As a part time job I also work as a canyoning guide. In the last couple of years this market has become quite developed and in Bovec area there is lots of competition. Prices are dropping, people are guiding without guiding license – which is anyway not required by Slovenian legislation since the last year. But the agency that I guide for mostly – Outdoor Galaxy, prefers quality over quantity. And we have to figure out new active sports packages for our hyperactive guests. So this weekend an old friend decided to pay me a visit, so I got an idea to try a new combo that will hopefully become new offering: Bike and Canyon.
First we drove from Bovec to Log pod Mangartom. We left one car there and packed all the canyoning and biking gear into other car. With the second car we drove up to the intersection for Mangart saddle and parked. We got our canyoning gear on and descended into the upper part of Predelica canyon. It is a medium difficulty canyon that takes two or three hours. In my opinion it is the most beautiful canyon in Bovec municipality. We desceded the canyon. It was really nice day to do it, water level was just perfect and no risk for any thunderstorms. Photos will tell more than 100 words.
After the canyon descend we had to hike up back to the car and our bikes. It is about half an hour hike, but the trail is really amazing. At one particular spot a breath taking view on settlement Strmec and Loška wall opens. It is a must see. After seeing it it was a bit hard to motivate my friend to keep on hiking. But she is really a passionate mountain biker so it didn’t took a while to convince her to continue. We reached a car in no time and we switched canyoning gear into mountain bike gear.
MTB part of the experience
After we recharged our bellies with some local powerbars – if you are in Slovenia you have to try, it is called Frutabela – it was time to hit the road with a bike. But the “road” part was just about 300m. We crossed the bridge and continued on the path that slowly descends and ends above settlement Strmec. At the end of path there is an artificial accumulation channel that feeds the powerplant down in the valley. Riding around it is quite tricky, so most of the people just push the bike beside them.
And then the proper mountain bike trail starts. A bit rocky, a bit rooty, but all in all a nice trail for people with a bit of a riding experience. Unfortunately I didn’t take the photos while riding but trust me on my word – it is worth it. Trail is being disrupted in the settlement Strmec, but continues at the end of the village. And real party starts there. Trail becomes really flowy and you enjoy every meter of it. The only problem is that village Log pod Mangartom comes just to fast. And the second car is waiting there, so we can go fetch the first one.
Of course if we are in Log pod Mangartom the day has to end with pizza in Hotel Alpine. The best pizza place I’ve been in the last couple of years. Cooks know how to make proper pizzas since they are from Neaples, Italy. And the views from the restaurant on the Loška wall are amazing. You can also see the upper part of Fratarica canyon.
So this is one day full of new adventures that Bovec can offer you. Would you dare to try?
