Rafting and Canyoning in the Soča River Valley - Bovec, Slovenia - This Unimagined Life

I have found my calling in life. When I found out I was coming to Slovenia one of the first things I read about was canyoning in the Soča River Valley. I’ve always loved cliff jumping and swimming in the mountains so this seemed like something I would like. Plus, from photos I could see that the Soča River was not to be missed.

So I had the opportunity to go on an organized rafting and canyoning trip in Bovec, Slovenia with InterNations. For 110 Euros we got to go on a guided rafting trip, have a BBQ, stay in Hotel Kanin with complimentary breakfast, and then finish the weekend with a guided canyoning tour. It was an excellent deal!

I rode to Bovec with Anne, Meredith, and Kevin (Meredith’s boyfriend who was visiting from the states). Idil, the girl from Vienna that I roomed with in Croatia had also arrived in Ljubljana by train the evening before to join the trip. After driving up the winding mountain roads we descended into a valley and finally arrived in Bovec, a cozy laid-back mountain town. It was the beginning of the season so I can’t say how busy it is in the middle of summer but it was really quite perfect at this time with not too many tourists. We checked into our hotel and waited to be picked up by the guides from AKTiVNi Planet, a local excursion company. They brought us by van to their equipment location where they outfitted us in thick wetsuits, helmets, booties, and life jackets. Then we were carted off to the ice blue waters of the Soča River. After dressing in our new outfits we divided into two groups and carried our rafts down into the river. First thing our guide Roli had us all take a dip in the water to feel the temperature and get over the fear of the cold. It was around 8 degrees Celsius (46F). I happen to like cold water from all my years in New Paltz, NY. We would go into the mountains on the first hot day after the winter thaw and jump into swimming holes. Of course you get out as fast as you can but the water is invigorating and fires every nerve in your body. You’re left feeling a burst of adrenaline and energized. In short, it wakes you up! Even with the wetsuits this water was shockingly cold. After our first dip we listened to instructions from our guide and climbed onboard our raft. This was my first rafting experience and it was so much fun! I sat in the front and got splashed quite a lot and bounced around. The best part about this trip for me was seeing the river up close. It is truly the most beautiful river I’ve ever seen and the valley surrounding it is so peaceful. Our group worked well as a team and we only had two people go overboard but they were quickly rescued. We made one stop on the trip at a giant rock where we propped the raft up as a slide and took turns jumping, sliding, and bouncing down into the river. We all made it out in one piece thanks to our guide who seemed to know this river like the back of his hand.

After returning to the hotel for some hot showers we headed back out to The Yurt Bar. This is a Yurt out in a field next to the river where drinks are served and the local guides hang out. They had prepared a BBQ just for us and the food was delicious and the quantity was great after the tiring rafting trip. After some relaxation and a few more drinks we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep for a full day of canyoning.

Ok, so now onto the important part…canyoning! The day started off pretty much the same with picking up our wetsuits, helmets and booties. Except this time our wetsuits were slightly different with some reinforcement on the ass and knees. We were also given what they were calling pampers which was an added covering you wore over the wetsuit like a diaper. Obviously there would be a lot of sliding on our butts being done. With gear in hand we were taken to Sušec Canyon (I think this was the name). We hiked about 30-40 minutes up the canyon in our wetsuits and booties. It was steep and it was hot! The group broke into song midway up which was a nice distraction. When we finally arrived at the top the ice cold water was inviting after the sweaty climb. I wasn’t sure what to expect on this tour since sometimes group tours are pretty tame so that everyone in the group can enjoy it. I was really hoping for some big jumps. To give a bit more detail on canyoning its basically hiking down the canyon in the water and navigating the natural waterslides and waterfalls by either sliding down them or jumping off of it into a nice deep swimming hole below. Of course some are deeper than others and some are fairy small. You do have to be careful about everything you do here especially because it can be easy to lose your footing and slip. Our first drop was just a meter or 2 and our guide Deni showed us how to properly slide down it backwards or forwards. With a nose full of water this was the start of one of the best experiences of my life. From there I was like a kid in a candy store and once our guide Deni realized that I was big on jumping he allowed me to climb up to higher spots with him to jump.

Having not jumped in quite some time even the smaller ones got my blood flowing. After a few jumps and with my adrenaline pumping I climbed up to about 7-8 meters (22-26 ft) with Deni. With just a few inches of rock below our feet he held my arm as we balanced there and explained to me the proper way to jump from this height. But then he began laughing at me “You’re shaking!?!” he says. “Well, um, yeah. This is scary!” I asked him to be quiet, took a few deep breaths, steadied my knees and went for it. What an amazing feeling it is to overcome fear and do what your mind and body are screaming at you not to do. I could become addicted to this feeling. Of course Deni then climbed about 10 meters higher and did some sort of flip or dive into the water. The dude is nuts! He asked if I wanted to jump from the spot he had but I declined as I was afraid I would puke from an adrenaline overdose.

The 3.5 tour ended with a 12 meter waterfall (about 40 ft). It was completely vertical and we were given the option of sliding down or walking around. Of course I chose the waterfall! For this we had to lay back and keep our bodies completely rigid as we hit the water. The drop combined with the force of the waterfall pushing you down made you hit quite hard. When you turned around and looked back and watched others drop into the pool it was quite impressive to see what you’d just done.

This day made me feel so happy and alive. It combines everything I love; nature, mountains, rivers, swimming, hiking, sport, physical challenge, exploration and adrenaline. You see the mountain from a completely different perspective when you hike it this way. I really felt as if I was made to do this and if there was a way that I could combine it with my design career somehow and get to do this regularly I would be in heaven.