A DAY EXPLORING MOSTNICA GORGE AND VOJE VALLEY

Welcome back, my fellow hikers! This week I will talk about the enchanting Mostnica Gorge and the breathtaking Voje Valley. Located in the heart of Slovenia, Mostnica Gorge is a natural masterpiece that surprises hikers with its rugged charm and crystal-clear waters. As you step into this emerald paradise, you’ll be greeted by the soothing sounds of the rushing river, and the scent of trees and pines in the air. The lush, moss-covered rocks line the narrow canyon, leading you deeper into a world where time seems to stand still. Mostnica Gorge is a true hidden gem, inviting you to wander its winding paths and soak up the tranquility of this pristine natural sanctuary.

Just a short hike away lies the captivating Voje Valley, a place where lush meadows, dense forests and stunning alpine scenery converge. This idyllic valley is a hiker’s dream, offering a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Mostnica Gorge and Voje Valley combine to create a day of exploring that will leave you awe-inspired by Slovenia’s unspoiled beauty. So, let’s lace up our hiking boots, pack our backpacks, and embark on a day of adventure in this stunning corner of the world.

MOSTNICA GORGE & VOJE VALLEY

Mostnica Gorge and the Voje Valley are among the most beautiful natural attractions in Bohinj. Along the Mostnica River and the gorge, you can admire crystal-clear water and very interestingly shaped rocks all mixed with rich flora and fauna.

The Mostnica is an alpine river with rapids and waterfalls, offering an interesting display of nature’s creativity through the Voje Valley and all the way to Stara Fužina.

Visiting Mostnica Gorge and Voje Valley is a highly recommended activity while in the Bohinj area. You will spend a day enjoying a variety of different landscapes. From a dense forest with a river and a gorge to open meadows with beautiful mountains as a backdrop. And to complete your day, at the end of the valley, you will be rewarded with a 20 m high waterfall.

HIKING IN THE VOJE VALLEY - PRACTICAL INFORMATION

before I tell you about our wonderful experience hiking in the Voje Valley, I would like to first share some practical information with you. What to expect about the gorge? What should you know before visiting the gorge? All you will have to worry about is to have an amazing time!

Getting to Mostnica Gorge

Mostnica Gorge is located within the Triglav National Park, approximately 2 km north of Bohinj Lake.

The easiest way to reach this beautiful place is by driving. I highly recommend renting a car if you’re planning to explore the Triglav National Park. Once you have your car, you will have to drive to Bohinj Lake from Bled. At Bohinj, turn right at the church of St. John the Baptist and drive to Stara Fuzina. Here you will be able to park your car, the gorge is just a short walk away.

I have marked two parking places on the map at the end of this blog. Both of them are paying and will cost you approximately 20 euros to park for the whole day there.

Equipment Needed

This hike is not very demanding and there were plenty of kids there when I visited. Nevertheless, if you want to make it a nice day activity, I recommend bringing the following:

Proper hiking shoes. The trail goes through the forest and along the gorge. Even if it hasn’t been raining recently, some parts were a bit muddy and slippery so I highly recommend having shoes with a decent grip. I used my Altra Lone Peak 6 as they are super light and comfortable.
A hat to protect you from the sun. The trail along the gorge is mostly covered under the trees but as soon as you reach the Voje Valley, there is little to no shadow at all. Make sure to bring sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun. I always use my Buff Pink Cap.
A reusable water bottle. Hydration while hiking is key and during the summer months even more. To avoid carrying excessive weight, you can just bring one reusable water bottle and fill it up with fresh river water. The water is perfectly fine to drink directly from the river, but if you want to be 100% safe you can also filter. We always use this Klean Kanteen Water bottle and the Katadyn 1L Water Filter.

Things To Know Before Hiking

Here are some things that you should know before doing this hike.

To visit the Gorge, you have to pay a small entrance fee. During the low season, the entrance ticket for adults is 3 euros and during the summer months, it is 4 euros. You can check the updated prices here.
There are hiking paths on both sides of the gorge, so the visit can be done as a round trip.
It is not allowed to swim in the river! Please respect the environment!
There are two small mountain huts along the hike where you can get food and drinks. The first one is located at the end of the gorge, before you enter Voje Valley and the second one is at the end of the trail, before Mostnica waterfall.

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO SLOVENIA

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EXPLORING MOSTNICA GORGE AND THE VOJE VALLEY

Hike Summary

Trail Start/End: Stara Fuzina (see parking lots in the map at the end of the blog)
Distance: 11,91 km
Elevation Gain: 345 m
Route Type: Linear Route
Estimated Time Needed: 4-5 hours (This includes plenty of time to rest and enjoy the views).

If you want to do the same hike as we did, we followed this AllTrails hike: Mostnica Gorge and Voje Waterfall Trail

My Experience Hiking In The Voje Valley

We parked our car in Stara Fuzina town (the parking near the beginning of the trail was full) and started walking towards the Gorge. It was already 10 am and it was looking like it was going to be a warm sunny day.

After approximately 20 minutes of walking, we reached the Devil’s Bridge. This is a stone, single-arch bridge that crosses high above the Mostnica River. It offers a dizzying view into the narrow gorge that the river has carved out of the limestone bedrock. The bridge was built in 1777 by Baron Ziga Zois and was used to transport iron and wood charcoal from the mountainous areas near Bohinj, which were the most important iron and steel production in the Julian Alps.

The name Devil’s Bridge comes from a folklore tale. It is said that when this bridge was being built, workers would work every day only to find out the next morning that the progress made the previous day had been destroyed. Tired of finding this situation every morning, they said: “Let the devil build this bridge, we will not build it anymore.” And so the devil built the bridge. The people asked him what he wanted in return for his efforts and he answered: “The first soul that crosses the bridge – this is the one I want”. To avoid anyone getting hurt a villager got a bone and his dog and threw the bone across the bridge. The dog ran after the bone and crossed the bridge and so, the devil took the dog’s soul.

Even though, it is not necessary to cross the bridge for this hike, we did go on the bridge and the views of the gorge from there were fantastic!

Exploring Mostnica Gorge

We left the bridge behind and followed the trail until we reached the park entrance. We paid for our tickets and decided to hike first on the right-hand side of the gorge and return on the left side. Both sides are fantastic, so it really doesn’t matter which one you choose first.

The trail that follows the river was just breathtaking. It went along the forest with many bends to approach the water and admire its color and the interesting natural creations the erosion has made over the years. There were plenty of small pools, waterfalls, ravines, and smaller rapids.

Approximately halfway along the gorge, there is a very interestingly shaped rock. The particular shape of this rock has given her its name, the elephant. I have to say, it does resemble a little bit an elephant with its big nose, don’t you think?

The Voje Valley

At the end of the gorge, there is a bridge to cross to the other side of the river. At this point, it is possible to return back to the parking lot on the other side of the river. However, we decided to keep hiking further into the Voje Valley which, if you have the time, I highly recommend you do as well.

It was not long until we reached Planina Voje, a big and open grassland in the middle of the valley at 700 m of altitude. This is a typical glacial valley in the shape of the letter U. It looked so idyllic, with small mountain huts scattered and the Julian Alps in the background.

Even though this part of the hike was completely flat, for me it was the most difficult part. It was really warm and there was barely any shadow along the trail. Luckily, right before you enter the Voje Valley, there is a mountain hut where you can either fill your water bottles or buy some drinks and food.

The view of the valley was just amazing! The contrast between the open meadow and the mountains in the back gave us the energy to keep going through this difficult part.

At the end of the valley, we reached Mostnica Waterfall (also called Voje Waterfall), a 21m high waterfall where the Mostnica River originates. This waterfall, even though it is not the most impressive waterfall I’ve ever seen, had a lot of charm. We spent approximately 30 minutes having a picnic here while we admired it.

The Return

Once we had rested and fueled up, it was time to start our return. Since this is a linear route, we walked back the same way we came admiring the views once more. At the end of the Voje Valley, we stopped to enjoy some homemade lemonades with the mountains as a backdrop. The location of this mountain hut was just perfect.

We returned to gorge on the other side we had walked to make it a bit different and we also stopped to relax and enjoy this beautiful area some more.

Mostnica Gorge and the Voje Valley was an amazing discovery and I can’t recommend this place enough. It has nothing to envy the more popular Vintgar Gorge (which is also amazing) and here, you are not walking on boardwalks and you can get close to the water.

MAP WITH ALL LOCATIONS

And that’s it for my blog about Mostnica Gorge. I hope you liked it and it encouraged you to visit this hidden gem in Slovenia. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Happy hiking!

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