Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mountaineer and his three Slovenian guides climbed it from Bohinj. For Slovenes under
the Habsburgs in the 19th century, the 'pilgrimage' to Triglav became, in effect, a con-
firmation of one's ethnic identity, and this tradition continues to this day: a Slovene is ex-
pected to climb Triglav at least once in his or her life.
You can climb Slovenia's highest peak too, but despite the fact that on a good summer's
day hundreds of people will reach the summit, Triglav is not for the unfit or faint-hearted.
In fact, its popularity is one of the main sources of danger. On the final approach to the
top, there are often scores of people clambering along a rocky, knife-edge ridge in both
directions, trying to pass each other.
If you are relatively fit and confident, and have a good head for heights, then by all
means go for it. We strongly recommend, though, hiring a guide for the ascent, even if
you have some mountain-climbing experience under your belt. A local guide will know
the trails and conditions, and can prove invaluable in helping to arrange sleeping space in
mountain huts and providing transport. Guides can be hired through 3glav Adventures (
Click here
)
in Bled or Alpinsport (
Click here
)
in Bohinj, or book in advance through the
Alpine Association of Slovenia
(PZS;
www.pzs.si
)
.
The list of items to take along reflects common sense but bears repeating here: good
hiking boots, warm clothes (even in summer), hat, gloves, rain gear, map, compass,
whistle, head torch, first-aid kit, and emergency food and drink.
Note that Mt Triglav is inaccessible from mid to late October to early June. June and
the first half of July are the rainiest times in the summer months, so late July, August and
particularly September and early October are the best times to make the climb. Patches of
snow and ice can linger in the higher gullies until late July, and the weather can be unpre-
dictable at altitudes above 1500m, with temperatures varying by as much as 20°C and vi-
olent storms appearing out of nowhere.
There are many ways to reach the top, with the most popular approaches coming from
the south, either starting from Pokljuka, near Bled, or from the Savica Waterfall, near
Lake Bohinj. We've mapped out two of the most popular approaches in our walking tour.
You can also climb Mt Triglav from the north and the east (Mojstrana and the Vrata Val-
ley). All of the approaches offer varying degrees of difficulty and have their pluses and
minuses. Note that treks normally require one or two overnight stays in the mountains.
Several good hiking maps are available from tourist information centres. Kartografija
(www.kartografija.si) publishes a good and widely available 1:50,000-scale
Tourist Map
of the Triglav National Park
for €9.50. The Alpine Association of Slovenia has excellent
maps as well.
