recommended route
Circular Trail from Ukanc to Savica Waterfall
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Slap Savica pozimiPhoto: Mitja Sodja, CC BY-SA, Turizem Bohinj
The circular trail to the waterfall astonishes with beautiful views and the botanical richness of Bohinj. Spring when the snow is melting, or after heavy rainfall is the time when the waterfall shows all its glory. It springs up in the open in two sections amidst the steep wall of Komarča. The higher part of the waterfall measures 78 m, the lower one 25 m. Two great Slovenian poets-France Prešeren and Valentin Vodnik dedicated their verses to the waterfall. The water to the waterfall runs from the Seven Triglav Lakes Valley and from the rocky slopes of Pršivec. The waterfall is quite majestic after a rainy period and even in dry periods it never runs dry. After a long dry period of time, only the left and lower part of the waterfall runs down. A beautiful rainbow stretches above the pool below the waterfall in sunny weather and when the foamy water falls to the pool.
Savica is the largest permanent tributary of Lake Bohinj.
Author’s recommendation
Don't forget to take a camera with you.
Prior to every hike, check the weather forecast and trail conditions.
You can admire diverse flora and fauna and the remnants of the glacier (boulders, moraines).
Track types
Rest stops
Koča pri SaviciSafety information
There can be fallen trees in some parts of the trail due to tree cutting and damage caused by strong winds. The trail can be flooded by torrents during heavy rainfall.A part of the trail runs on the local motor road.
Winter:
The path can be slippery in some places in the winter, so be careful, especially at the waterfall itself.
Tips and hints
Information:
Turizem Bohinj, Stara Fužina, tel.: +386 4 57 47 590
TIC Bohinj, Ribčev Laz, tel.: +386 4 574 60 10
TIC Bohinj, Bohinjska Bistrica, tel.: +386 4 574 76 00
TIC Bohinj, Stara Fužina, tel.: +386 4 572 33 26
TNP Bohinj Centre, Stara Fužina, tel.: +386 1 200 97 60
The waterfall can be visited upon paying entrance fee.
Julian Alps Card: Bohinj offers free transport and other benefits.
In Ukanc, you can stop at Picerija Ukanc pizzeria, or at the Koči pri Savici alpine hut and Planinski dom Savica mountaineering hut near the Savica Waterfall. Picerija Ukanc and Planinski dom Savica also offer dishes with the Bohinjsko/From Bohinj certificate of origin.
During the International Wild Flower Festival (end of May, start of June) you can join a guided hike (with a botanist) to the Savica Waterfall, where you can get detailed information about the flora of this area. We can admire the Siberian iris that is very rare and can only be found in this region.
In the past,Ukanc was a grazing pasture. As the legend says, the name "Ukanc" was formed from the phrase "u konc" meaning "at the end of the world", because in the past people believed that the world ended below the walls of Komarča.
There are two intermittent lakes in the swampy part of Ukanc (Ukanško Blato). The lakes are not large in summer, but can emerge at heavy rainfall and be seen from a far.
A military cemetery is located near the car park in Ukanc. You can visit graves and a chapel that reminds us about the atrocities of World War I.
Zlatorog Fairy Trail is located along the trail to the Savica Waterfall. You can walk an hour or the whole day along the approximately 2 kilometres long circular trail. The circular trail can be visited individually or in an organised group. The perfect guide is the booklet containing fairy tales from Bohinj, a map and slots for stamps that you can collect along the trail.
The Savica Waterfall was visited in 1807 by Archduke John of Austria, which is also proven by the memorial plaque from the same year. It was erected by Baron Sigmund Zois and made by stonecutter Leonard Kelbl.
The water energy of the Savica Waterfall has been used for the production of electricity since 1916, when the military hydro power plant Savica in Ukanc was built to supply electricity to the Carniolan land power plants system. The new Savica hydro power plant was built in the period from 1946 to 1949.
Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
Follow the asphalt road from the bus stop to the bridge over the crystal clear Savica. After the bridge turn left towards the part of the valley, which is enclosed on one side by the mighty Komarča rock wall. Initially, the trail is surrounded by meadows and when you come to the stone road, you mostly walk through the forest. After approximately 45 minutes you come to the bridge over Mala and Velika Savica. An alpine hut is located nearby. There you start ascending to the waterfall, which will take approximately 20 minutes. You have to walk 553 steps. A small shed is located at the top, and it is used as a view point for the waterfall and the mighty rock wall.
Return along the same path to the alpine path, continue along the main road to the junction for Ukanško Blato, where there are some houses. Numerous glacier boulders can be seen along the road. These boulders are major rocks that "travelled" with the glacier and when the ice melted, they remained where they can be seen now. The largest of the two intermittent lakes is on the right side. Continue through the forest where the trail narrows. The damage caused by the strong winds in 2017 can be seen along the trail. The trail continues past Ukanška glava (574 m) along the right bank of the Savica to the village of Ukanc. After several minutes of walking, you reach the starting point.
Note
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
You can travel by train or bus to Bohinj. From the Primorska side, you can also come by car train.Regular buses drive from Ukanc to Bohinjska Bistrica, Bled and Ljubljana, in summer also to the Upper Bohinj Valley and the Savica Waterfall. The bus stop is located at the start of the circular trail to the Savica Waterfall.
More information is available on the website promet.bohinj.si
Getting there
Drive by car to Ukanc from Bled, through Soteska or over Pokljuka. You can also access the village across Jelovica and Soriška planina.Parking
Car park Ukanc 6 is located at the crossroad for the Vogel Ski Centre, the Savica Waterfall, Ribčev Laz and Ukanc, just before the entry to the Zlatorog Campsite (coordinates: 46.278039, 13.836798).
Coordinates
Author’s map recommendations
Book recommendations for this region:
Equipment
Hiking shoes and clothes.
Winter:
Recommended small crampons.
Statistics
- 4 Waypoints
- 4 Waypoints
Questions and answers
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Rating
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