary lake spirits such as the zlatorog along the way.
Feeling a bit hungry we returned to the campsite where they have a great little café serving pizzas, burgers and ice cold beer. This café is the only one in Ukanc with a lake view and coincidentally is great value for money!
Soon it was time for our return trip on the Bohinj. This time cruising back to Ribcev Laz on the southern side of the lake under the gaze of Mt Vogel and it’s towering cable car.
Peter was again our host with more stories and legends of the local area, the local churches in particular this time around.
When you visit the church of St John the Baptist, make sure you look for the large fresco of St Christopher on the outside of the church and count his toes. You may be surprised by what you find!
Very soon we found our way back to our original starting point and disembarked but what a fabulous cruise! Whether you hike in one direction and cruise in the other or do a return trip as we did, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. The views are magnificent and the staff are ever so friendly and entertaining.
Say hi to Peter for me!
Blog by Iain MacFarlane, Inghams resort representative in Lake Bohinj.