How to Go White Water Rafting on the Soča in Bovec

Trying to figure out the best white water rafting tour to do on the Soča River? I’ve got a great recommendation – read on for details!

Welcome to an exhilarating adventure on the crystal-clear waters of the Soča River in Slovenia! Nestled amidst the breathtaking Julian Alps, this untamed waterway promises an unforgettable white-water rafting experience through the heart of Slovenia’s gorgeous landscapes. Prepare to be absolutely enchanted by the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the adrenaline-pumping rapids that await you on the Soča.

In this blog post, we’re sharing our experience going white-water rafting on the Soča River just outside of the town of Bovec, the absolute best excursion you need to book, and the incredible views and thrills you’ll enjoy along the way.

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General Info About This White Water Rafting Tour

➡️This excursion starts just outside the town of Bovec, which is just barely outside of Triglav National Park in northwest Slovenia. Bovec is the main hub for river adventure activities in Slovenia.

➡️Tours run every day of the week from spring-fall, with tour times at 10am and 14:30 (2:30pm)

➡️ This is a top-rated activity, with an average rating of 4.94 of 5 stars, and over 125 5-star reviews. You can browse all reviews here!

➡️You’ll spend about 1.5 hours on the river, with the total excursion time lasting about 2.5-3 hours.

➡️The rapids in this section of the river are class 2/3 rapids. If you’re unfamiliar with the rapid classification system, the lowest rapids are class 1 – these are barely ripples on the surface. The highest class is class 6 – these are massive, incredibly dangerous rapids, only for professionals. Most white water rafting excursions available to the general public are class 2/3, or class 3/4.

➡️Quick Pronunciation Tip: The town of Bovec is pronounced bo-vets, and Soča is pronounced So-cha. (The little carrot symbol over the c makes an English “ch” sound)

👉👉Get ALL the details about this white water rafting tour here

What to Wear

The only thing you need to wear for this excursion is your swimsuit – everything else (including footwear) is provided. You will want to bring a dry change of clothes with you, as well.

Because the Soča is a glacier river, the water is extremely cold all year long. So the tour company outfits you with a neoprene bib-style wetsuit, neoprene boots, and, if you’d like it, a neoprene jacket that fits loosely over the overalls.

The jacket is optional, but it’s very helpful if you are someone who gets cold easily – even if a hot day, the water is extremely chilly. And of course, you’ll also get a helmet and life jacket to wear as well.

Everything else you will leave in the company vans or in your own personal vehicles.

Getting to the Tour Office

You’ll want to get to Nature’s Way tour office about 15-20 minutes early, to give yourself time to check-in, sign the waiver, and use the bathroom and change into your swimsuit, if necessary. You can either drive yourself to the office, (and leave your car there for free) or you can get picked up by the company.

Since we had rented a car and were driving ourselves around Slovenia, we just drove to the office ourselves. If you do the same, you should note that the address they have written on their page is incorrect, but if you click on the map link, it will show you the correct location.

Getting Started

At the tour start time, you’ll get some general info about rafting and the plan for the excursion. You’ll load up into vans, drive a few minutes away to the outfitting center, where you’ll get all your gear, and then drive another 15 minutes to the launch site.

Here, you’ll suit up in all your gear and launch onto the river! Each raft has 8 people in it, plus a professional guide who steers and directs the boat.

🌊Ready to Book? Click here to make your reservation

On the River

Once you’re on the river, the fun begins! This was my 4th time white water rafting, and Matthew’s first time, and we both just loved the experience.

To start, the scenery and the river itself were just absolutely stunning. The water was super clear and clean, and you could regularly see all the way to the bottom of the river. The river was just this gorgeous turquoise color, at times a light turquoise and at times a deep green (depending on the water depth). There was greenery on the banks and hills and mountains in the background – the scenery was just so incredibly idyllic.

Our guide was so laidback and playful, while also being a professional at navigating and keeping you safe – he really made the experience so fun.

There is a section of the river that you can jump out and float next to the raft – the water is fairly shallow and calm here. The water is super cold when you jump in, but don’t worry – the neoprene works quickly and in just a minute you’ll be feeling nice and comfortable.

The Rapids

The rapids sections are exciting and bumpy, and not crazy big or scary. Like any white water rafting course, the guide will instruct you when and how to paddle, sometimes turning the raft so you’re going sideways or even backward over some bumps.

Your exact experience will depend on the water level when you go. When we went in June, the water level was fairly high, so the bumps weren’t as dramatic as when the water is a little lower and more rocks are closer to the surface, as you’ll find in July and August.

Extra Activities

One particularly fun thing about this tour is that about 1/3 of the way through the course, you stop at a large rock where they flip the raft upside down and prop it up against the rock. Anyone who wants to can take a turn sliding down the raft into the water, or even using it like a trampoline and bouncing off of it into the water. Of course, if you’re not comfortable with that, there’s absolutely no pressure to participate and you can just watch the others.

I wish I had pictures of this activity, but there is one in the tour listing if you want a visual of what it’s like!

Later on, for those feeling extra adventurous, there’s a 10 m tall rock that you can jump off into a deep river pool (or just watch those who are crazy enough to do it!). While most people in our group of two rafts did the slide activity, only 4 people jumped off the cliff, so it’s definitely one that’s tailored more to adrenaline junkies. (Matthew was one of those four!)

Pictures

One of the big things I liked about this white-water rafting company in particular is that they take several pictures from two locations along the river, and give you access to those pictures for free. We got around 10 pictures total of our group that were available to download the next day (all of the pictures from this post with the raft are from the company).

Since it’s basically impossible to take pictures while you are rafting, and most companies either don’t take pictures at all or make you pay extra for them, this was a big perk!

Is White Water Rafting on the Soča River Worth It?

100% yes, absolutely! We loved this white water rafting activity near Bovec and were incredibly impressed with this company. As I mentioned above, this was my 4th time going WW rafting, and in many ways, this was my favorite course yet.

The water in the Soča River is clear and pristine, and the most gorgeous shade of deep blue. With the mountain peaks in the background, this was one of the most scenic river experiences I have ever done.

Plus, the guides were just so enjoyable to hang out with, and the extra water activities we did along the way were so unique and exciting.

We spent 2 full weeks in Slovenia and did tons of beautiful hikes and fun activities, but white-water rafting on the Soča was in our top 3 favorite experiences of the entire trip. Truly, I can’t recommend this excursion enough!

👉Check rates and availability for White Water Rafting here

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