Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Driverscaneasilycombinethesetwoattractions,whicharejustashortdrivefromeachoth-
er. By public transportation, it's more challenging. The main transit hubs for this area are
the towns of Diva
č
a and Sežana, both served by train and bus from Ljubljana. A shuttle bus
goes between the Diva
č
a train station and Škocjan Caves (4/day June-Sept, less off-season,
10 minutes, coordinated to meet some trains—check schedules at Ljubljana TI). To reach
Lipica, you'll have to take a taxi from one of the train stations (try the Sežana-based Taxi
Šeki, tel. 041/621-347).
Škocjan (SHKOHTS-yahn) offers fantastical formations and a spectacularly vast canyon
witharagingundergroundriver.Themainattractionisaguidedhikethroughthecaves;this
hike is about two miles long, goes up and down more than 400 steps, and is mostly under-
ground. For a few euros more, you can extend your hike through two adjacent valleys and
the less remarkable Mahor
č
i
č
Cave, just above river level.
While anyone in good shape can enjoy Škocjan, those who have trouble walking or tire
easily are better off touring the Postojna Caves instead (described later).
Cost and Hours:
Take the €15 two-hour
classic tour
—billed as “Through the Under-
ground Cavern”—with English commentary (June-Sept tours daily at the top of each hour
10:00-17:00,Oct-Maytoursdailyat10:00and13:00andsometimesalsoat15:00or15:30).
Call or pick up the current brochure—which you'll find everywhere in Slovenia—to con-
firm schedule before making the trip; tel. 05/708-2104,
www.park-skocjanske-jame.si
.
To extend the hike, you can buy the €20 ticket—called “Following the Reka River
Underground” or “The New Part”—which gives you access to
more valleys and the
Mahor
č
i
č
Cave
and takes 1-1.5 additional hours. This can be done on your own June-
Sept, but for safety reasons, you must go with a guide in April-May and Oct (at 10:00 and
14:00), and it's closed Nov-March. (While it's possible to do only the extension for €10, I
wouldn't—because you'll miss the thrill of the classic tour.)
You'llneedtodecidewhetheryouwanttopayfortheextensionbeforebuyingyourtick-
et. Consider this: The classic route alone provides enough hiking (and plenty of caves) to
exhaustmostvisitors.Butthosewithabundantstaminaandtime,aloveofcaves,andaspir-
it of exploration will feel that the extension for €5 is money well-spent.
Getting to Škocjan:
By car, take the A-1 expressway south from Ljubljana about an
hourandgetoffattheDiva
č
aexit(alsomarkedwithbrownsignsfor
Lipica
and
Škocjanske
jame
)andfollowsignsfor
Škocjanske jame.
(BeforeorafterŠkocjan,driverscaneasilyvisit
the Lipica Stud Farm, described next.) The caves have free and easy parking.
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