What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?.... Cliff!

Not every cliff here in Green Slovenia is by the sea, but we noticed there were so many excellent hikes along so many different types of cliff, with so many different views, that we just had to go do a CLIFF section to help you choose your next cliff walk!

Two key facts you need to first know about this part of the world before we let loose on sheer faced cliffs are that almost half of Slovenia is made up of leaky limestone, known as Karst and you will find the highest cliffs in the Mediterranean here and along the Trieste Italian coast..

So now it is time to put your sun tan lotion on, grab a stick and fix your cap firmly on your head, cos we are gonna go for a cliff hike..

We will mark the sea cliffs in BLUE and the inland cliffs in GREEN, just click on the title to go read more about that particular Cliff Hike..

Sensational view back to Duino Castello along the cliff top walk to Sistiana..

Epic Cliff Hike from Duino to Sistiana..

40 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration 2 hours there & back..

We will start by the sea and this fantastic cliff top walk is in the part of Slovenia that is now in Italy, on top of some of the very highest Cliffs in the Adriatic..

Best advice is to park and start at Duino, which also has a fantastic little castle with a few surprises..

You can then hike directly along the cliffs from Duino to Sistiana, either all the way down into Sistiana to the bay by the sea OR JUST hike to the cafe at Sistiana on top of the cliff and back in about an hour..

The route is super safe with stunning sea views, WW1 bunkers and surprisingly, many Mediterranean flowers growing on the cliff top rocks.

View from atop the Last Karst Cliff in Slovenia across the very Green coastal Hinterland to Koper by the sea..

Hike the Last Karst Cliff.. 

35 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration 1-2 hour Loop..

This enormous, prominent cliff visibly marks the end of the Slovenian Karst AND the start of the Slovenian coast AND Istria, which is shared between Slovenia and Croatia..

The cliff is so long there are several opportunities to get close and walk along it for views of the sea at Koper and the Green Slovenian Coastal Hinterland..

This walk starts at the little village of Prapoče and is a loop of about an hour to 2 hours, but can be extended in so many ways, with even a bit of scrambling down the cliff in places to go explore the surprisingly Green Hinterland below..

Also read Coastal Cliff Secrets to find out a bit more about this particular cliff top and another possibility near to Crni Kal with a crumbled tower on top of a cliff stack..

The giant Istrian Elepahant Ears are just around this corner, one hour into the hike..

Hike to the Istrian Ears.. 

50 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration 2 hours there & back..

Park up at one of the prettiest little churches right at the very end of Slovenia and then hike along and down a unique cliff which towers above the most beautiful "No Man's Land" you might ever see, (between Slovenia and Croatia).

With views out over Croatian Istrija to the stunning hill top village of Buzet and a sea of green forest, the hike literally takes a dramatic turn when you reach the end of the cliff path and double back below to the the incredibly shaped, protected cliff you have just been walking on top of!

This section of cliff is called the Istrian Ears as the whole cliff shape looks like giant elephant ears!

A breath taking walk with uber stunning views, incredible and surprisingly green Mediterranean nature along a cliff, the like of which you have probably never seen before.. Very special indeed..

Moon Bay comes into view from the cliff top path..

Getting to Moon Bay.. 

40 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration 2-3 hours there & back, including a swim..

The only way to get to this beautiful half moon shaped pebbled cove is to hike along the uber stunning cliff path from Strunjan, (which is also a fab secret place to have a swim) or Izola, (our fave place at the Slovenian seaside)!

The simplest way is from Strunjan and once you hit the cliff path the views out to sea, across to Italy and back to Piran are sensational, with tantilising glimpses of the secret bay ahead, until you arrive right on top of it and take the giant cliff steps down into another world.. but just another of those numerous epic Secret Green Places in Green Slovenia!

Numerous little stone beaches along the low cliffs of the Lungomare coastal walk in Opatija..

Opatija & the Lungomare.. 

70 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration.. as little or long as you want..

The Lungomare is a mainly paved 12km cliff walk along the Croatian Istrian coast running from Lovran to Volosko, with the pretty seaside mini metropolis of Opatija in the middle..

It feels more like a seaside walk and in many places you are right down at sea level, but these are small cliffs nonetheless.. There are numerous restaurants and cafes along or near this seaside promenade, but maybe surprisingly, also several very quiet spots & secret little rock beaches too..

This is a really easy way to nip down from your Green Slovenian holiday and experience a day at the Croatian seaside with a hike too!

We often go here just off season and the temperature is heavenly, but you would be surprised how simple it is to sneak down to Opatija or Icici from the Lodge on a quiet day in the middle of summer, park up and get a taste of how the Croatians do the Adriatic!

You will not believe this enormous green Karst crater exits until you see it with your own eyes..

Circling Dragon's Crater.. (the Risnik Sinkhole)..

20 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration 1 hour loop ..

This is a Karst masterpiece, hidden in plain sight near Skocjan cave, another Karst masterpiece and one of the most visited caves in Green Slovenia.

You will not quite believe it until you actually see this massive sinkhole, disturbingly close to the town of Divaca, located between the Skocjan cave and Lipica, home of the Lipizzaner horse breed..

There is a mixed path around the entire crater with the best views half way around looking back across this giant hole to the precariously placed town!

There is a big green forest far below at the base of this sinkhole and we are sure there is a dragon living down there, but for most people a leisurely walk around the rim of Dragon's Crater will be enough, whilst rock climbers might scale the steep walls.

The Rakov Skocjan Little Bridge Arch creates this eye in the sky in the sheer Karst cliff walls..

Rakov Skocjan.. Karst Green Jungle..

25 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration 3-5 hour loop or 1-2 hour minitour..

You simply haven't seen Green Slovenia if you haven't been to Rakov Skocjan, a secret nature park walk between two giant arches, which were once the entrance and exit of a prehistoric cave.

Nowadays we get to see what nature has done inside a collapsed cave and there are several cliff paths to enjoy walking on the protected forest trail above the river on the 3-5 hour loop walk between the two arches.

You also get to walk on top of these two massive stone bridges and even venture 40 metres below the smaller arch into a secret rock valley where the steep walls rise like cliffs up from the water of the River of 7 Names, a Karst river that sinks underground and pops up seven times on it's remarkable journey across Slovenia..

We have never seen anything quite like this Karst rock wonder and you absolutely must make time to hike the whole loop along an epic path that can best be described as Slovenian Jungle..

The two hikers expose the massive scale of this giant natural rock window looking 1,000m down into the Vipava Valley..

The Okno Natural Stone Window..

40 mins from the Lodge, Hike duration 1-2 hour return or endless cliff walking..

The Okno is a huge natural stone window set in the cliffs 1,000m above the uber beautiful Vipava Wine Valley and you can get there from the Lodge by driving on a fab stone forest road up through the forests above Predjama Castle and then along what best can be described as a paradise Karst road with cute little villages, cows in fields and rare Karst rock formations until you reach the village of Otlica..

Park up and there is a marked path along these high cliffs from the village church with sensational views until you reach the window itself and peer through it, down into the valley below..

You could easily extend this one to two hour return hike by walking along the cliff path in either direction and there is another very good viewpoint at the next village of Predmeja, where you can often see paragliders floating around the skies..

There is an alternative hike up the cliff to the Okno window from the springs of the Huberlj river here..

There is another way to get to the Okno from below using a path from the spring of the Huberlj river that flows into the Roman town of Ajdovsćina, or Adjective as we prefer to call it.

There is a really fab local restaurant at the springs and a path leading up the high cliffs to the Okno, so this is a fantastic option if you want to walk UP a cliff, rather than on top of it!

We hope you enjoyed our little list of fantastic Cliff Top Hikes and more importantly, that you make time to go try one or two of them for the views, the peacefulness and the Green adventure.. Just make sure a seagull doesn't land on your head!!