Velika Planina - Slovenia

Velika Planina, in a Nutshell

This could have been Heidi's village

Ever wish you were Heidi? Well, it turns out, you can find the backdrop you need for your make-believe at Velika Planina in Slovenia.

You can hike (a few hours) or take a cable car up to a high-altitude plain where you will find a village nestled on the lee-side of an ever-present windy peak.  A hearty people live here - a tribe of herdsmen.  They build unique huts, in an ancient way, and allow tourists to explore their space/land.

This is not an adrenaline jolt, but it is quaint and unique and undeniably historical.  Come for the views, stay for the peace and quiet.

Getting Here

The cable car runs fast and saves a lot of time and effort... we'd recommend it

You can hike up to this peak from the valley, but it is pretty high at 1600m - a good slog on a service road.  

Alternatively, you can take a cable car up from Kamniška Bistrica.  We did the latter - the kids wanted to 'save their legs' for Triglav... which turned out to be a wise decision, because Triglav was tough! 

They cram 25ppl on the cable car in peak periods - it's a tight squeeze

Once atop the mountain, you are treated to a watershed hike complete with cows out to pasture (the chair lift was being replaced at the time of this writing.

The space is 100% litter-free and in active use in the summer time.  Cows are all over the place, true to purpose.

Visitors are allowed to walk around both on road and off

The Village

There is a resto up on the village plain... and a gift shop... and a remarkably clean toilet... but... the real gems are the eye candy, picking wild berries, sampling home cooking, and swings!

This family serves food to visitors from their home kitchen - no pomp, marketing or ceremony

An 11yr old met us at the family gate, invited us in, took our orders and then brought us inside to eat when it started raining.

Buckwheat with fried beef fat and local sausage with kraut

Me, making the most of the food we were served!

The flavours were.. well.. 'unique'.  I will make no claim that this was gourmet or even enjoyable... I'd lean more towards an acquired taste...  but it was authentic home cooking!  

Parker downed the sausage and some of the kraut.  Cheryl and paid homage to the nice grandma's cooking and downed the buckwheat.  It was something.

Wild berries are always better!

Anyway, we found a berry patch to pick wild berries from - blue and straw, to be precise.

Cheryl swinging above the village from a 15' tall ski lift support

We then stumbled onto a surprisingly fun set of swings built from the remnants of a former poma or t-bar ski lift.

Parker exploring

We explored the paths and village huts, which are all 1-room buildings built in the signature style of rounded roofline.   

Parker and me getting to know the cattle

mmmmmoooooooo...

All-told, this outing occupied a half-day.  The cable car runs every 15min or so.  This isn't the kind of place you rush through - in fact the purpose of a visit here should be to slow down and explore.

Summing it All Up 

Go to Velika Planina with a day to burn.  Plan to walk around, bring a thin jacket for summer because it is perma-windy and weather shifts rapidly.  Meet some locals, pick some berries and watch as the clock rolls back to a simpler moment in time.