Slovenia family holiday
| country: | Slovenia |
| departures: | 2009: 24 Jul, 31 Jul, 7 Aug, 14 Aug, 21 Aug |
| price: | From £669 - £699 (8 days) including flights from the UK, from £519 - £539 excluding flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Little Slovenia is big on geography and big on nature! Steep mountain cliffs, punctuated with castles, slice into densely forested valleys. Jurassic lakes are fed by rivers from the glacial peaks of the Alps. Gentle hillsides and vineyards roll towards the warm Adriatic Sea, and on the way are some of the most spectacular cave systems in Europe. This is a great taster of a tiny country.
FORTRESSES, FOLKLORE & FOOD!
The charm and character of ancient Slovenia impress us from the start as we explore the capital Ljubljana, with its tangle of cobbled streets and courtyards, and its mighty castle.
A wander through the market will also hint at the influences of neighbouring Italy, Austria, Hungary and the former Yugoslavia - with delicacies such as salamis and hams from the forest, gewürzt 'spicy' wines, rich milk desserts and fruit brandies. Pausing at the lakeside medieval town of Skofja Loka, with its fairy-tale castle, we drive on to one of the most picturesque Alpine lakes: Lake Bled. Our discovery trail offers several options here, including the castle and a boat trip in a traditional pletne across to the wooded island.
IN THE TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK
Staying on the shores of another lake, Bohinj, we spend the next two days enjoying the natural treasures of the Triglav National Park. As well as the three peaks of Triglav itself (the highest in Slovenia), the area includes Mount Vogel (which we reach by cable car), the Savica waterfalls and forests of larch and pine, all set amidst the crags of the Julian Alps. On the lower slopes, we walk on gentle meadows sprinkled with gentian and poppies. There's also a chance to go rafting or perhaps hire mountain bikes.
DOWN THE ADRIATIC COAST
A scenic train ride through foothills and vineyards takes us down to the rocky coastline. Along our route, we'll visit the amazing network of a 'Thousand Caves' at Skocjan. Piran, with its lively piazza, picturesque harbour and elegant Venetian villas, is an ideal place to relax, soak up the culture or take to the sea for some coastal exploration. Finally, on our way back to Ljubljana, we visit Predjama castle: built into a 123m high cliff face and complete with drawbridge, 16th century Predjama can tell many a grisly tale about its dungeon, secret defences and phantom knight!
FORTRESSES, FOLKLORE & FOOD!
The charm and character of ancient Slovenia impress us from the start as we explore the capital Ljubljana, with its tangle of cobbled streets and courtyards, and its mighty castle.
A wander through the market will also hint at the influences of neighbouring Italy, Austria, Hungary and the former Yugoslavia - with delicacies such as salamis and hams from the forest, gewürzt 'spicy' wines, rich milk desserts and fruit brandies. Pausing at the lakeside medieval town of Skofja Loka, with its fairy-tale castle, we drive on to one of the most picturesque Alpine lakes: Lake Bled. Our discovery trail offers several options here, including the castle and a boat trip in a traditional pletne across to the wooded island.
IN THE TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK
Staying on the shores of another lake, Bohinj, we spend the next two days enjoying the natural treasures of the Triglav National Park. As well as the three peaks of Triglav itself (the highest in Slovenia), the area includes Mount Vogel (which we reach by cable car), the Savica waterfalls and forests of larch and pine, all set amidst the crags of the Julian Alps. On the lower slopes, we walk on gentle meadows sprinkled with gentian and poppies. There's also a chance to go rafting or perhaps hire mountain bikes.
DOWN THE ADRIATIC COAST
A scenic train ride through foothills and vineyards takes us down to the rocky coastline. Along our route, we'll visit the amazing network of a 'Thousand Caves' at Skocjan. Piran, with its lively piazza, picturesque harbour and elegant Venetian villas, is an ideal place to relax, soak up the culture or take to the sea for some coastal exploration. Finally, on our way back to Ljubljana, we visit Predjama castle: built into a 123m high cliff face and complete with drawbridge, 16th century Predjama can tell many a grisly tale about its dungeon, secret defences and phantom knight!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Ljubljana; visit old town on foot. |
| Day 2: | Drive Skofja Loka, visit old town; continue to Lake Bled, optional walks or boat trip; bus to Lake Bohinj in Triglav National Par |
| Day 3-4: | In Triglav NP; various activities including walks in Julian Alps and to Savica waterfall; cable car to Mt Vogel; optional rafting and cycling. |
| Day 5: | Scenic train then drive via Skocjan Caves to Piran. |
| Day 6: | In Piran; optional boat trip on Adriatic Sea |
| Day 7: | Drive via Predjama castle (optional) to Ljubljana. |
| Day 8: | Fly London. |
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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A classic adventure trip where responsible toursim can be seen in action. It's amazing when one stops to consider just how much a difference a visit by one of our groups actually makes. With a developing tourist infrastructure the advent of adventure tourism in Slovenia is making a huge difference to peoples lives - our groups stay in small hotels and guesthouses, use the services of a local Slovenian agent, employs Slovenian guides for boating, rafting, walking, horse-riding etc. restaurants and transport and thus the money we spend is spread amongst a wide variety of people, at all levels of society.
Such travel favours the local people - not large international companies - and as such more people benefit. Even our cultural excursions are valuable, reinforcing the need to preserve such relics for future generations, as well as contributing via entry fees to future conservation efforts. Our Tour Leaders are all trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This then percolates down through those they deal with. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |