Green experiences

FOREST THERAPY

Welcome to the Triglav National Park, one of the oldest protected natural parks in the world. We invite you to make the most of your time in this beautiful part of unspoiled nature. Forest therapy – or forest bathing, as it is know in Japan – is a series of various exercises that help you connect with nature on a deeper level. Research has shown that quality time in the outdoors reduces stress, improves sleep and lifts the spirits. At Residence Soča, we have prepared some advice for you on how to let nature become your best therapist.

1︱Opening your senses
Find a quiet spot and take a comfortable position standing with your legs aligned with your shoulders or sitting on the ground. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and feel the earth beneath you. Keep breathing until you start feeling more and more grounded. Become aware of your surroundings by focusing on one sense at a time. Focus on your hearing and try discerning the various sounds around you and those farther away, listen to the silence between those sounds, and then surrender to the whole auditory landscape. Get accustomed to the touch and pay attention to the texture and the quality of the air on your exposed skin. Spread your fingers and toes and feel the air between them. Feel the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the shade. Focus on the smell and try to perceive all the different scents around you. Then taste the air. Sense the gravity and feel how it’s pulling you to the ground. Sway gently. Put your hands on your heart and feel your heartbeat. Go back to any feeling that you like. Are the birds singing? Are the trees rustling? Can you feel the warmth of the sun? When you’re ready, slowly open your eyes and observe your surroundings. Breathe in deeply all the beauty that’s around you.

2︱Walking and being grateful

Take a footpath or simply head outside and walk some 20 minutes with a pace that feels pleasant to you. No matter how fast you’re walking, try focusing on the nature around you and your breathing. Try also changing the pace. Pay attention to how you are feeling while you’re walking fast, and how you are feeling when you’re walking slowly. Walking slowly stimulates self-awareness, calmness and helps us connect with nature. Fast walking, on the other hand, relieves us of stress and fills our body with fresh energy. Whether you’re walking fast or slowly, do not forget to stop along the way to observe all the small and big wonders of nature that the Triglav National Park has to offer.

Let a sensation of gratitude evolve as part of your stroll. If you’re focusing on things that evoke appreciation, you will be able to turn your mind away from negative thoughts. Give thanks to nature for having created such beautiful views, to the ants that clean the forest with such diligence, and to the bees that pollinate all those delightful mountain flowers. We can be grateful for every step and every breath that we take. Notice the pleasant change that gratefulness will create in your state of mind.

3︱Connect to a tree

Find a tree that draws your attention, and get to know it. Spend at least 10 minutes with your tree. Here are some ways to connect to trees:

Explore the tree: observe the tree for five minutes. What is the tree trying to tell you about itself? Trees belong to different species, each has its own history, its family, its stories and unique characteristics. Why did you choose that particular tree? Lean on the tree, touch it, feel its leaves, its bark, its blossoms and its fruits. What kind of knowledge does the tree want to share with you?

Climb onto the tree: Take your shoes off and carefully climb the tree to find a spot where you can safely sit or even lie down to enjoy the view.

Tell your tree a story: share your secrets with it, your dreams or a prayer. Trees don’t judge anyone and they offer a safe space for expressing emotions.

Meditate with the tree: sit or lie down next to the tree, and become conscious of the connection between yourself and the tree through your breathing. Breathe in the energy that the canopy is emanating, and breathe it out all the way to the roots of the tree. Then breathe in the energy coming from the roots and breathe it out all the way to the canopy. Breathe along with the tree.

Use the tree as a support for extending your back, your arms, your legs and your torso.

4︱Groundedness

Find a quiet spot in the nature, take off your shoes and feel the earth beneath your feet. Relax your breathing. Straighten your back. Feel your feet, then your ankles and your legs. Stand there for a few minutes until you feel stable. Then gradually direct your attention upwards, from your feet to the top of your head. Observe your body: is there any sign of tension, stress or rigidity anywhere in your body? Pay special attention to those parts of your body, send them love and warmth. Take a deep breath, expand your belly and your chest. Keep your breath. Slowly breathe out counting at least to five. Then repeat the process. Picture how the fresh mountain air is soothing and healing your body with each breath you take, and how your tiredness is dissolving into the ground each time you exhale. Deep breaths bring fresh oxygen and phytoncides (natural antibiotics) into our lungs, tissues and organs. They also ground our body and help to soothe inflammations, pain and stress.

5︱Let nature become your therapist

Nature is a wonderful therapist. Let your senses be drawn by different elements of nature, such as rivers, waterfalls, trees, rocks, mountains or the light. Find a spot that seems particularly beautiful. Triglav National Park that won’t be hard. Sit down comfortably, relax your breathing and ask, quietly or aloud, a question for which you have been looking for an answer or support. Listen with all your senses and a neutral mind. The answer may come to you in the form of an impression, a physical sensation, a new perspective or idea. Perhaps a clear answer won’t come to you in that particular moment. But do not despair: realizations often reveal themselves later, even while we’re doing something completely unrelated. The aim is to relax your mind and let it be open to acceptance.

6︱Natural art

Create a temporary art work with the elements that you find in nature. We have come up with some ideas for your natural art: a gratitude mandala, a shelter for animals, a flower arrangement, a labyrinth, a magic fairytale house. If you’re in a group, each member should make something of their own, and at the end you can all walk through the “gallery” to share your creations.

7︱Healing water

Find a comfortable spot to sit by the water, and meditate or simply enjoy the experience with all your senses. Listening to the sounds of water and observing it is soothing for the brain and for the nervous system. What is more, the gentle drizzle by the waterfalls and river pools releases negative water ions into the atmosphere, which contribute to our well-being. Flowing waters such as rivers and streams teach us to take on the “go with the flow” mindset in life. They stimulate us to let ourselves go to the flow of life, to become and stay open to changes, which in turn stimulate new creative energies. Still, standing waters such as mountain lakes, on the other hand, stimulate self-reflexion and turning towards inner peace. If you can, feel the water with your hands and feet. Walk barefoot on the pebbles and enjoy a refreshing natural foot massage.

Try this therapy with cold mountain water: dip your legs and arms (and then, if you’re brave enough, your whole body) into cold water. Dip a hand or a foot into the water for a few seconds first, then try resisting for one whole minute. The temperature stimuli shooting through the skin provoke positive reactions in the body; the temporary constriction of the blood vessels and the subsequent vasodilatation will stimulate the blood flow. This in turn strengthens the immune system, stimulates circulation, the nervous system and metabolism, thus re-energizing the whole body.

8︱Create a natural sculpture – a cairn – with river pebbles

Find a lovely spot by the river and sit there for a few minutes and relax.

Close your eyes and listen to the sounds the water is making as its dancing its way along the riverbed. After a while, open your eyes and find a suitable place for your sculpture. Then pick up some suitable pebbles and pile them one on top of the other so as to make a stack or small tower. If you don’t want your stack to fall apart, you will have to stay calm and get just the right pebbles and place them in just the right place to find the balance point. Clear out your mind and turn your building into meditation. Let your hands place each pebble exactly where it fits. You may utter a quiet prayer each time you place a new pebble. They say it helps.

9︱Meditating by the waterfall

The Soča Valley has many marvelous waterfalls. Visit them, admire them and take a moment by some waterfall to relax as well. You may start your meditation by closing your eyes and activating all the other senses. What kind of sound is the water making? Is it a boisterous sound of water endlessly crashing against the rocks? What do you feel on your skin? Is it perhaps the soft sensation of misty drizzle caressing it? What kind of smell does the waterfall have? Is it sweet? Can you smell anything else? Let yourself submerge completely into those subtle sensations. Then, when you feel it’s the right moment, open your eyes and absorb the majestic force of the waterfall. Let your eyes follow each drop right from the top until it merges with all the other drops in the pool below.

10︱ Time to dream

Find a comfortable spot on the ground, lie down, take off your shoes and enjoy the life around you. Stare at the sky, allow yourself to daydream, meditate, watch the insects, breathe, doze off or just enjoy the nature surrounding you. Extend your arms and your legs as if trying to form the shape of a starfish with your body. Imagine roots growing out of your body and sinking deep into the ground. This kind of groundedness will calm and invigorate your body, your mind and your soul.

CHILDREN IN NATURE

The fresh mountain air and spending time in the outdoors are irreplaceable companions to the healthy development of our children. They bring numerous superpowers: improving the quality of sleep, strengthening the immune system (NB: dirt is good for them), reducing the levels of stress and even improving eyesight. Here are some suggestions on how to bring nature closer to your children and help them fall in love with it for the rest of their lives.

Important! Since we are in a protected natural park, it is paramount that we leave nothing lying about, that we don’t take anything away, that we do not pick up flowers or mushrooms, and that we do not disturb the animals. All the games are designed in the utmost respect of nature and all its inhabitants.

1︱Find a heart-shaped stone

Then find another stone and use it to write the name of a person that you love on the heart-shaped stone. After that find a very special spot where you will leave that heart, and use natural materials to make a beautiful bed where to place the heart-shaped stone. This way the heart of the person you love will always be in a safe and beautiful place.

3︱Befriend a tree

When you’re in a forest, find a tree that draws your attention. Hug it and feel it. How does the tree trunk smell? Find the leaves that belong to your tree. Crush a leaf in your hands and smell it. How does it smell? Try to sense whether the tree is a boy or a girl. You can try asking it: sometimes they tell us. Try figuring out what species the tree is. Determine at least whether it is a deciduous or conifer tree. Take a piece of paper and draw the tree, including its leaves. Write down what you think the tree might tell you if it could talk. You can do this with more than one tree. Once at home, you can check exactly what species your tree was, and then you can create your own scrapbook about trees, or even a poster to hang on your wall. This way you will be sure to remember the species of those trees the next time you are in the woods.

3︱Find the magic stick

You will need a strong stick when you go walking in the nature. Let’s call it a magic stick. You may have to try a few sticks before you find the right one for you. You will be able to know which one is right for you by its colours, by how well it fits in your hands, and by how long it is. Some sticks are long enough to be used for walking, while some are very short and can be used for other purposes. Find the one that suits you best – that will be your magic stick. When you are about to finish your stroll, leave the stick in the woods, so that in the future it may help somebody else who might go there for a walk just like you did.

4︱Build a tower with river pebbles

Try to find as many flat pebbles as you can. The find the perfect spot to build your tower. The space where you will be building has to be quite flat. Take a good look at the area. Would a small pixie or a gnome have a nice view if they were to climb onto your tower? Start with the biggest, flattest and most stable pebble, and place it at the bottom of your tower, then add the other pebbles one by one. Try making your tower as high as possible. The tower may fall apart a few times before you find just the right combination of pebbles that will stand strong one on top of the other. Do not give up though, this is very important. Best of luck to you, young builders.

5︱Residence Soča treasure hunt

Find all the items on the treasure hunt list and take pictures of them. Once you’ve found them all, go to the reception and show your photographs to the receptionist, and then – ask them to give you your prize. Good luck, young explorers! Take a picture of the below list or go to the reception and we will print it out for you.

1. __ Find a seed or a conifer cone.
2. __ Find a tree that looks magical to you.
3. __ Find a tree that’s growing from a rock.
4. __ Find a heart-shaped stone.
5. __ Find an orange stone.
6. __ Find three flowers of different colours.
7. __ Find the highest or thickest tree.
8. __ Find a bee, a bumblebee or a butterfly.
9. __ Find an anthill.
10. __ Look for animal tracks (if you can’t find them, you can use your fingers or a stick to draw them in the sand or soil).
11. __ Find something that has a strong scent.
12. __ Find a place where a fairy of gnome would live.
13. __ Write your name with the things you can find around you, such as sticks, stones, leaves, etc.

6︱Residence Soča treasure hunt for rainy days

The rules are the same – only the challenge is slightly different. The items you have to find are in your apartment. Good luck, young explorers!

1. __ Find something that smells nice.
2. __ Find something that you like wearing.
3. __ Find something in your favourite colour.
4. __ Find something cute.
5. __ Find something that makes a sound that you like.
6. __ Find something that makes you laugh.
7. __ Find something that you are grateful for.
8. __ Find something that makes you feel good.
9. __ Find something that you like looking at.
10. __ Find something that tastes good.
11. __ Find something that you use a lot.
12. __ Find something that warms you.
13. __ Find something that you like sharing with others.
14. __ Find something that you like holding in your hand.
15. __ Find something that you have made by yourself.

Once you’ve finished the challenge, come to the reception and show us your photographs, then ask our staff to give you your prize!

Special experiences in the area

Experience unforgettable moments through countless fairy-tale paths 

Returning to nature means returning to simpler times. Tap into your inner child and run along the numerous paths leading directly from our Residence Soča. Breathe in the fresh mountain air and feel the dancing beat that your steps will suddenly slip into. Listen to the accompaniment of the birdsong as you’re exploring the many fairy-tale spots of the Trenta Valley.

The forgotten hamlet of Lemovje

Put down your luggage and take a walk into the past. A mysterious ancient forest will lead you along a narrow path to the abandoned hamlet of Lemovje, which lies on the slope of Bavški Grintavec. Close your eyes and you may just hear the pleasant heartbeat of the village that used to lie in this isolated place. Then open your eyes and let yourself be seduced by the abandoned farms that still reflect the typical local architecture. The deserted grazing areas surrounded by stonewalls and the remains of the ledges where 50 years ago potatoes were still being grown will reveal to you what life here used to be like. If the beautiful views over the Vrsnik Valley fill you with new energy, do continue to Planina nad Sočo (1,400 m) or to Bavški Grintavec (2,347 m).

Soča–Lemovje = approx. 45 min walk
Soča–Planina nad Sočo = approx. 2 h 30 min walk
Soča–Bavški Grintavec = approx. 5 h 30 min walk

Recharge your batteries in the magical Šunik Water Grove

From your apartment take the trail to the Lepena Valley. The trail will take you past the famous Soča basins all the way to the confluence of the Soča river and the Lepenjica stream. Continue along the latter and soon enough you will reach a charming forest path that will lead you to a very special place, the Šunik Water Grove. Walking across the small wooden bridges rising over the emerald pools, you will feel as though you’ve entered a fairyland. Caress the moss-clad stones and let those healing water drops sprinkle your face. The grove is a strong energy juncture that will undoubtedly help you regain your strength.

Soča – Šunik Water Grove = approx. 2 hour walk (one way)

Clear your mind diving into this cool mountain beauty

Nature is the best healer. When you return from your hiking trip or some other activity, there will be a special therapist waiting for you just a few steps from you apartment: the fiercely cold Soča river. Diving into its cold water has many a healing effects. Among other beneficial effects, it improves the blood flow, thus reducing the likelihood of muscle inflammation after particularly demanding physical exertion. The cool water also clears the mind, it soothes the spirit and it can even stimulate one’s libido. Our friendly staff will be sure to advise you on where the best spots can be found to dive into what one of the most renowned Slovenian poets, Simon Gregorčič, called the limpid daughter of the mountains. If you decide to answer her wild call, we suggest you read our blog entry on how to tackle this challenge safely, especially in the summertime, when temperature differences are quite significant.

Witness the sunset (or sunrise) on a 2,000-metre peak

They say a good day start with a good morning. Imagine what day lies ahead if you start it by admiring the sunrise from a 2,000 m high mountain. If you’re an early riser, then make the most of those early morning hours to get to Zadnjiški Ozebnik (2,084 m), where you will be able to wait for the dawn in the complete silence and utter peace of the untamable alpine nature.

And if getting up in the middle of the night is not your thing, you can always take an early ride along the highest Slovenian alpine road all the way to the Mangart Saddle (Mangartsko sedlo), where you can relax and enjoy the caresses of the first morning rays of sunlight.

And if that is too early, too, you can simply swap the sunrise for a charming sunset.

Our tip: Ask our staff for a picnic basket and blanket, and prepare yourselves an unforgettable breakfast surrounded by Julian peaks. This will give you the necessary energy to get to the top of Mangart (2,679 m).

Trenta (Zadnjica valley) –Zadnjiški Ozebnik = 4 h 15 min walk
Soča–Mangart saddle = 50 min drive
Mangartsko sedlo–Mangart saddle = 2 h walk

Conquer the legendary king among the alpine mountain bike routes

The climb to the Vršič pass is among the most demanding alpine bike routes in Slovenia. However, that is exactly why the feeling of victory once you’ve reached the top is that much sweeter. It is said that with each turn you overcome you get rid of at least one worry. And if any should still linger by the time you’ve reached the top, the wind will surely blow them away on your way down. The best bikers reach the top in under one hour, while champion Primož Roglič even makes it in half an hour. How long will this majestic climb take you? If you’re worried about the steepness, you can rent an e-bike at Residence Soča, which will make the challenge less demanding even for those who are in less stellar physical shape. Join the biking legends on Vršič.

The potatoes and cottage cheese from the fire pit of the Residence Soča outdoor kitchen

At dinnertime we invite you to hang out by the fire pit in the Residence Soča yard. Our friendly staff will get you everything you need to prepare an traditional local specialty, “čompe” – potatoes – with locally produced cottage cheese. What better way to end an exciting day of exploring the wild nature than to relax in good company with some authentic traditional food and a glass of excellent wine?

The flavours of the Soča region (Video recepti za priprave tradicionalnih jedi iz Posočja – v pripravi)

Starting points for the best mountain hikes

LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS IN SLOVENIA

MOUNTAIN HUTS, REFUGES AND CHALETS