Kosijev Dom -> Bohinj Lake -> Car -> Jazne – The End and the Beginning

24. August 2025

 

 

3,5 km

0 m up

510 m down

1:30 hrs.

According to Mapy this was our last stage. Kosijev Dom functions more as an excursion inn than an overnight hut. It is easily accessible from the lower holiday resorts and, in addition to tasty food, offers a viewpoint over Lake Bohinj. We walked there in the morning, but due to the clouds, we unfortunately didn’t see much of the lake—especially not the mountains behind it.

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t really come across in the pictures, but it was actually quite beautiful to be there and watch the clouds drift around.

 

The final section of the hike was quite a challenge once again, with a steep descent over large rocks.

 

 

At the bottom, there was a fantastic view of the gorge and another one toward the Mostnica Gorge. Dark rain clouds were looming there, but we stayed dry all day..

 

 

 

Stara Fužina was the first village we reached, from where the bus to our car was supposed to leave. However, we had generously missed it, and the next one wasn’t for about four hours. Stara Fužina turned out to be a holiday village, but not a very charming one—no inviting cafés, no picturesque alleys to stroll through, no lakeside promenade. Since the lake was only about a 15-minute walk away, we headed there instead. Stara Fužina didn’t inspire me to take many photos, except for my fondness for odd paintings—like this Jesus with a muscular chest and spidery hands.

 

 

Then we reached the lake – and were thrilled! What a difference from Lake Bled! It lay peacefully nestled between the mountains, and swimming was allowed everywhere for free. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any swim gear with us, but it was still wonderful to sit by the shore, stroll around, and watch the animals, people, and nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and a stroll through Ribčev Laz, the village right on the shore. It felt even more like a holiday spot than Stara Fužina, but still charming. And no comparison to Bled.

If one wanted to stay by a lake in this area, Bohinj would definitely be the better choice. Later, a Slovenian even called Bled the most terrible place in all of Slovenia. He might be right. Still, starting our journey there wasn’t a bad decision – everything afterwards could only get better 🙂

 

Back to Ribčev Laz. Here, there was also a statue of the four first climbers of Triglav from 1778:

 

 

And there was a funny painted wall where you could stick your head through for a photo:

 

 

Here we also came across our first commemorative stone dedicated to the Partisans. They fought, among others, against the German, Italian, and Hungarian occupation during World War II. The red star was their symbol and is always present on their memorial stones and monuments.

 

 

Today, there is a debate surrounding the red star. Supporters see it as a historical symbol of anti-fascist resistance and the struggle for liberation from fascism. Opponents associate it with the communist dictatorship in Yugoslavia, political repression, and human rights violations after the war. Right-wing parties even sometimes call for its removal from monuments or a public ban, while left and center groups consider such actions a distortion of history.

 

But now back to the lake, which has a beautiful bridge.

 

 

 

Then a modern, mostly empty bus arrived, picked us up, and only collected a few other passengers along the way. It was incredibly cheap – for just 2 euros, you could ride for 24 hours across the entire local bus network.

 

Time for a brief hiking summary: The area around Triglav is impressive and beautiful, and not so easy to hike because there are several climbing sections and via ferrata routes. Unlike in Austria, there aren’t as many fixed ropes in the tricky spots. Nevertheless, it gets quite busy, spreads out a bit during the day, and has a very friendly, international, and social atmosphere. Neither of us would mind coming back to explore more trails and huts. But definitely pack disposable washcloths!

 

Things went really well with Ute and me. One advantage of knowing each other for a long time and having already lived and traveled together. However, it was our first hut-to-hut tour together—and Ute’s first ever. I tend to go a bit faster on long uphill stretches, she downhill—but the differences aren’t too drastic, and it worked out quite well.

 

This time I didn’t bring an extra breakfast, since breakfast in Slovenia is also cheaper than in Austria. Overall, people were very relaxed about what and how much we consumed at the huts, which was nice. I did miss my quieter morning coffee a bit, though. But having roughly 2 kg less on my back was great too.

 

I found it amusing how, even here, the atmosphere in the huts really depended on the personalities of the hosts. That reminded me: at the Dolicu Hut, one staff member, after his 18-day shift (nonstop), was done and headed down into the valley. He said he really enjoyed being up there and that working with the team was fun, but he was also very much looking forward to the comfort of life in the valley, with friends and social interaction. By the way, hut staff have somewhat better conditions: indoor toilets and small shower facilities.

 

So the hike was already over, and we were already missing the impressive mountain scenery. But at the same time, we were curious about what else Slovenia would have in store for us.

 

 

 

The car was still in its place, we changed shoes, and off we went! It was incredible—about 85 km and 2 hours of twisty roads on narrow, often very poor, damaged streets through a high hill region with little tourism. We occasionally saw signs for accommodations but wondered who would stay there, as the area seemed sparsely populated and not particularly appealing.

 

I had found the accommodation online, though I hadn’t looked too closely at its exact location. There was a village name, but the deciding factor was the street, which meant the place was about a half-hour drive on very twisty, difficult roads from the village itself. We thought, “Oh dear…” But it turned out to be wonderful. In a tiny village of about ten houses, four belonged to one family, and one of these contained a few holiday apartments and guest rooms. The owner hoped to earn a little extra income this way. It was sparkling clean, spacious, and we luxuriated in a nice shower, plenty of space, and comfortable beds. That kind of luxury after a hut-to-hut hike is always a delight!

 

 

More about that and further impressions of Slovenia in the next blog post! In any case, we learned quite a lot.