Notranjska Regional Park is a truly one-of-a-kind protected area - the only municipality in Slovenia that declared its entire territory a nature park. At its heart lies the famous Lake Cerknica, once called one of the great natural wonders of the world by Valvasor, an intermittent lake that can swell to over 2600 hectares or vanish almost completely depending on the season.

The park's landscape is a patchwork of karst phenomena - underground lakes and caves, dramatic gorges, natural bridges, and vast forests covering the Javornik and Menišija ranges. In wet months the lake basin turns into a shimmering water world rich in rare plants and birdlife, while in dry periods locals still use the lakebed for grazing and haymaking, just as they have for centuries. From the summit of Slivnica, on a clear day, you can see half of Slovenia, from the Kamnik-Savinja Alps to the Julian Alps.

How to get there

• Dolenje Jezero village, near the Jezerski hram inn — starting point by the lake shore, easy walking route
• Cerknica or Rakov Škocjan — accessible by road, with trails continuing around the lake and into the gorges

Practical information

• Lake Cerknica has been protected as a Ramsar wetland site since 2006
• The park contains five nature reserves and several natural monuments: Rakov Škocjan, Iška and Zala gorges, Križna Cave, and Zelške Caves
• Bears, wolves, lynx and wildcats live in the park - encountering a bear in the Javornik forests is almost a daily occurrence

In Križna Cave, around 2000 cave bear bones were excavated in 1878, and beneath Slivnica lies Coprniška Cave, from which warm, moist air rises in winter, creating mist that inspired centuries-old legends of witches gathering on the mountain.