With its area of 880 km2 and numerous national treasures, Triglav National Park awaits those who long to go on a hike or excursion- or those who just want to rest. To get to the wonderful lakes and waterfalls, you mostly need to hike. Therefore, the park has become famous for the prettiest hiking trails in Slovenia.
We admit this is one of our favourite hikes from all the hiking paths of Triglav National Park since the beauty of the lakes is mesmerizing, and active relaxation is guaranteed.
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It’s interesting that the Triglav National Park’s so to speak transformation into a park started with the protection of the Seven Lakes Valley. The proposal for the protection of the valley was put forward by Albin Belar around 1907. Unfortunately, the proposal was not accepted, and the national part was only officially established in 1981. However, today we can enjoy the benefits of the untouched area and the nature reserve formed around Mount Triglav.
Despite the name, more than seven lakes are located in the valley, but the smaller ones dry up multiple times during the year. It is not unusual to see mountain goats, marmots, or eagles during hiking.
Photos and videos
Getting there - by car
The valley can be found in Triglav National Park, in the Julian Alps. The Seven Lakes Valley is an 8 km long valley between Bohinj and Trenta, next to Ukanc. You will find the title and distance below. Distances are given relative to the starting point of the tour.
- Address: Ukanc 149, 4265 Bohinjsko jezero, Slovenia
- Distance from Bohinj lake: 15 minutes /3 km
- Distance from Ljubljana: 1,5 hours / 89 km
- Distance from Bled: 40 minutes /34 km
- Distance from Bovec: 2 hours / 120 km
More about the lakes
The area filled with small and big lakes is ideal for one-day or multi-day so-called “hut to hut” trips. The protected region, contrary to its name, consists of not 7 but 10 lakes. Here you can find the lakes of the valley carved by the glacier:
- Black Lake
- Double Lake (2 lakes)
- Big Lake or Lake Ledvica
- Green Lake
- Brown Lake
- Lake Vrsac
Due to the alpine lakes being located at high altitudes, they can be frozen for even half the year. This is also true for the Seven Lakes Valley, where you can find the small lakes in their most beautiful, “melted” forms in the summer.
Due to their small size, the lakes are constantly exposed to environmental changes and pollution. Hence, washing or swimming in the lakes is forbidden! The lakes are home to special algae, larvae, and microscope-sized crabs. The water of the lakes is not suitable for drinking!
During your journey, you will see huge mountains surrounded by fabulous lakes. You may also notice plenty of tiny fields and mountain flowers looking down. Of course, picking them is prohibited.
One day hike from Planina Blato
If you are not a fan of multi-day tours with big bags or come with children, visit the park and try a moderate tour. You will need some persistence as your path ascends. However, in return, you will breathe fresh air, count lakes, and observe goats and cows.
Starting points
You can start the tour from two directions:
- From the parking lot at Savica waterfall, Ukanc (more difficult)
- From Planina Blato (easier)
We will present to you the easier trip, starting from Planina Blato.
Tour details
- Starting point: Planina Blato (4265 Bohinjsko jezero, Slovenia - Google térkép)
- Destination: the popular hut (Koca na Planini pri Jezeru)
- Hiking distance: 7,6 km – one way
- Duration: 3-4 hours - one way
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Ascending: 704 m – one way
- Descending: 166 m – one way
Route
Approach
You can find Planina Blato about 20 minutes from the small Slovenian village, Stara Fuzina. Going in a car (20 minutes by car), you will only have to pay a toll of €12-15 to reach Planina.
#1 Planina Blato - Koca na Planini hut (1 hour)
After parking the car, go back to where you came from and see the signposted path leading to the hut (Koca na Planini pri Jezeru). After about 1 hour of descending, coming out of the forest, you will catch a glimpse of the alpine hut, where you can even have lunch-or continue your trip.
#2 Hut Koca na Planini - Planina Visevnik (30 minutes)
After that, your next destination will be Planina Visevnik. On the fabulous alpine pasture, you will pass by pleasant-looking wooden houses. You can rest a little and take great pictures here if you’d like. There used to be a cheese factory long ago, but it closed.
#3 Planina Visevnik – Planina Ovcarija – Stapce – Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih (2 hours)
Your journey will continue through another alpine pasture, the Ovcarija, then through the Stapce pass – the highest hike altitude. Then the trip continues with a steeply descending path towards the Seven Lakes Valley to the Double Lake.
At the lakes, you will find the hut Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih, which I will write about in detail further in the article.
#4 Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih to Jezero v Ledvicah (45 minutes)
You can rest, eat, and drink in the hut (you can even sleep if there is enough space or booked earlier). If you’d like, you can finish your hike and return to the same path you came from.
However, if you still have the strength, you can hike for 45 minutes to reach the biggest lake in the Seven Lakes Valley, Lake Ledvica (Big Lake).
Climbing Triglav
From the valley, you can see Mount Triglav. You can even climb up to it. Doing so unexperienced we only recommend with a local, state-certified Triglav guide.
Climbing Mount Triglav requires previous planning for you to be in good shape. It takes 2 days for most people to get to the top. Therefore, if you are hiking in the Seven Lakes Valley but are not a professional climber and don’t have via Ferrata equipment, you have to book a guide at least a couple of weeks in advance. So they will have enough time to book a room in hut Triglavski dom.
Multi-day hut tour (hut to hut)
In a few days (ideally 2-3 days), you can visit all the lakes in the area. You will find two mountain huts ideal for sleeping. The two huts are located 2 hours' walking distance from one another. During your stay, you can stay in both of them.
- Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih (1685 m)
- Central Sava Lodge at Prehodavci (2071 m)
Hut 1: Koca pri Triglavskih Jezerih (1685 m)
Next to the Double lake, you will find an ideal hut for the tour, the Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih. You can stay the night in the hut (located at 1685 m altitude) or try out its local delicacies at the restaurant. The restaurant, with its 4 rooms, provides seats for 150 people, while there are 30 rooms upstairs.
- Opening hours, prices, availability: The hut is open from mid-June until the end of September or October. The hut provides shelter even during the winter; the so-called winter room can accommodate 18 people.
- Here you can find the room prices in English. Depending on whether you ask for bedding, twin rooms are priced between € 28-33. The dormitories are cheaper; their price gets as low as € 22.
- Address of hut: Ukanc 149, 4265 Bohinjsko jezero, Slovenia
- Here you can find the hut’s Facebook page. If you want to enquire about accommodation, the fastest way is to write to them here.
- And here you can find the website of the hut.
Hut 2: Central Sava Lodge at Prehodavci (2071 m)
The hut Prehodavci is less known; therefore, it is also less crowded. Certainly, you can spend the night here and fill your tummy with Slovenian treats.
- Opening hours and availability: The hut Central Sava Lodge at Prehodavci also welcomes visitors between June and the end of September.
- Find the hut's Facebook site here.
- Address: Zasavska koča na Prehodavcih, 5232 Soca, Slovenia
Guided tour with tour guide
If you don’t want to deal with planning and deciding the route, you can always rely on the local tour guides’ help.
The guided tours last between 1 to 3 days. The fewer people in the group, the higher the travel expenses are per person. You can plan a day with a tour guide for approximately € 250- 190 per person.
Kid-friendly
We mostly recommend the one-day tour for those with kids. With older children, you can also spend a couple of nights in a mountain hut. However, in this case, I don’t recommend “hut to hut” tours; in other words, don’t swap accommodation. Sleep at the hut below every night (Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih) and search for shorter, 1-2 hour hikes.
There aren’t many activities or programs for kids. Thus, the little one may get bored by “ only “ hiking.
The Seven Lakes Valley tours are recommended for children from 12 years old – and it is ideal for kids who are used to hiking.
Necessary equipment
Hiking shoes
No matter how many days you hike, closed shoes with proper soles are essential. Since the route is often rocky with debris, ensure that your shoes provide good support for your ankles.
Trekking poles
Everyone can benefit from the trekking pole, not only people with bad knees. It comes in handy when descending – and sometimes when walking uphill.
Water and food
Make sure to have enough drinking water. I think having at least 2 litres of water per person in the summer. Since there won’t be any shadows, you will drink more than you’d think... It is worth refilling your flasks at the hut. In addition to water, pack sandwiches, chocolate, and energy bars too.
Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat
Protection against the sun is essential during the summer. Have a summer hat with you that you can put on – and a pair of sunglasses if it doesn’t bother your eyesight. In addition, pack sunscreen in your bag.
Mosquito and tick spray
If the mosquitos like you at home, they will also like you at the Triglav National Park. Of course, you can prevent this with a properly combined spray. Don’t be shy to use it at least every 2-3 hours during the day.
The Seven Lakes Valley is a true gem in the middle of Triglav National Park. When visiting the region, don’t hesitate to hike a ton in the 8 km valley to enrich your holiday with active experiences.
We hope you found the summary useful. If so, save this link for later or share it with your friends. Have a nice trip! Trekhunt team ❤️