The best MTB trails around Tolmin

The free parking lot P2 is located at the end of Tolmin in the direction of Zatolmin. From here, a well-developed footpath leads in about 15 minutes to the entrance of the Tolminer Klamm gorge. Those who park here, therefore, accept a few extra kilometers – in return, the parking fees at the entrance are waived, and the access via Zatolmin is a relaxed warm-up with a view of Tolmin and the Soča Valley. By the way, P2 is free all year round, not just on certain days.  ▪️ Cars, registered buses, and motorhomes between 8 am and 10 pm ▪️ Free shuttle bus P2 ⇄ Gorge entrance P1: June 1 to September 27, daily from 10 am to 4 pm; in high season (June 25 to August 30) additionally from P3 via Tolmin bus station, every 30 minutes ▪️ Dogs are not allowed on the bus – dog owners use the footpath ▪️ P1 directly at the entrance is subject to a charge from Easter Sunday to September 30 and only for cars; check current tariff on site (last time approx. €3/hour) ▪️ For early time slots before 10 am, the footpath remains the only option anyway – it's worth it, the gorge is still empty then

The Tolmin Gorges are the deepest and southernmost access point to Triglav National Park. The wild streams Tolminka and Zadlaščica have carved deeply into the limestone here and meet in a narrow, shady gorge. At the confluence, a small thermal spring emerges, and a few minutes further on, a mighty rock block, Medvedova glava, is wedged between the walls. Above it all, the Devil's Bridge spans about 60 m above the river. ▪️ Entrance fee applies, with time slot booking in high season ▪️ Well-developed circular path with steps, footbridges, and bridges – slippery when wet ▪️ Starting early is worthwhile: the gorge is almost empty in the morning ▪️ Dante's Cave (Zadlaška jama) is only accessible with a guided tour

🥾 Ostkamm – the Slovenian ascent The ridge we descended from the summit is the classic route from the Slovenian side: start in Avsa above Livek (approx. 870 m), through beech forest up to Idrska planina, over Mrzli vrh and then over the grassy border ridges to the summit – about 2 to 2.5 hours. A second, considerably longer variant begins in Svino near Kobarid. The meadows are so uniform that Matajur is considered a ski touring mountain in winter. On the ridge, just below the summit, the path branches off to the Dom na Matajure, the hut of the Slovenian mountaineering association from Benečija.

This mountain is part of the Mia-Lubia-Matajur anticline, a transition area between the Southern Alps and the Dinarides, with sedimentary formations from the Lias (Jurassic) to the Upper Cretaceous, which were deposited between 212 and 65 million years ago. Due to its location (summit at 1641 m above sea level), alpine, Balkan and sub-Mediterranean flora meet and merge here. Above 1300 meters, the landscape offers wide, little-grazed meadows with natural primary herbaceous species that have grown after the removal of the original beech forests.

Magnificent view of the turquoise Soca

In his address on Volkstrauertag (National Day of Mourning) 2015, the then Federal President Joachim Gauck expressed some thoughts that I would like to offer for consideration to the visitor of this war cemetery / this soldiers' cemetery: + “This... is the hope of us all: that the memory of the suffering of war does not demand revenge, but allows more and more people and nations to seek the way to a peaceful coexistence of peoples. Just as European integration succeeded in becoming the great peace project of our continent. (…) That soldiers' cemeteries, as Albert Schweitzer once said, may finally be the great preachers of peace. Then, as we have experienced, reconciliation over the graves will be possible. Then peace can be lasting. For this, we bear a common responsibility.”

Stupendous. One-of-a-kind landscape.

An incredible landscape. absolutely worth seeing.