Slovenia’s Hidden Gems.
There’s no such thing! Here’s why.
A favourite swim, a beautiful memory, a protected location.
Stay with me…
I see multiple Social Media posts, blogs and articles about Slovenia every day, and they often have the same promise to find Slovenia’s ‘hidden gems’ or to share Top 5 or Top 10 locations for swimming, hiking, cycling etc. Slovenia is an incredibly beautiful country and of course folk want to come and share a little bit of Slovenia’s magic (and we love to share it with you!).
However, the problem with the hidden gem narrative, is that it so often erases the local communities who live, work, love and want to protect their local environments. When places are considered hidden gems, what we actually mean is lesser-known in tourism, and this is often because local people choose not to share them online, to preserve what makes these places special. When we reveal the locations of those places, we ignore the wishes of the people who live there and once it’s out, there’s no going back.
Instead of relying on online content to easily reveal locations for us. Here’s a different approach:
You book a holiday in Slovenia and stay in a family run B&B, Farm stay, or small hotel.
While looking at some local maps in the evening the family that run your accommodation suggest a favourite location of theirs.
You visit the spot and enjoy it peacefully, and take a few photos, then when you are ready to go you make sure you leave no trace and this includes a digital trace. Any photos you share online are non-identifiable via reverse image searches or AI to prevent easy connection with a location and you do not include any geotags.
You still got to visit a lesser-known location responsibly, with respect for the local community and you still got to share a more nuanced and potentially more intriguing version of your trip with your online community.
Responsible journeying in Slovenia
In line with this you may have noticed I never share any specific locations or routes in this blog, on my website or on my Social Media channels. This aligns with More to Explore’s Leave no Trace standards, which aims to reduce our impact on natural places, and also places loved and maintained by local communities. By not sharing locations we can enjoy studying maps, chatting to hosts and those we meet, journeying slowly and spending time getting to know the places we are in. By travelling in this way, we may be surprised by what we find and enjoy a deeper experience with more chance for real awe.
If you visit somewhere and find that it is actually a lot more popular or busier than expected, try not to take photos that make it seem like you were the only one there. This can enhance the problem, as folk are drawn to the idea of less-visited locations. At the very least write a little about the popularity of the spot so others can consider going outside of peak times to enjoy it. Keep it real :)
A beautiful walk that would be difficult to identify (except with some specific local knowledge).
Responsible Swimming in Slovenia.
In order to protect the places we love and enjoy, we can all consider the following when we swim:
Apply suncream, deodorant, insect repellant etc after your swim, not before. This prevents harmful chemicals from entering the water.
Thoroughly wash your swimwear before arriving in Slovenia and between swims, especially if you are changing locations. This promotes positive biosecurity and protects fragile ecosystems.
Respect no swimming rules. We are really lucky in Slovenia to have many incredible places to swim, where we are asked not to, it is usually to protect rare species or fragile ecosystems, please respect this. If you are not sure whether you can swim in a specific location, ask at the nearest tourist information centre. For example it is never allowed to swim in upper alpine lakes for example in the Triglav lakes Valley.
Swim within your capabilities. The water in Slovenia can be cold all year, learn about cold water shock, swim failure and float to live and always have a swim buddy. Never enter the water after consuming alcohol or drugs.
Learn about the location from local experts if you are unsure of swim safety. In some rivers there are underwater siphons that can be dangerous and in others there are serious risks from flash-flooding.
If you are not sure on where, when or how to swim and dip in Slovenia, seek out a friendly guide for more information or join an organised journey :)
Share unidentifiable photos but not locations. Slovenia doesn’t need more ‘hidden gems’ or ‘top 10’ posts. Places that are not well known are often that way because locals are trying to protect the places we love. If you enjoyed them too, lets keep them that way. Leave no Trace includes our digital impact.
Visiting lake Bohinj and lake Bled outside peak summer season will offer a totally different and much quieter experience (but yes the water can be cold! Around 4ºC in winter).
When asked: ‘That looks amazing! Where is this?!’
Answer: ‘Somewhere in Slovenia! You’d love it here :)’
Instead of writing: ‘Hidden Gems’ or ‘Top 5 Swim Spots’
Consider: ‘A moment of awe’ or ‘Top 5 local businesses’
If you are a small business or tour operator, consider writing a digital clause in your Leave No Trace standards that includes not sharing specific locations, to respect the local communities and places that make your journeys so special.
As always this blog post is 100% human-made (AKA without AI).
Love and adventure
Mikaela x