Did you know that every river, like a person, has its own unique character? There are rivers that are calm and pacifying, and there are fast and cheerful, spacious and majestic. What is the Soča River? Let's get to know her.
Where is
Most of the juices are stormy and playful. And she undoubtedly has a feminine soul. After all, it is women who are so beautiful. When you see this river for the first time, the brain refuses to believe in reality. It appears to be a photo edited with Photoshop. After all, such an incredible color of water can be found only by the sea, but not by the river. Soca has a very rich turquoise or emerald color. Therefore, it is impossible to take your eyes off her. I would like to admire it for a long, long time, until the eye is saturated with the beauty of these color shades.
96 km of the river falls on Slovenia. It is here that she is called Soča or "the emerald beauty", and in Italy she is known as the Isonzo. In this country, its length is only 43 km. The width of Sochi is not very large, about 20 meters, although in some places it spills over 50 m.The river also cannot boast of a great depth, only from 1 to 1.5 m. But Sochi has an amazing quality to maintain its amazing color throughout its length of 138 km.
Source of the river
The source of the river is in the Slovenian Triglav National Park on the slope of the mountain of the same name. At an altitude of 990 meters in the picturesque valley of the Trenta, the Soca originates, where it looks more like a playful mountain stream. Then it fills with crystal clear waters from the limestone peaks of the Alps in northwestern Slovenia. More calmly, but fast enough it flows through the valley surrounded by the picturesque Julian Alps. In Nova Gorica, the river crosses the border. And already in Italy, it gradually becomes more calm and flows into the Adriatic Sea in the Gulf of Trieste near the city of Monfalcone.
The water of this river is crystal clear. As befits a mountain river, it is pretty cool, only 9 degrees. But if you wish, you can swim.
Everything for adventure lovers
Such beauty cannot go unnoticed. Therefore, many tourists come every year to relax in Soča, admire its fabulous views and virgin nature around. After all, its banks remained undeveloped. The valley of this river was even awarded an award at the European Tourism Forum and was named the best vacation spot in Europe.
First of all, Soča is attractive for lovers of various water sports such as rafting, kayaking, canyoning. The river creates many rapids, ledges, and steep slopes. Therefore, thanks to the natural landscape, fans of extreme water rafting come to the river valley from all over the world.
The most popular resort is Bovec, which is located among the Julian Alps in the Triglav nature reserve. Here the Soča River, flowing through gorges and high mountains, crosses a picturesque valley.
This place hosts international rafting competitions. This sport became popular here in the 80s of the last century. And not without reason, because rafting gives a charge of vivacity, great mood and an incredible range of emotions.
Bovec is attractive not only for experienced athletes. For beginners who just want to learn how to raft down the river, there are also all the conditions. Firstly, there are many clubs and instructors to teach here. Secondly, there are sections of the river that are completely different in their complexity and you can choose any one according to your skills. One day you can raft on an easier section, and the next day you can go to a more difficult one. After gaining experience, take a chance and swim through the canyon. There the river narrows from 20 to 1 meter, and then the entire stream rushes through a narrow gap. Or use a completely different method of rafting: lying on a special plastic board. Only you still have to put on your fins and control your board with the handles. This unusual activity is called the river boogie.
Not only rafting
Are you tired of water activities? Then for you there is rock climbing, walking or mountain biking, paragliding or just admiring the scenery.
The Soča Valley is ideal not only for water sports enthusiasts, but also for nature lovers. The peaks of the Julian Alps surrounding these places, due to the lack of vegetation, always seem to be covered with snow. Therefore, they serve as an excellent background for such amazing pictures: among the snow-capped mountains there is a valley covered with lush greenery, and a river meanders along it with an emerald-turquoise ribbon.
Everyone who enjoys nature, who loves mountains and rivers, will receive a charge of vivacity and inspiration here. And cozy hotels, good restaurants, hospitable Slovenes will make your vacation even better. In addition, in the resort of Bovec, in addition to sports, cultural events are also held. In summer, you can get to the musical and folklore evenings, the festival of theatrical art. It is good to come from April to November. But you won't be able to retire here because of the large number of people. And in winter they go to Bovec to go skiing.
Fishing on the river
The unique fauna of this river attracts fishing enthusiasts. Such a rare species of fish as marble trout is found here. It is called the "ghost" of Sochi, because it is simply not given to the fisherman and it is not easy to catch it. This species is currently protected by the state. Although such fish for lunch is a reason for pride among Slovenian housewives.
The presence of trout in the river indicates the purity of the local waters. There are other types of trout, such as river, lake and rainbow trout, as well as silver carp, Sochi grayling, madder. Local fishermen are very fond of these places and come here for more than one day. The Sochi Valley is considered the best spot for fly fishing. If you are serious about fishing, you can hire a fishing guide. He will tell you where it is better to fish, and what kind, will show you fishing techniques. Just before fishing, you need to purchase fishing permit coupons.
What else awaits you
If you are traveling by car, you can stop at some campsite on the river to admire its waters, and then go further, marveling at the amazing beauty of the mountain landscapes and stopping by small picturesque villages. Such, for example, as the Most-na-Soča, where Soča merges with Idritsa. And be sure to sit in a quiet, cozy restaurant in order to dissolve in this beauty and tranquility.
There are some sights along the river, created not only by nature, but also by man. For example, the Solkan Bridge is 220 meters long. It connects Italy and Slovenia. It is the longest railway bridge in the world. It was declared a national treasure in 1985. Its dignity is not only in size. The views from the bridge are of incredible beauty, and it also very harmoniously fits into the natural splendor. A hydroelectric power plant has been built on the river, which is located near the town of Tolmin.
In Kobarid, you can visit a museum dedicated to the twelve battles between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Soča River during the First World War. In literature, these events were immortalized by Ernest Hemingway in the novel Farewell to Arms! This is where the novel takes place. The fantastic color of the river did not go unnoticed by filmmakers. Several scenes for the film "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" were filmed in Soca by the Americans. And, of course, the unique landscapes attract different artists to create their masterpieces.
Everyone who comes to Sochi finds himself in a different, slightly unreal world. This amazingly beautiful emerald-turquoise river, bordered by steep banks, surrounded by mountain landscapes, with suspension bridges hanging from above, is amazing. It is impossible to leave here and forget all the feelings that the nature of these places awakens. Therefore, those who have been to Socha once will definitely come back here!
