mammals, including wolves and European brown bears, and although no bears live in the Karavanke they have been known to pass through in isolated circumstances.
Alpine choughs, ring ouzels and ravens can all be seen in the high mountains; choughs in particular are more than happy to eat your sandwiches on the summits! In the forests listen out for the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), a large game bird whose call when disturbed is reminiscent of the gobbling sound a turkey makes – you are more likely to hear them than to see them. The Slovenes call them mountain roosters. A common amphibian which can often be seen in the beech forests, especially on damp days, is the strange black and yellow fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra). The rarer black Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) can sometimes be seen even on the ridges in rainy weather; interestingly, they do not spawn into water but give birth to two live young.
Black alpine salamander
The walks
The walks are arranged in order from west to east. All of them are approached from the southern, Slovene side except for Walk 12, which describes Stol from the north (from the village of Feistritz in Austria), and Walk 20, which gives an ascent of Hochobir from the Austrian village of Wildenstein, south-east of Klagenfurt.
Based in the Upper Sava valley, our journey starts with Peč (Walk 1), a symbolic mountain in many ways – not only is it the first of the Karavanke range, it is also the peak on which the three countries of Slovenia, Austria and Italy, and the three great cultural traditions and languages of Europe, Germanic, Romantic and Slavic, all meet. Walk 2 explores two little-known summits, Trupejevo poldne and Vošca, and the unbroken ridge between them, while Walks 3 and 4 visit the peaks of Kepa and Dovška Baba high above the pretty villages of Mojstrana and Dovje.
If you are able to visit this area in late May, you will be treated to an amazing sight – the slopes covered with white narcissi in unbelievable profusion. Golica (Walk 6) is the best known, and has a festival to celebrate the flowers, but they are just as good on Dovška Baba and indeed all along this section of the ridge (Walks 4–8), including Hruški vrh and Klek.
Narcissi in full bloom on the Karavanke with Triglav and the Julian Alps in the background (Walk 4)
Walks 9–12 are on and around the highest Karavanke peak, Stol (2236m); Walk 9, Ajdna, visits the archaeological site of the highest ancient village in Slovenia, while Walks 10–12 climb the mountain and its close neighbour, Vajnež, providing stunning 360-degree views.
The valley base now moves to Tržič, a small town below the road pass of Ljubelj which crosses into Austria. Walk 13, Dobrča, is a mostly forested hill, an outlier of the main range, but it boasts a viewpoint which gives terrific views into the next section of the Karavanke above and around the Ljubelj Pass. This area is covered by Walks 14–19, with grassy planinas (high-alp or open areas with pasture and, on most of them, herders’ buildings) and shepherds’ huts giving way to the dramatic ridges falling steeply away to the north.
After Košuta (Walk 19) the main ridge of the Karavanke begins to break up, and the final walks stand alone in great massifs, typically with an east–west orientation. Walk 20 is something of an anomaly – Hochobir is the only major peak of the Karavanke to lie entirely in Austria. It is perhaps a little bit harder to get to, but you will be amply rewarded by the beautiful waterfall on the lower part of the walk and the different perspective from the summit. Walks 21 and 22, Olševa and Peca, visit less well-known mountain areas of Slovenia and are worth savouring over two or three days. Olševa is near the stunning Logarska dolina mountain valley, one of the true highlights of Slovenia, and could be visited during a trip to that area. Peca is somewhat off the main tourist routes but this beautiful mountain and the protected Topla Valley are worth the effort of getting there. Walk 23, Uršlja gora, with its pretty summit church, is the last peak of the Karavanke – or is it the first?
When to go
The main walking season is from mid-June to the end of September, when most of the walks are snow-free and the weather is generally stable. The high mountain huts are usually open from July to September, but the lower ones may be open for longer or even all year round – see www.pzs.si. The Karavanke, being south-facing and with a highest summit of only 2236m, can be walked outside this main season, but earlier than the beginning of May or later than the end of October the weather becomes unsettled and snow is likely, while many tourist facilities will already be closed. Winter is not appropriate for mountain walking in Slovenia, although you will be welcome for the skiing, snowshoeing and ski-touring!
Slovenia is criss-crossed by beautiful woodland trails (Walk 14)
Getting there
Most travel information is out of date almost as soon as it gets into print, particularly in these days of online bookings, so only a rough guide is given here – shop around and check for up-to-date information through tourist agencies or on the internet before you go.
Red tape
Citizens of most European countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US do not require a visa to visit Slovenia for up to 90 days. Slovenia has had open borders with the 25 countries of the Schengen Agreement since 2007.
By air
Several airlines, including the budget carriers Easyjet and Wizz Air, fly into Jože Pučnik International Airport at Brnik, 23km north of the capital Ljubljana. Adrija Airways is the national carrier (www.adria-airways.com), with flights to Brnik from most major European cities, and especially the European hubs of Frankfurt and Munich. The budget airline Easyjet (www.easyjet.com) flies to Ljubljana from London Stansted, while Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) flies from London Luton to Ljubljana. Flights from the US require a change somewhere in Europe. Another possibility for air connections, especially for the two walks that start in Austria, is Klagenfurt in Austria, served by the budget airline Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) and also by Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com).
By train
International railway stations with links to northern and southern Europe include Ljubljana and Jesenice – the latter is particularly convenient for most of the Karavanke walks. Trains run to Villach in Austria from Ljubljana via Jesenice; there you can change for Klagenfurt. The website www.slo-zeleznice.si gives train timetables within Slovenia, and www.oebb.at is the Austrian rail site.
Travelling within Slovenia
By car
Slovenia has a good road transport network, with motorways linking all the major centres. Some of the walks are difficult to access by public transport and a car makes life a lot easier in the rural areas described here; cars can be hired at the airports and in reasonably sized towns.
Public transport
Slovenia has a modern and efficient system of public transport by train and bus, which serves most, but not all, of the rural villages adequately or even well. For bus timetables
