Best Outdoor Adventures in Slovenia

As anyone who’s ever seen Planet Earth likely knows, it’s harder to find large swaths of untouched nature in Europe than on other continents. There are plenty of cute towns and bustling cities, sure—but vast wilderness, not so much. That’s why any patch of nature is precious; and in this arena, Slovenia particularly shines.

Nicknamed “the green heart of Europe,” Slovenia is packed with pristine outdoors concentrated in a small area. It may be a tiny country, but it’s full of forests, canyons, marine reserves, lakes, and rivers. After the Dutch nonprofit Green Destinations recognized Slovenia as a green hotspot in 2016, the status has grown into a stamp of pride, and now over 40 percent of its territory is protected land.

For visitors, that means beauty, escape, relaxation, and adventure. Stretching from the Alps to the warm coasts of the Mediterranean, you’ll find salt pan mud baths, thermal pools, rock climbing, canyoning, kayaking, and hiking. Here’s how to immerse yourself in Europe’s green heart.

Trek to waterfalls and peat bogs

Triglav National Park is Slovenia’s largest protected natural reserve, and it’s full of magnificent views of the Julian Alps, goat-grazing valleys, millenary trees, pristine brooks, and blue lakes that reflect the sky. Trekking trails unwind through the Pokljuka spruce tree forest, an area on top of the Karst plateau dotted with glacier fossils and peat bogs. Locals swear that spending one day here…