Slap Rinka and the Logar valley - Details
Description
The Logar valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in Slovenia, separated from the rest of the country by the Kamnik Alps and therefor remote and more quiet. There are several natural sights in this wonderful scenery of which Slap Rinka at the end of the valley is the most famous.
This walk takes you to the waterfall, then to the top of the waterfall and continues to the mountainous area of the Okrešelj basin behind it.
As a short alternative walk, from the parking to the waterfall and further to the top of the waterfall it will take about one hour (180 altitude meters).
How to get there
The route is described from the northwest, so from Triglav National Park and surroundings. Coming from the south or east you may want to use different directions. From the northwest you will drive through Austria for about 12,5 kilometers and cross two mountain passes at both borders.
From Bohinj drive to Bled, continue on the highway towards Ljubljana and take the first Kranj exit (number 8, Kranj zahod).
From Bovec drive to Tarvisio (Italy) and then to Kranjska Gora (or drive to Kranjska Gora directly via the Vršič pass, it takes a little more time). Then follow directions to Ljubljana, get on the highway at Jesenice, continue towards Ljubljana and take the first Kranj exit (number 8, Kranj zahod).
At the exit at Kranj zahod cross the highway to the left and continue to Golnik and Kokrica. You will either need a map or use the GPS track that can be downloaded below.
Here is the list of villages: After Kokrica follow directions to Britof, then Visoko, then Preddvor and after that Jezersko.
After passing Preddvor the directions are quite obvious. Between Preddvor and Jezersko you will mostly drive through nature, through a beautiful gorge along the river Kokra.
After Jezersko you drive through an area with meadows and then the road climbs to the Austrian border.
In Austria when getting close to Bad Vellach, turn right to Pavličevo sedlo where the climb to the Slovenian border begins. After the border the road continues to Solčava.
Some 4,5 kilometers before reaching Solčava turn right to the Logar valley. There you have to buy a ticket to drive in the Logar valley (7 Euro in 2018).
To do the walk at Slap Rinka, drive the whole road through the Logar valley, following directions to Slap Rinka. After 7,2 kilometers the road ends at a large parking.
During the walk
At the parking follow the signs to Slap Rinka. After walking for 10 minutes on a wide path and rising 90 meters you arrive at Slap Rinka. There is a viewpoint building to the right, to the left you cross the riverbed of the Savinja via a wooden bridge where the path continues to the top of the waterfall.
After 12 minutes you arrive at the point where the Rinka falls over the edge. You can see the viewpoint building from there and you have a wide view into the last part of the Logar valley. The path continues along the riverbed of the Savinja till a point where the water emerges between the rocks as the source of the Savinja, called Izvir Savinje as written on a boulder. The path continues to the mountain hut Koča na Okrešlju (Frischaufov dom na Okrešlju). You will walk through beech forest and after a while you arrive at a half open area with a wooden building (not the mountain hut). Walk about 70 meters to the left to visit the mountain hut and have a great view into the end of the Logar valley and then back to the main path.
Straight on the path continues to Okrešelj and Savinjsko sedlo along the wooden building and a small open area. After some more woods the area gets more open and you walk in an alpine atmosphere between the high peaks of the Kamnik Alps. You can walk as far as you want, the way back follows the same path. We stopped in the middle of this amphitheater at a big boulder with memorial plaques for mountaineers.
On your way back you could walk a different path through beech woods some 70 meters below the point where Izvir Savinje (the source) is written on a boulder. In that case don’t continue along the riverbed there but follow directions to Logarska dolina pastirska.
The path goes down through beech forest and you will get at the parking via a different path, not passing the top of the waterfall. We used that path so it is in the GPS track, but we would follow the riverbed the next time because it is nicer. So probably it is better to walk back the same way you came up.
Other natural sights in the Logar valley
The Logar valley is quite picturesque. There is a footpath through the whole valley, starting about 1 kilometer after the beginning of the valley at Izvir Črne all the way to Slap Rinka.
It is about about 7 kilometers and it will pass several natural sights along the way taking about 4 hours to walk to the end and back (expect 5 to 6 hours including sightseeing).
Just for your information, below are the three natural sights we know and their starting points. The waypoints of the starting points can be downloaded below. Directions are described from the start of the valley.
Izvir Črne: The Savinja river disappears in the upper part of the Logar valley short after the Rinka waterfall. At Izvir Črne the river reappears. You will find it 1 kilometer after entering the Logar valley, at the right side of the road. You will notice the signs close to the road. This is also the starting point of the path through the Logar valley. There is no official parking space there, maybe you can park some 350 meters before that point at some buildings.
Rastovški slap: Some 250 meters after Izvir Črne, at the left side there is the Juvanija tourist farm where you can park. There is a sign to Rastovski slap. You will walk along a fence between meadows, with the road behind you, towards the woods. After some 150 meters into the woods you will arrive at the waterfall.
Slap Palenk: About 1,2 kilometers after the Juvanija tourist farm you can see hotel Plesnik at your left. On the right side of the road there is a free parking. Slap Palenk is behind the hotel. You can reach it by walking along the road back to the beginning of the valley for about 100 meters, then there is a path to the right. Follow that path for about 200 meters to get to the waterfall.
Trip information
Duration: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Length: 4,9 kilometers
Height difference: 495 meters
Parking coordinates: 46.369218,14.598929
Send coordinates to maps app
Downloads
Waypoint of the parking (Google KML): Download
Waypoint of the parking (GPX): Download
Track of the walk (Google KML): Download
Track of the walk (GPX): Download
Extra track:
Drive from Bohinj to the Logar valley (Google KML): Download
Drive from Bohinj to the Logar valley (GPX): Download
Extra waypoints:
Other natural sights in the Logar valley (Google KML): Download
Other natural sights in the Logar valley (GPX): Download