Let's start how we mean to go on.. If you want to experience and get an understanding of the devastatingly unique beauty of Green Slovenia, then do not waste your time sleep walking around the towns, get out into the Green nature that makes this tiddly country unbeatable and whatever you do, Do NOT miss Rakov Skocjan!

This is probably the best medium length hike in all Green Slovenia with thrills and spills all the way, inside a huge nature park packed with multiple caves, rocks, springs, a river and thick with forest like a jungle.. oh yes, and there are two massive natural stone arch bridges at either end too.. 

One of the springs gurgling away in spring.. a spring spring..

We have not seen anywhere else like it in the world and it is so very unique indeed that we are gonna explain why it really is so special and suggest a few ways you can best go explore it..

And bless our little cotton socks, it is only 20 mins from the Lodge.. It is one of those secret places that completely surprises our guests and often appears in their personal top 10 for the week!

We do not know another place like this in the world..

Why is Rakov Skocjan so Special..

In simple terms, Rakov Skocjan is an enormous 3km long Karst cave that collapsed about 3 million years ago leaving two massive stone arches at either end..

Slovenia is the home of the Karst, which is leaky limestone rock eroded over time by water that creates all these enormous caves, sinkholes, disappearing lakes and Green Treasures like Rakov Skocjan.

This is a Green Karst path, baby..

Green Jungle is the best way we can think to describe the sprawling Green forest that has grown up inside this massive (now) open cave, littered with stunning white Karst rocks, scattered like Dragon's teeth in all shapes and sizes..

If you have been somewhere like Cambodia to see Ankor Wot or have seen the film Tomb Raider, then you will be reminded here in Rakov Skocjan of how the trees and green jungle grow out of the white rocks just like those Cambodian temples, as if everything is alive.

This park is protected, so the vegetation has been left to grow naturally over the years and this is why you will find particularly enormous trees and shrubs growing in and out of the Karst rocks to create this special jungle atmosphere..

And you can go explore it all!

We call all this a KARST JUNGLE as the green merges perfectly with the white Kaest rocks, just like a European jungle..

You wouldn't be expected to recognise the ancient cave river that flows down through the park between the two huge Stone Arches, but if you have been to Ljubljana, then you have already walked next to this very SAME RIVER!

Yep, this is the River of 7 Names that travels across southern Slovenia, ducking underground into the Karst underbelly 7 times on it's epic journey and EVERY time it pops up again it gets a brand new name!

So here at Rakov Skocjan the River of 7 Names is called the RAK river, (which also helps you understand the "Rakov" bit of the "Rakov Skocjan" name a bit).. and in Ljubljana the River of 7 Names  is called the Ljubljanica river..

The River of 7 Names flow under the Wooden bridge..

If you then add those two massive natural stone arches into the mix, you might start to believe there is something really unique & special to see here..

But if we also told you that next to the Little Stone Arch there is a way down via a secret rock path to the river that takes you through a hidden cave entrance, allowing you to pop out into the secret rock valley that is 40m directly under the huge Little Arch and you can walk & explore down there next to the river, finding even more little caves.. then you might not be able to hide your excitement!

AND ALL of this Green paradise is connected by a stunning nature path loop that curves up & down & along the river, so you can walk along it all for yourself..

Is there a better entrance.. anywhere.. this is your way into the stone valley..

A Few Helpful Definitions..     

It will help you massively to have a basic knowledge as to WHAT Rakov Skocjan is actually made up of and WHAT you can see here, so you can understand how you really do need to do the whole loop if you can, but reluctantly will also allow you to cherry pick the bits you want to see, if your time is limited or you cannot walk so far..

Rejoining the river after a hike down from the road just after the Little Bridge car park..

Rakov Skocjan..

We often sugar coat some of the more difficult to say or remember Slovenian names to help guests, but there is no avoiding saying Rakov Skocjan here!

The other thing to remember is this particular wonder of nature is NOT to be confused with the Skocjan Cave, which is 20 mins down the road from the Lodge in the other direction and the largest underground hole in Europe.. yet another sensational unmissabubble Green wonder..

You already know the Rak bit of Rakov refers to the river Rak that runs between the two arches and the Skocjan bit is an old name for a saint, so this is why you might see it so often, but DO NOT CONFUSE Rakov Skocjan with the Skocjan Cave.. make sure you see them both..

A glimpse back at the stone bridge as you go further into the stone valley..

Big Bridge / Arch (Veliki Most)..

This is where the old cave exit was and where the river starts to exit the cave and is so big on top that the main gravel park road actually goes over it..

You can call it an arch or a bridge, in Slovenian they use the word for bridge which is "Most"..

This Big Arch is near the "start" or "bottom" of the nature park, where most people will enter Rakov Skocjan from the Postojna, (with Cave 10 mins away) direction..

Maybe in summer you will get the chance to walk under the Big Bridge..

Little Bridge / Arch (Mali Most)..

This enormous arch is only called the little bridge cos it is smaller than the big bridge, but it is in no way "little"!

You can even walk over it and get sensational views down into the secret Rock valley 40m below, where people look like ants..

The Little Arch or Bridge is where the old cave entrance started and is at the "End" or "Top" of the park, direction Cerknica (with Biggest Disappearing Lake in Europe 10 mins away)..

Make sure you get your photo taken standing on top of the Little Bridge..

the River of 7 Names..

Here at Rakov Skocjan, it is the RAK river that flows through the cave from start to finsh, top to bottom and then disappears deep underground into the rock at Weavers cave and is next visible inside the Planina Cave where it crashes into the Pivka river to form a new part of the River of 7 Names now called the Unica river..

We will tell you more below, but your basic plan of action to hike around Rakov Skocjan is to just hug this river..

But you will never see the water at the same level from day to day, season to season as even this river will sink into the ground at times and become a raging torrent at others, depending on what time of year you visit..

View from the top of the Big Bridge over the river.. that was the inside of a cave 3 million years ago..

Secret Rock Valley..

This feels like a place that time forgot, we describe it as a prehistoric rock valley where you wouldn't be surprised to see a dinosaur flying over!

You get here via a secret cave entrance after a steep rock staircase walk from the top of the Little Bridge and do not be surprised if you spend up to an hour down here..

What an entrance..

It is the closest you will get to being inside the old cave, but there are numerous other mini caves all over it and the plan is to walk along the river to the end of this little rock valley at Green Cave and then you walk back.

The atmosphere and air down here is like nothing else and you will feel very small indeed..

Maybe the river will be roaring away, trickling or even dry, but this is something you can only attempt to influence by the time of year you visit.. There are even certain times when the river is so high you cannot go through the entrance cave.. (Only happened to us once in winter)..

Green Cave is the end of the sotne valley, sometimes you can cross the river, sometimes not, sometimes not even a river..

It means you might even be able to swim here, or cross the river or explore more dry caves. There will always be a lot of stuff to see down here..

It is utterly spectacular and the cherry on top is when reach the Green valley floor and remember to look up and see the Little Arch where you just stood a few minutes ago.. absolutely towering above you, like an Eye in the Sky!

the Eye in the sky, 40 metres below in the stone valley..

the Stone Bridge..

This is the only man made thing you will see in the secret rock valley and it is totally stunning how it fits and merges with nature so perfectly.

It is the first thing you see as you creep along the slippery rock entrance and enter the valley and usually needs to be crossed to progress up the river..

We would also hazard a guess you might take a few photos of it too!

Standing on a bridge in Green Slovenia..

the Wooden Bridge..

Halfway up river or down river, if you prefer, is the only other bridge across the river and an excellent marker point for how far you have gone..

This wooden bridge is also directly in line on the map with the hotel and if you wanted to do just a half loop or a figure of 8 walk, then this is the bridge to cross..

Just please consider how much you are gonna miss if you only do half the loop, but always good to know there is a place to cross the river if need be, half up.. or down!

the wooden bridge is halfway up the trail or down, depending which way you are going..

Upriver & Downriver..

You can walk any direction you want around this loop, but we recommend you start from the bottom near the entrance of the park, where there is also a little car park with a big map sign, for you to leave the car and then walk UP RIVER, against the flow of the water, towards the Little Arch, then from the Little Arch walk DOWN RIVER, with the flow of the water, back to the Big Arch and then back to your car..

We will use upriver and downriver in this article so you know which direction we are talking about..

Car park at the start of the walk, go left here and start the loop walking upriver..

Weavers Cave..

This is the final part of the Rakov Skocjan cave system where the river tunnels underground and there is a really beautiful 100m section of high, open cliff sides, narrowly flanking the river where just the roof of the cave fell down.

You can only see this section of open cave from the fence protected path on top and it is totally awesome..

Where we start getting into "spending the WHOLE day here" territory is when we tell you it is possible to climb down into Weavers' Cave, BUT this is only for the real adventure seekers and we would go as far as to use the word dangerous here.. so do not do it alone and please be carefull..

For most of us it will be more than enough to admire this high, long cliff line from the upper path that leads from Weavers cave to the Big Bridge!

view from the back of the Big Bridge to see where the river leaves the old cave and goes back underground..

The Main Gravel Road..

There is a gravel road of varying quality and width around the entire park, but do not get excited cos you will NOT be driving around the whole thing.. this is not Lake Bled and actually you cannot even drive completely round Lake Bled either, unless in the Kiddies road train!

The only bit of road sensible to drive up is the bit that goes anticlockwise up from the Big Arch to the hotel and then on to the Little Bridge.. That's it..

Even then, there will be sections where if you meet another car going the opposite direction we advise just stopping and letting the other driver edge past.. (whilst locals will whizz past at break neck speed)..

A few parts of the track are right next to the road..

The other section of road on the other side of the river going clockwise up from the start car park near the Big Bridge also to the Little Bridge is VERY narrow in places, with no car parks and more for local hunters than you!

This long section of road also has many sections quite a big distance away from the river and these are best river bits to see, of course..

But there WILL be bits of the hike where you are actually standing next to this loop gravel road and even small bits where you MUST walk ON the road, but it is really not credible to think you will walk this park only on the gravel road as you will just not see much at all!

Take the main stone road just for a bit to go around the corner to the Little Bridge..

So the biggest mistake visitors to Green Slovenia make time and again is to allocate way too little time to see the most beautiful small country in Europe..

Yes it is possible to just go and see a few elements of Rakov Skocjan and use the car to go between some of these rock landmarks, but seeing as you have now been forewarned how beautiful this whole secret place is, we can only strongly recommend you devote the best part of a day to being here, at least half the day..

Green Slovenia really does have SO MANY unbelievabubbly beautiful Green secrets that we seem to be making this claim quite often, but you need to wholeheartedley know that if you come here and miss Rakov Skocjan, then you just ain't been to Green Slovenia, Baby.. 

This tree looks tiny from up above and then you get to walk down here..EPIC..

OK, Let's Get the "Most" out of Rakov Skocjan..

Without a bit of prior knowledge and a few tips, nobody is gonna rock up at Rakov Skocjan and miraculously see the lot.. The map is confusing, quite frankly and you can forget google maps and even if you use Komoot or other hiking aps, they are now so littered with confusing alternate routes they look more like a plate of spaghetti than the one sensible route we will tell you all about here!

And do not forget we found this recommended route the hard way over multiple, amazing, multiple different visits, discovering and piecing it all together like a jigsaw puzzle and unearthing all these amazing Karst facts like a detective story to fully comprehend how truly amazing this whole place is!

You will almost certainly see other tourists along the way, maybe map or phone in hand, who might not have read this article, so will be looking slightly lost or in a bit of a rush, but will certainly not get the easy ride you guys will!

Go very carefully down these rocks to the wooden bridge, but a little bit of scrambling fun.. Rocktastic..

Ok, so all we need to do now is tool up and weaponise you for your walk around Rakov Skocjan!

Everyone is different, so you will spend different amounts of time here, taking different photos, eating or drinking different snacks and hiking, biking or driving different ways, but there are basically two best ways to do Rakov Skocjan..

1.. Hike the whole Loop or 2.. Drive bits and do some Hopping On Hopping Off!

Hiking in Green paradise..

Hiking the Full Loop.. (4-5 hours)

Did we already mention how amazing the entire walk is?!

This is mega beyond the very best way to experience Rakov Skocjan and you will get to see EVERYTHING..

So we will now give you two identical descriptions for the same LOOP, the first briefly and the second a bit more longly..

the wooden bridge from the other side of the walk, near the hotel going downriver..

Briefly..

Stay as close to the river as possible, using the marked stone and dirt tracks to go upriver to the Little Arch.. Go down to explore the secret rock valley.. Otherwise always stay between the river and the main road, sometimes using the main road.. Then go downriver to the Big Arch and complete the loop returning to your car.. That's it, 5 hours of Green Paradise in a nutshell..

So basically hug the river as much as poss, up and down.. 

another reason we call it all Green Slovenia, baby..

Longly..

Now the exactly same Loop route with a few extra tips & markers!

So park at the first car park at the start of the park with the signs and follow the main gravel road track going upriver (the river will show up after 10-15 mins or so on your right) until you get to the first bit of path that runs next to the main road for a bit then disappears into the forest.

It is not essential, but try to hug the river, so stay on the paths as close to the river as possible. 

This is the stone road that goes upriver and where you strt the full loop hike..

It is very possible to get lost in this Green Jungle as you will not be surprised to find out there are numerous other paths here too, so no exact correct path around, all paths look very credible and if you take the wrong one it can be a bit like a jungle where you fell very lost very quickly..

BUT remember the best advice is to stay between the river and the main road, cos then you CANNOT go wrong!

The gravel road loops completely around the entire open cave, so if you know where the river and this road is you will not get lost, but we also already said using the road too much will take you away from the best bits, so make sure "hugging the river where possible" is ringing in your ears!

There are wonders of Karst nature to see here at ALL times of year..

There will be times when you get really close to the river and others when you are high above it or not 100% sure where it is, but follow the marked tracks, there are also green mountain signs painted on trees and rocks AND very handy wooden markers with photos on them to help you stay on track.

About halfway upriver you will see the wooden bridge and you can scramble down to it or just walk around the corner a bit to get to it.

the green mountains are part of the huge Alpe Adria path, but also handy to follow here..

You kinda deserve to walk on the bridge and take a few photos of the River of 7 Names gushing below!

But do not cross the bridge as we are still going up river.. This part of the riverside track is very beautiful, but if there has been a lot of rain, maybe sections will be impassable, (flooded, this is rare by the way) so you will need to either by pass then rejoin the river later OR use the road.

Hiking up the river, this will be your first view of the wooden bridge, scramble down or walk around the side..

You will know when you get to the end of the track going upriver cos you will see a sheer rock cliff in front of you..this is the back of the Little Bridge section..

It IS worth going upriver as far as you possibly can as it is just so beautiful along here and the river is usually most powerful, but you will have to go back on yourself a little to follow the forest track up into the trees for a side view down the side of this cliff and then realistically, you MUST join the gravel road here to go around the corner and reach the Little Bridge, with another little car park there and almost certainly one VW campervan parked up!

This is the end of the road for the Upriver part, now head up into the forest to ultimately reach the road.. and get around the back of this cliff..

Follow the signs to the Mali Most, Little Bridge and this is where you can have a photo standing on top of the bridge and gaze down into the depths of the prehistoric Rock valley..

Looking down into the valley from the top of the Little Bridge, directly 15m behind you will be a sign and this is where you hike down the zig zag stones steps to the river..

People look like ants far below from the top of the Little Bridge.. You are going down there..

The sign correctly warns you that it can be dangerous to go down here, especially when the rocks are wet and can be slippery.. The trickiest places are the corners of the final hairpin bends down, so be safe and don't worry about going around these corners on your bum.

There are no really steep drops and it is not so far down to the river, but wow, make sure you take time to look all around you as you go down as the greens go off the colour chart and caves appear out of nowhere!

This is the secret cave entrance to the stone valley, you go through here.. IF the river allows..

At the bottom the river will be raging, running or trickling through and you can squeeze along the stone track through the cave entrance, making sure to watch your footing and better to hold onto the side of the rock wall as it gets dark for just a few seconds and the path is just rocks, so not even.

Quickly through, the wows will go off the wowometer as you enter this amazing rock valley and the plan is simple.. walk to the end of the river and back.. you will cross the man made stone bridge and depending on the river height be able to explore caves, but just explore, man.

your first view when you pop into the stone valley..

The approx turnaround time for doing the secret rock valley is an hour down along and back the same way up to the Little Bridge, but you might be able to go quicker.. more probably you will want to spend longer.

One day we will do a top ten for Green Slovenia and there are at least 50 places that would need to go into our top ten, but just being in this valley down below the huge rock eye in the sky is an automatic top tenner on its own.. that is how good Rakov Skocjan is folks!

Lots of stone windows and little caves to explore down in the Stone valley..

Once back up to the Little Arch continue down the road a bit, past the car park and this is the first time we are going direction downriver.. NOW there is a slightly tricky turn to spot where you rejoin the track path on the right side of the road, marked by a wooden marker and go steeply but safely down a long sweeping & stunning zig zag path directly down to the river.

More wows will be required at the bottom, cos this is where you will get some deja vue for when you waked up the other side of the river as you are standing here next to the huge cliff on the other side of the river!

Do you see why we call it a Karst jungle hike.. almost down by the river again..

The water comes gushing out from under this cliff and is actually also just the opposite sid eof where you were standing when you went down the other steep path to go down to the rock valley!

Depending on the level of water and time of year, this might be where you swim.. oh yeah this could be a swimming day too, so bring your togs!

Down by the river in spring and one of the places you might swim..

Now follow the uber beautiful river path downriver and it is just so lovely along here..

You will find the rest of the way along this path and there will be times when you hear a car really close and realise that you are walking here in deep forest so close to the main road and other times when you are far away from it.

The people walking on the road or driving are COMPLETELY missing this Green paradise..

Remember the plan to try to hug the river and stay off the road, but there is NEVER a point where you need to feel in danger along this path.

You will reach the hotel and follow the path that goes behind the hotel back into the forest and this is just ONE area where you have to be careful..

There is a 15m cliff here where you follow the river and you could go right instead of left and end up looking over the cliff over the river, where you would have to really hang on to continue along the rock line..

Winter view from the Wooden Bridge..

But if you remember that there are NEVER any dangerous bits on the true path, then step back from here and retrace your steps to the left hand side of this rock face and there is a steepish but steady scramble down these rocks to the path and river side..

Here will be another deja vue moment when the OTHER side of the wooden bridge reveals itself to you!

Halfway from here to the Big Arch you will find a large spring gushing water out into a little oasis, where you can often see fish swimming..

Walk around the back of this stunning icy spring to stay on the path..

The path continues over the rocks at the back of the spring (Izvir) over to the other side here. Maybe there will be water, maybe not, but this is another very beautiful spot..

Still a way to go down river now, very foresty and meadowy with glimpses of the river until you reach the Big Arch, (Veliki Most)..

Maybe you can walk right up to it in summer and even walk through or maybe the grass meadow will be flooded so you just get a look at it or maybe the river will be so inviting here, you will go for a swim, but all this is for you to decide.

the Big Bridge, Rakov Skocjan, Green Slovenia..

Follow the steep thick steps up to the road and stay on the track to the top of the hill..

On one side of the road is the long wooden fence with that incredible view over to the other side of the open roof cliffs and Weaver cave to the left..

And on the other side of the road, where you came up on the marked track, make sure you see the incredible view out across and down to the river and grass valley..

Swimming in the river in spring.. a bit nippy..

You are standing ON TOP OF THE BIG BRIDGE here!

Almost on the home stretch here, make sure you recross the road and follow the trail to the crumbled church and have a careful look around on the other side of this massive rock bridge cos there are no barriers, but you can get some sneaky vistas down river towards the Weaver cave!

The church is the only remaining evidence of an ancient settlement on top of this bridge and the signs will tell you more.

the crumbled church on top of the Big bridge, a lot to explore around here nd almost at the end of the loop..

There is one last little bit of forest track to cover before you finally pop out back on the main gravel rod at the end of a most unexpected adventure back at your car..

You will be taking a lot of photos on this hike of the permanent rocks and the seasonal flowers, river, vegetation and wildlife, so you see why this loop could take anything around 4 to 6 hours, but we did once go with two ultra trail runners, who were just walking and we were kinda jogging behind them and it took 3 and a half hours and a bit!

Arriving back at the car park at the end of your loop..

Driving Rakov Skocjan and Hopping On & Off.. 1 hour 30 mins to 3 hours..

For those who cannot complete the hike or only have enough time to see bits of Rakov Skocjan, then there is a clear route to take..

Drive into the park on the bumpy road and go straight past the first parking, then park in one of the narrow spaces on top of the Big Bridge, on the right hand side.

From here you will see over the cliff edge towards Weaver Cave and cross the road to get the view from the top of the Big Bridge into the river valley.

Then jump back in your car and pretty much stop at every little car park you pass.. there are about 3 or 4, including the hotel.

You have to do a bit of rock hopping to follow the path behind this spring..

The first comes up really quickly after your first stop, just around the corner, but don't be put off stopping again AND also never be worried if a car park is completely empty.. This is cos nobody knows about Rakov Skocjan, that is their problem, not yours!

Go down the steep thick steps for the fab view of the Big Arch Bridge from river side..

The next few car parks will enable you to get out of the car and get close to the river and the highlight will probably be the Springs..

Icycles glisten like diamonds at one of the springs..

IF you stop off at the hotel, you will get to go out into the forest and go down those rocks to the Wooden Bridge..

BUT you MUST continue up to the top of the 3km long road and park at the Little Bridge car park, then walk to see the Little Bridge Arch and go down into the Secret Rock Valley.. Give yourselves an hour at least for this spectacular section..

Make sure you snap a photo of the rock spectacles..

Then you are done, so it is a drive back the same way to the park entrance.

So you will get to see a lot by driving, but not the lot and if you are prepared to walk a bit from the car then you will see more, BUT driving, you will only see one side of the river!

And if you drive or bike here, you will end up leaving your wheels at the car parks and walking to see the various Green wonders, so YOU CANNOT AVOID WALKING HERE.. 

This is also why the very best way to see Rakov Skocjan is to hike it..

By driving you will miss the entire other side of the river and most of the river side path on the side you drive too, so you will miss a lot.. But you will tick a few boxes and at least get some understanding of how beautiful Rakov Skocjan is.

Looks a bit like an alien landing spot, but this is how the unique Karst nature looks in winter..

Doing a Half Loop..

There are lots of variations how you could explore, don't forget, it took us dozens of visits here to piece together the best route we have recommended to you above, so try to do it all, but the main thing is to enjoy your time in the Slovenain Green Jungle, stay safe and have a great day out!

There is a hotel, but we would bring a sandwich for this particular adventure..

Why not do the route backwards as a reverse loop instead or park anywhere along the main road in the other car parks and do the whole loop from there or even use the wooden bridge in the middle to do a figure of EIGHT route.. totally your choice!

You could also use the Wooden Bridge as a "get out jail free" card and only do half of the walk if it seems a bit much, but of course then you are only gonna only see half of the park!

There must be few other places in the world where something man made merges so beautifully with nature..

A few Final Tips & Reminders for Rakov Skocjan..

When exploring here, never forget you are inside the remains of a gigantic cave, this is what nature does over 3 million years or so, absolutley sensational!

Wear a decent pair of shoes, maybe find a decent stick, Green Slovenia has no shortage of supply of sticks and if it is swimming weather, be prepared to go for a cheeky dip!

ALWAYS stay between the river and the road that loops around the park, preferably on a path and keep as close to the river as you can for the best bits!

Going upriver here and see the road high above on the left..

You will need to use the road a few times, especially to go around the top of the loop to get to the Little Bridge, but otherwise try to avoid the road..

The water level is never the same, so you will always get a different experience depending on what time of year you visit, but if there is water in the river, remember this same water will be flowing through the centre of Ljubljana in about a weeks time, absolutely phenomenal!

this is a Karst river..

We have mentioned the ONLY 2 bits of the walk which are a bit dodgy, going down the Zig Zag from the Little Bridge into the Secret Stone Valley AND if you take a wrong turn after the hotel to get onto the edge of a steep cliff over the river, when the correct way is to scramble down the cliff path left..

BUT otherwise, as long as you are sensible, it is all about enjoying the amazing nature here and the unspoilt walk.

Down by the river in spring and one of the places you might swim..

One thing to remember as you are wandering around inside this Green dream, is that the most visited tourist cave in Europe is just 10 mins away, with thousands of people arriving in buses, taking selfies and buying souvenirs.. and you are here.. in Rakov Skocjan.. in Green Paradise..with nobody but the trees for company..

We sincerely hope that by reading this article, you will make sure you have at the very least an extra day in your schedule to walk the whole Rakov Skocjan loop..

And when you do, if you see fellow hikers looking a bit confused, maybe scratching their heads at the main map or rushing past you with a worried look on their faces, you can be pretty sure they didn't find this article!