Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WHAT TO SEE & DO
Practically on the Italian border, Kobarid is known for the Battle of Kobarid (or
Caporetto) which happened here on October 24, 1917, and is considered a key
moment in World War I. Pick up a map from the
Tourist Information Office
(Gre-
gor
c
i
c
eva 8;
&
05/380-0490;
www.lto-sotocje.si) and set out on the
Kobarid His-
torical Walk
, a 3- to 5-hour trail that takes you to some key war sites, and
surveys some of the loveliest natural phenomena in the area, including the Kozjak
Brook Waterfalls; at one point you'll cross the So
c
a River on a 52m (171-ft.) suspen-
sion bridge. A lovely way to spend the morning, the walk starts at the award-winning
Kobarid Museum (reviewed below), considered one of the best of its kind in Europe.
Kobariski Muzej
Kobarid Museum is an antiwar museum designed to illus-
trate the senselessness of war. Several rooms, spread over three floors, are filled with
war-related paraphernalia, photographs, and excerpts from journals and letters. On
the first floor, The Black Room includes horrible photographs of survivors who were
savaged by weapons of war. One man shown in profile has lost his nose and upper
jaw—left with half his face, he is a dreadful irony juxtaposed with the display beneath
of military medals and badges. Nearby, more grotesque photographs of mangled,
skeletal war victim corpses are displayed over a number of defunct, “dead” weapons
that may very well have been used in their slaughter. Much of the museum deals with
the role played by Kobarid during World War I, and some of the displays (particularly
those on the ground floor) don't make much sense. There is a 20-minute video, but
you'll need to ask when the English version is to be screened.
Gregorciceva 10.
&
05/389-0000.
www.kobariski-muzej.si. 4
€
($5) adults, seniors, and students; 2.50
€
($3.15)
young children. Apr-Sept: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm; Sat-Sun and public holidays 9am-7pm. Oct-Mar: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm;
Sat-Sun and public holidays 9am-6pm.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN THE SOCA VALLEY
Outdoor adventures are usually high on the list of priorities of visitors to this region;
in winter there's great skiing, while in summer climbing, hiking, and river-based activ-
ities are among the best in the country. One of the top all-round outfits in the So
c
a
Valley is Kobarid-based
X Point
(Stresova 1;
&
05/388-5308
or 041-692-290;
www.xpoint.si), which offers rafting, kayaking, paragliding, canoeing, hydrospeeding,
canyoning, trekking, and mountain-biking excursions; the company can also set you
up with one of five good ski instructors. Ask owner Dejan Luzar about the company's
multi-activity packages.
CANYONING X Point
has excursions (all equipment included) for different levels
of experience; some outings last up to 8 or 9 hours and cost around 100
($125).
HORSEBACK RIDING
You can ride Lipizzaners in the So
c
a Valley through
Pris-
tana Lepena
(www.pristava-lepena.com).
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Bovec's bike specialists are
Outdoor Freaks
(Klanc 9a;
&
05/389-64/90
or 041-553-675; www.freakoutdoor.com). They can rent you a
suitable mountain bike and put you onto a number of trails in the
Kanin mountain
bike park
(www.mtbparkkanin.com), which opened in 2003.
PARAGLIDING Avantura
(
&
041-718-317;
bovecavantura@hotmail.com) offers
tandem paragliding in Bovec.
X Point
offers first-time courses as well as tandem
jumps (85
€
€
/$106). Skiers should inquire about a combination package in which you
paraglide from 1,800m (5,904 ft.) after being on the slopes.
