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Corey Rich

With 10,000 kilometres of trails unfurled across the country, Slovenia offers hikers trekking opportunities from mountain peaks to valley gorges.

The Karst Plateau doesn’t just deliver incredible caving and rock climbing opportunities: The porous rocky landscape is also known for producing lush refosco grapes that are used to make a distinct, full-bodied red wine called teran. After a full day of climbing, you may choose to reward your achievements with a glass of wine, or you may prefer, instead, to simply stay still and be present, immersing yourself in the quiet beauty of the landscape.

The rock climbing in the Osp region—which includes three distinct crags: Osp, Mišja Peč, and Črni Kal—represents some of the most historic and important sport climbing opportunities in Europe. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, some of the hardest routes in the world at the time were established on these karst cliffs. But for many, including Luka Stražar—shown here on the Maudit route, with a difficulty rating of 7a and located at the Babna sector of the Osp crag—climbing is about more than just difficulty. “Thanks to its pristine nature and the well-developed outdoor culture, Slovenia is a great place for climbing and adventure,” he says.

The Karst Plateau is an extraordinary and mysterious landscape -where many of Slovenia’s more than 8,000 caves can be found, with new ones discovered every year. Rock climbers may be just as interested in the geology as cavers, however, they tend to prefer less claustrophobic settings. Surrounding the historic hamlet of Osp, one of the oldest villages in Slovenia, the karst reveals itself along the hillside in the form of soaring cliffs and steep caves that provide many challenges for experienced rock climbers. Here, Luka Stražar rappels on a dynamic rope running through a quickdraw that is clipped to a safety bolt in the rock.

Slovenia is one of the most densely forested countries in Europe, with around 60 percent of its landscape hosting primarily beech trees alongside fir, spruce, maple, and oak. But the biking in Koroška doesn’t just include lush forests, mountain bikers visit Mount Peca for the unique opportunity to strap headlamps onto their helmets and bike underground to explore an old lead and zinc mining tunnel on a five-kilometre ride below the surface.

Three mountain ranges—the Pohorje, the Karavanke, and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps—come together in Koroška, an epicenter for mountain biking and other adventures. There are over a thousand kilometres of marked bike trails across grassy plains and through lush, mossy forests. “All-mountain” bikes that perform well on both uphill and downhill are the best choice for these tours, which can include a single 12-kilometre flow trail―Europe’s longest―at the Peca Mountain Bike Park. Tjaša Gorenc and Jani Hercog enjoy a smooth descent through the flora.

The Soča River, known for big rapids and technical paddling, is perhaps Slovenia’s best known whitewater kayaking destination. However, many local kayakers seek more than just big, fast river rapids, they often seek solitude and wilderness by accessing trails and bridges to reach lesser known rapids. The Savinja River, for example, is called a “hidden beauty” by Sára Seprenyi, a Hungarian kayaker who moved to Ljubljana to chase peak flow experiences throughout Slovenia. “You can find all kinds of water levels in this country, and all of these rivers are crystal clear,” she says. “I guess that’s why most of us kayakers moved here.”

The Savinja River is completely wild: its flow isn’t regulated by dams. Catching the seasonal window of high-flow rates, which guarantees a fun and exciting kayak run, can be tricky. Temperatures need to warm enough to melt the requisite mountain snowpack and glaciers that feed the river and generate whitewater rapids― and fast-paced paddling. That window usually peaks around June, when local kayakers Luka Reberšak (front) and Sara Seprenyi take advantage of an opportunity to run the rapids.

Petra and Luka Stražar are a married couple from Javorniški Rovt in the Karavanke Alps, Slovenia’s longest mountain range and part of the Southern Limestone Alps. The two often spend their free time rock climbing, but on rest days from the rock, they take advantage of some of the more than 10,000 kilometres of marked trails that traverse Slovenia.

The mountains of northwest Slovenia are limestone. These ranges began as calcium deposits at the bottom of the ocean before being uplifted through tectonic collisions to stand today as the mighty massifs that surround Slovenia. Just trekking beneath these sweeping, craggy escarpments leaves hikers in awe at their immense scale. Fortunately, thanks to Slovenia’s network of well-marked trails and high roads leading to trailheads, it’s easier to access these backcountry environments than you might think.