Winter walking in Slovenia.
Exploring the Komna plateau on our Slovenia Winter Adventure.
As the first crocuses appear in seas of purple, and the snowline creeps higher up the mountains, our winter season here at More to Explore draws to a close.
Creating journeys and adventures throughout the winter season, always ensures new year’s start with energy and excitement. 2026 began with a joyful snowy week with a group of 8 women from the wonderful Love Her Wild community on our Slovenia Winter Adventure!
Alongside restful saunas, beautiful home-cooked food and comfortable hotels, we explored Triglav National Park’s largest forested area, following animal tracks through the sugar-dusted spruce trees and marvelling at the views from where the forests meet the mountains. Once we found our rhythm we set off for higher pastures, staying in an unbelievable alpine cottage, perched on the edge of a high plateau, overlooking the iconic lake Bohinj.
Exploring the heart of the Julian Alps.
On the Komna plateau, we ventured into the heart of Slovenia’s winter backcountry, sharing bluebird skies, plenty of laughter and mountain views across the Julian Alps. Breaking trail always creates opportunities for exciting encounters, and it was here that we found beautifully clear Lynx tracks stretching out ahead of us. We followed them for a while, marvelling at their wildness, and speculating about their origins, until eventually we went our separate ways. I later confirmed our findings with Sašo, a lynx and wolf expert, who we also work with on our schools adventures, who then logs the location and time in their database to aid research and monitoring.
We can do hard things!
On our Slovenia Winter Adventure, we progress throughout the week, increasing the level of challenge gradually towards our grand finale in the Julian Alps, which usually enjoys 3 sections where we must break fresh trails, with challenges such as kicking steps and the occasional weak layer above the dwarf pines, that can cause one leg (or sometimes both!) to sink, requiring an ample supply of humour and determination. A good adventure always has an element of the unknown and during ambitious sections, it can bring groups together with meaningful bonding, through shared support, encouragement and experience. On tired legs, once we reach the brow of the hill we are able to look down onto the welcome sight of the Koča with a pristine mountain scene behind it. With the promise of a sweet treat, we make our final descent, euphoric as we arrive together and bundle into the warmth of the hut, welcomed by the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls and of course strudel.
What did our guests think?
“It was a truly fulfilling and a memorable adventure. Mikaela was exceptional in the execution of the entire trip right from the beginning till the very end. Everything is meticulously taken care of to the point of perfection. This trip struck the perfect balance between experiencing luxury and authenticity while focusing on sustainability at the same time. We got to see some of the most remote and pristine parts of Slovenia which would have been impossible to access otherwise. It was also a great way to form genuine connections with like minded people who made the entire trip even more enjoyable. I’ve come back with a lot of memories, a fuzzy heart and a pining desire for more such adventures. I would recommend this trip to anyone who enjoys to be in nature, wants to get away from the touristy areas and truly experience Slovenia. Thank you Mikaela for bringing people together and sharing this fantastic slice of your life with us !”
A unique school adventure.
Team 1 with Nina and Bex.
In February we welcomed back 27 students from the American School in Riyadh, working with our wonderful friends The Living Project, to create a truly unique winter experience. Alongside local experts Sašo and Neža, we delved into the stories of the forests, learning how to track various animals, searching for traces from lynx, wolf, deer and hare, measuring and identifying what we found along the way. Guided by the fantastic Neja and Nina, the groups then set off for their first ever winter hiking experience on snowshoes! Many of these students have never experienced snow before, and furthermore many have never been hiking before either, making this route to Uskovnica koča for an overnight extra special. The whole journey is built around The Living Project ethos of mindful adventure, and this is facilitated with fun and compassion from Emma and Bex, who worked in partnership Nina and Neja, creating opportunities for journaling and activities that focus on connecting with our environment, ourselves and each other.
A different kind of guiding.
For this adventure because we have multiple teams out and about at the same time, I worked in the role of Adventure Director, overseeing the whole journey. On the ground this means popping in and out of the groups to say hi, fixing spikes and snowshoes, planning logistics, responding to incidents and even on occasion sewing up trousers! Essentially my job on these larger school adventures is to ensure everyone (students, teachers, leaders, guides) feel looked after and supported in every element of the trip, while liaising with my friend and colleague Josh back in The Living Project HQ. It’s a role I love, where I get to watch the magic unfold while still being a part of the journey in a supportive capacity.
Our last trip of the season.
Nina and the Tracks and Trails crew at Zajamniki alpine pasture.
As February marched towards March, we had one more group to welcome. Nina was out and about once again, this time with 8 adults on a snowshoeing adventure. Staying in the beautiful Hotel Triglav, and working with our lovely colleagues over at Tracks and Trails, this group explored the winter treasures of the Julian Alps. From the forests of Pokljuka, to the Julian Alps’ most Southernly ridge, and hiking along Slovenia’s Northern border with Austria, every day was packed with mountain views and Slovenia’s alpine culture. This continued in the evenings, with a private chef preparing hearty traditional evening meals for our group and of course the famous Bled cake!
Through all our adventures with More to Explore, alongside family skiing and snowy fun around our home, winter 2026 has flown by! I am already receiving bookings and requests for 2027, and our Slovenia Winter Adventure trip with Love Her Wild is open with 6 places remaining (at the time of writing).
My next trip is coming up in April with Wild Swim Slovenia: Rivers of the Southwest!
Love and Adventure
Mikaela x
As always, this blog post is written by me and is AI free.
