Things to do in the Soca Valley

The Soca Valley takes its name from the Soca river, whose Slovene spelling carries a caron over the c: without it, the word no longer sounds like "SO-tcha" and a Slovene search engine will not recognise it as the same place. The river runs an emerald green for most of its length, fed by snowmelt from the Julian Alps, and stays cold even in August.

The valley is reached from Ljubljana via the Vrsic pass, a 50-bend mountain road that closes to snow in winter, or by the longer lowland route through Idrija and Tolmin; either way, budget over two hours' driving. Bovec, at the valley's northern end, is the base for the rafting, canyoning and kayaking trips that fill the summer season from around April to October.

This page is a starting point for the wider valley; the pass and Bovec's activities each have their own detailed guide.