12 Gorgeous Waterfalls in Slovenia You Need to Discover

If you’re looking to enjoy some of nature’s most beautiful scenes in the form of rushing water, the waterfalls in Slovenia offer a myriad of opportunities. Tucked away in the heart of Europe, this gem of a country is home to some of the most mesmerizing waterfalls you’ll ever lay your eyes on.

From thunderous cascades to tranquil falls, waterfalls in gorges, ravines, or at the tops of mountains, Slovenia delivers beautiful waterfalls in all shapes and sizes, and in the most stunning colors (seriously, so much deep turquoise water!)

We spent two full weeks chasing waterfalls in Slovenia and discovered so many gorgeous cascades around the country. (I mean, of course we also hiked mountains, explored caves, visited alpine lakes, explored cities and villages, and went white water rafting in there too, but there were a lot of waterfalls, okay!?)

Quick Pro Tip: While a few of these waterfalls can be reached through public transportation, by far the best way to discover the waterfalls of Slovenia is to rent a car and drive yourself around.

I recommend getting your rental booked ASAP, and booking with DiscoverCars.com – we’ve consistently found them to have the best rates and availability around.

👉Check prices on DiscoverCars.com here

12 Incredible Waterfalls in Slovenia

In this post, we’re sharing 12 of the best and most beautiful waterfalls we discovered traveling through Slovenia. I know you’ll love them too!

Important note! In Slovenian, “waterfall” is “slap”. Also, in Slovenian, the “j” makes a “y” sound. So, for example, Kozjak would be koz-yak.

1. Slap Kozjak

Of all the waterfalls we saw in Slovenia, Slap Kozjak was undoubtedly my favorite. I loved the bright turquoise water, the interesting trail, and gorgeous Soca River that the path to the waterfall followed.

To visit, you’ll walk on a gravel path through farmland and forest, and then suddenly, boom! INCREDIBLE views of the brilliantly turquoise water of the Soca River – truly the water doesn’t seem like it should be real. 

Make quick pit stops at the bridge and the wooden viewing platform for photo ops over the river. After these spots, you’ll soon make a turn and follow the Kozjak stream upriver (this stream feeds into the Soca), soon passing a small wooden shack where you pay the 5 euro entrance fee.

Then the trail curves and crosses the river a couple of times, with cute miniature bridges to assist in crossing.

Finally, you reach the spot where a deep gorge begins. You’ll climb up a wooden staircase to reach a boardwalk that hugs the side of the cliff as the Kozjak waterfall comes into view.

The gorge curves up and around the 15 meter (49 foot) waterfall, creating an almost cave-like atmosphere. With the jagged, open cave top and the cliff walls surrounding the vibrantly green-blue water, the Kozjak waterfall feels almost magical.

• Parking: 1,50 euro per hour
• Entrance Fee: 5 euro per person
• Nearest Town: Kobarid
• Hiking Distance: 2.2 miles (3.5 km)

2. Koseska Korita

Koseska Korita is a loop trail that takes you from the road and down into a large ravine in the forest, and past 5 different waterfalls – you get a lot of bang for your buck on this hike!

The first four waterfalls (labeled Slap 1, 2, 3, and 4), all have beautiful, almost elegant drops against the rocks, surrounded by trees in the middle of the forest. Spread out in the gorge, you’ll get waterfall after waterfall sliding down the rock face or plunging over a cliff, as you hike through and explore the ravine.

The last waterfall you’ll see on this trail is just called “Slap” on the signs, instead of being labeled with a number, but Google Maps tells us that its actual name is Slap Brusnik. This waterfall (below) was our favorite of all of them. While the falls themselves are relatively short, it nonetheless took our breath away, as it comes tumbling out of a rugged, deep canyon.

The canyon is filled with a cool, refreshing breeze with lush moss and hanging vegetation, creating a fairytale forest vibe. The canyon walls narrow and undulate around the falls. 

Bonus Waterfalls: There is a free parking lot several minutes away from the start of the trail, and you’ll need to walk on the road to get to the trailhead.

As you’re walking up the road to start the Koseska Korita trail, you’ll pass another 2 slaps – Slap Sopot and Slap Krampez. These are on a short, separate trail and only takes about 20 minutes total to go see both of the falls – I think it’s worth the detour to see them.

• Nearest Town: Kosec
• Hiking Distance: 3.6 miles (5.8 km)

3. Slap Virje

Located near the town of Bovec (where many people go white water rafting on the Soca) in the Soca River Valley, Slap Virje is a short, easy, 5-minute walk down to a truly stunning natural beauty. This waterfall has several cascades that fan out into a deep turquoise pool.

The flow of the waterfall varies considerably throughout the year – in springtime, the falls can be absolutely roaring, but in summer when the falls are lighter and the water is less disrupted, you can actually go swimming in the natural pool.

Explore the rocky terrain around the waterfall and pool, enjoy the views, and take a dip in the water if you desire – this is a stunning waterfall in Slovenia and it’s a great place to stay for a while, relax, and enjoy nature.

• Nearest Town: Bovec
• Hiking Distance: 0.5 miles (0.8 km)

4. Slap Boka

The Boka Waterfall is Slovenia’s highest and one of the most powerful waterfalls. The water comes from an underground cave, and drops over the cliff almost immediately after exiting the cave. This massive waterfall can be seen from the road, powerfully plunging down 136 meters (446 feet) from the middle of a mountain.

While you technically could just observe the Boka Waterfall from the road and call it good, hiking to the summit of the Boka Waterfall trail gets you fantastic views just above the falls.

You can see the water come from the mountain, plummet down the main face, and then do secondary cascades down the rocks below. There is also a fantastic view out over the valley, where you can see the river winding through the valley and the tall, sheer mountains surrounding you.

The Slap Boka trail is definitely a strenuous one – it is very steep and is made up of gravel and large rocks. You gain about 1200 feet of elevation in 1.2 miles (365 meters in 2 km), which is pretty killer on the legs, but the views at the top make the tough climb worth it!

• Hiking Distance: 2.4 miles (3.8 km)
• Nearest Town: Bovec

5. Slap Globoski

Slap Globoski is a charming waterfall perfect for anyone who wants to really get off the beaten path in Slovenia. This waterfall is located just around the corner from the much more well-known Slap Boka, and has separate trails to upper and lower falls.

You can hike this trail as a standalone, starting from here, or you can do what we did and hike up to Slap Boka, hike down the mountain towards Slap Globoski, and then hike back to the car.

I actually really liked doing it this way because the trail from the summit of Slap Boka to Slap Globoski was a lot more loamy (a “softer” and less steep trail with leaves and dirt, instead of the more rocky and gravely steep trail of Boka).

The lower falls of Globoski Waterfall are made up of two cascades, with the second, 50 feet tall cascade dropping between a rock wall into a small, clear pool below. It’s located in a small, secluded area, tucked away against the cliff wall.

We loved how isolated and private it felt, and how refreshing the air around the falls was!

Note: I don’t think you can park at the trailhead that I pinned above, so you’ll still need to park at the parking lot for Slap Boka and then walk up the road to the Globoski trailhead, if you decide to do this separate from the hike up to Slap Boka.

• Hiking Distance: 1.5 miles (2.4 km) if you just do Globoski, if you do it as a big loop in combination with Slap Boka, it’s 5.2 miles (8.3 km).
• Nearest Town: Bovec

6. Slap Razgledišče at the Source of the Soca

The Source of the Soca is a short hike to the location where the famous Soca River begins. It emerges from a cave, crashes down a small cliff, and then continues its journey out into the valley. The Source of the Soca was actually an unexpected surprise – we didn’t know much about the hike going in, but had SO much fun here.

This trail is divided into two sections. The first part is a straightforward, fairly steep hike on a dirt trail along the river. Near the top of this trail section is a viewpoint of Slap Razgledisce. The waterfall isn’t particularly tall, but it falls in between some tight rocks, with a lot of power and several cascades.

From here, the trail takes a big turn, becoming a scramble up a pile of boulders, followed by about 25 meters of a narrow cliffside path that is only several inches wide. There’s a chain bolted to the cliff wall to hold onto so you don’t fall into the churning river water below.

You’ll end at a pile of boulders at the mouth of a cave, where the stunningly deep blue water from the Soca is emerging.

The hike is actually fairly short, but the adventure factor is extremely high – we loved the tiny path with the chains section, the view of the falls down below, and the cave opening experience at the top.

However, only confident hikers should do the chain section of the trail, and I wouldn’t take young children on it either.

• Hiking Distance: 0.9 miles (1.4 km)
• Nearest Town: Bovec

7. Slap Martuljek

Slap Martuljek is an easy and delightful hike up to a beautiful 3 tiered waterfall. The trail is very comfortable – with either firm dirt, or level gravel, and not a lot of unevenness in the path. (This felt notable to us after a week of hiking on trails filled with rocks – ha!)

You start by walking through the forest, and then crossing a bridge where you’ll see a couple of human-modified falls. These falls are quite small – don’t be deceived! This is not the waterfall you are looking for.

From the bridge, you start walking through a pretty canyon, go up a flight of stairs, and end at the viewpoint of an incredible 3 tiered waterfall that descends through a gorge. The viewpoint of the waterfall is on a high bridge over the gorge. The trail does continue up the canyon to a higher falls, but the lower falls part of the trail ends at the bridge.

Google Maps took us to a random spot that was not the trailhead for the waterfall – you can find the correct parking lot and trailhead here.

• Hiking Distance: 1.9 miles (3 km)
• Nearest Town: Kranjska Gora

8. Slap Pericnik

While you can see Slap Pericnik from the parking lot, you definitely need to hike up the (fairly steep) path to the falls themselves.

What makes Pericnik so unforgettable is that the path goes all the way behind the falls! It’s a unique vantage point as you walk under the rocky overhang, with views of the falls plunging off the cliff in one big drop to the valley below, and a wide view over the valley.

There is a decent bit of mist and the rocky overhang drips constantly, so you will get wet (although not soaked or anything). I loved this waterfall; it was one of my top favorites in Slovenia.

• Nearest Town: Kranjska Gora
• Hiking Distance: 0.6 miles (1 km)

9. Sum Waterfall

Sum Waterfall is at the end of the Vintgar Gorge hike (a gorgeous place you must visit when visiting Lake Bled). The gorge seriously feels like something out of a mythical world, with a turquoise river cutting through the tall, narrow canyon, and the wooden boardwalk hugging the side of the rocky cliff, just above the water.

The gorge hike ends at a little resting area with a cafe and bathrooms. There’s a large bridge here that spans the river right above the Sum Waterfall – but you can’t really see the falls from here. Instead, take the staircase down on the side of the cafe, and you’ll soon come to another small bridge that has a pretty decent view of the falls.

However, if you cross the bridge and walk back upstream on the opposite riverbank, you’ll come to another wooden platform with the best straight-on shot of the falls.

• Nearest Town: Lake Bled
• Hiking Distance: 4 miles (6.4 km)
• Entrance Fee: 10 euro/adult (Buy your timed entry tickets online in advance)

10. Slap Savica

The trail to Slap Savica is one of the easiest hikes on this list. The path is very well-groomed, with the vast majority of the trail being paved and/or having easy steps up the path.

At the top, there’s a viewing area of the waterfall, where the Savica waterfall almost slides down the rock wall. After pooling up as deep turquoise water, it flows over a manmade waterfall and continues to the valley and Lake Bohinj below.

From the viewing platform, you can look the other way out of the canyon, where you can catch a small glimpse of Lake Bohinj. It’s just all around a beautiful area.

This waterfall is also interesting due to the long journey the water will take. The water in the Savica River flows into nearby Lake Bohinj, then flows out of the lake as the Sava River, then joins up with the Danube River to finally end in the Black Sea.

• Nearest Town: Bohinj
• Hiking Distance: 1 mile (0.6 km)
• Entrance Fee: From 8:15am-7pm there is a 4 euro entrance fee. If you visit outside of these hours, entrance is free.

11. Slap Rinka

Slap Rinka is located in the stunning Logar Valley, a beautiful area in north-central Slovenia. There is one main road that goes straight through the narrow valley, and the trailhead for Slap Rinka is at the very end of this road, at the base of the mountains for which it is named.

After a moderately steep 15-minute walk you’ll arrive at the tall falls, which has a relatively small flow dropping freely over the side of a cliff. You can walk all around the base of the falls, hop across the stones in the stream, and enjoy many different and close-up angles of the waterfall.

What makes the Rinka waterfall particularly noteworthy for Slovenia is all the red soil on the cliff behind the falls.

Just to the right of the waterfall is a little hut up a set of stairs. The hut sells drinks and also offers great views over the waterfall and the valley below.

You can walk or bike up the main road in the Logar Valley to the trailhead for Slap Rinka, but don’t be deceived! While the first part of the valley is very flat, once you hit the trees, the road becomes quite a bit steeper for several kilometers.

• Nearest Town:
• Hiking Distance: 0.8 miles (1.2 km)
• Entrance Fee: 7 euro for cars to enter the valley

12. Skocjan Cave Waterfall

 The Skocjan Cave is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is one of two well-known caves in western Slovenia (the other being Postojna Cave). While Postojna is the more popular and famous cave, we actually thought that Skocjan ended up being a more exciting experience.

Admittedly, the first part of the Skocjan cave tour was kind of boring – not as many stalactites or stalagmites as Postojna, but then you come to a massive, enormous cavern that was 150 meters (450 feet) tall.

In the cavern, you walk on a little winding boardwalk attached to the side of the cliffs, and a roaring river with multiple small cascades rushing through the bottom. It honestly felt like the Mines of Moria from The Fellowship of the Ring – there was even a tall bridge crossing the deep gorge that looked like the Bridge of Khazad-Dum (again, a scene from Lord of the Rings).

Technically, you aren’t supposed to take pictures anywhere in the cave buuuuuut we couldn’t resist sneaking one quick pic of the awe-inspiring cave.

After you finish the guided tour of the caves, you can walk back to the entrance via one of three routes. If you take the middle or longer route, you’ll walk through a small rock tunnel to see a waterfall plummeting between what is essentially a crack in the rocks.

This waterfall is only called “slap” on all the signs, but the combination of the waterfall outside the cave + small cascades inside made it definitely worthy of being on this list.

• Nearest Town: Between Ljubljana and Piran
• Hiking Distance: 4 km through the cave + another 0.3, 0.6 or 2 km outside of the cave
• Entrance Fee: 24 euro for adults, or visit as a day trip from Ljubljana

Map of Slovenia’s Gorgeous Waterfalls

The Wrap Up

Slovenia proved to us over and over again that it’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to jaw-dropping waterfalls. From the iconic beauty of the mighty Boka Falls to the oft-overlooked gem of Savica Falls to the turquoise beauty of Kozjak, Slovenia’s waterfalls had a knack for leaving us speechless.

Many of these can be visited as a day trip from Ljubljana, or you can stop by as you do a road trip around Slovenia!

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