Besides spending a good deal of time admiring at the beauty of Lake Bled, I rented a bicycle to the highly acclaimed Vintgar Gorge (Soteska Vintgar). It’s located just around 4 km north-west of Bled town and can be reached by hopping onto a bus at Bled Bus Station. But I opted for a bicycle ride to give me a better control of my time. Furthermore, that also allows me to stop and say hi to Julian Alps. So whenever the clouds decide to uncover its grandeur – I stopped to admire and the Alps sure didn’t disappoint.
The amazing surrounding view of Julian Alps. Hey, Jule!
The road leading to Vintgar Gorge looks fairly easy to navigate according to the map. But yet, I kinda went in the wrong direction several times around Prešernova cesta area due to the lack of road signs. I hereby thank the friendly local (Slovenians are a friendly bunch!) who pointed me towards the correct direction. And it becomes a no-brainer once I locate the road Cesta Vintgar.
Soon enough, I am already buying a ticket from the ticket booth.
Gorgeous Vintgar Gorge
There is a series of footpath inside of Vintgar Gorge. The wooden walkways and bridges criss-cross along the natural formation of rocks, carved by Radovna River. The trail seems like an easy one amid some narrow paths which allow only one person to cross. I am there during off-peak season therefore not a problem to me.
The Radovna river cuts the Vintgar Gorge deep between the hills of Hom and BorÅ¡t. The gorge is flanked by steep slopes overgrown with beech forests. It was discovered in 1891 by Mr Jakob Žumer, mayor of Gorje, and Mr Benedikt Lergetporer, a cartographer and photographer from Bled. Both were amazed by the beauty and the mysterious character of the natural attraction. Local people, however, have always viewed the gorge with awe and respect. In 1893 the gorge was opened to the public. – vintgar.si
It’s almost surreal to be so close to seeing Radovna River in action, which its stream has created pools and rapids. I am so totally immersed in the beauty of the gorge …just look at these awesome rapids.
In addition, the bright turquoise and crystal clear pools… It’s so nice to be here.
Almost at the end of the picturesque trail is Sum Waterfall (Slap Sum, which literally means ‘Noisy Falls’), the largest river waterfall in Slovenia. This is where the gushing river in the Vintgar Gorge will conduct a grand finale for their visitors. Very nice!!
Moving towards the end of the trail is another ticket booth for people entering from the other side, which is nearer to Sum Waterfall. I turned back from here on and continue to be mesmerised by this scenic Vintgar Gorge walk.
I gotta say this is one amazing place and thankful that such natural beauty is open to the public, very sure it ain’t easy to build a walkway through the difficult terrain. This is a perfect side trip when in Bled and does allocate the time to see this natural wonder of Slovenia. I am glad I did.
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What are your thoughts about Vintgar Gorge? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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Great blog!!! Thanks for sharing :-)
Thanks for visiting Paulo!