Hiking In Bohinj: From Ribcev Laz to Ukanc

Posted on July 29, 2015 in Inghams Lakes & Mountains Slovenia by Kevin.Holland Tags: , , , , , , ,

This year Bohinj has 22 marked hiking trails and as the Inghams representative in Bohinj I set myself the challenge to complete all of them over the coming weeks. This week I ticked another three off the list. Route number two takes you along the South side of Lake Bohinj from Ribcev Laz to Ukanc.  This route offers magnificent views of the lake and rocky hills rising above it and when you get to Ukanc you’re rewarded with a beautiful view of the full length of the lake.
 

 
In the middle of route 2 is the church of the holy spirit. As the story goes, hundreds of years ago Bohinj suffered a long hard drought. The locals finally made their way to Rome to ask the Pope for advice as to what they should do as they could not grow crops. The Pope told them when they return to Bohinj they should build a church which resembles the shape of a camel’s back. They did and as they hammered the last stone in, the rain fell and the crops were saved.

From the end of the lake I continued on to hiking route 3 from Ukanc to Savica waterfall. The Savica waterfall is the most popular natural attraction in the area. The route takes you along the left bank of the Savica brook and at the foothills, you come to the hut where you start your ascent to the waterfall.

The water from the waterfalls runs from Crno Jezero lake which is located at the lowest point of the seven lakes valley. Savica is the strongest permanent influx to lake Bohinj and the waterfall itself is 78m high. The greatest Slovenian poet, France Preseren, used the waterfall for inspiration in his most famous work – the Baptism at the Savca.

 
It is a pleasent walk back down from the waterfall to the lake shore where you can pick up hiking route number 4 which takes you back to Ribcev Lav where you started. As you walk along the North shore of the lake you can really appreciate the peace and quiet. There’s no road around this side of the lake, just the footpath. In sunny weather you can see paragliders, who take off from hills nearby, land on the meadows by the lake. In the past, farmers used the meadows as pastures. You continue past Govic waterfall then past what used to be an old fish farm before returning to the main village. There are a couple of nice cafes along the way so there is no rush.
 

 
This combination of hiking routes is a wonderful way to spend a day and in total you will have covered almost 17k!

Words & images by Claire Wilson, Resort Representative in Lake Bohinj.