From Adventure Park to Skydiving, 3 days

Where the Alps, Karst, the Vipava Valley and the Trnovo Forest Plateau meet, nature has created a landscape that is perfect for an active and sports-oriented break. Scale the peaks of the Goriška region and admire the picture-postcard views. Stand still for a moment and listen to the murmur of the emerald green Soča River. Take a deep breath and inhale the crisp air. In Nova Gorica, take the time to stop and appreciate the beautiful fragrance of the roses and let your other senses savour the harmonious flavours of home-made delicacies and fine wine. An active break is the perfect opportunity to get to know the region’s cultural heritage and history, both of which have left a profound mark on the Goriška region.

DAY 1: Let’s kick off the holiday with a visit to the Soča Fun Park in Solkan. At this well organised course, your safety always comes first. Enjoy yourself in the beautiful, natural setting and put your physical abilities to the test, while almost touching the tree tops. In addition to climbing courses for children, there are also four other courses with varying difficulty levels. If you are brave enough, you might want to finish off your park experience with the Descent of Courage. The flying fox is a 300m descent via zip-line over the river. Let gravity propel you across the river, approximately 40 metres above the river surface, overcoming a 12 metre decline. Feel your senses heighten as the Soča Fun Park - Solkan – Bungee Jumping – Nova Gorica adrenaline rushes through your veins. Among the most special experiences on offer here, is a bungee jump from the 55 metre high Solkan Bridge which also functions as a road connecting Solkan and the Brda region. After a day of adventure, it is time to enjoy dinner in one of the restaurants or gostilnas which characterise the region. Of course, an active day calls for a relaxing timeout. Our next stop is therefore the SPA Centre in Nova Gorica, where we will be treated and pampered like royalty. In the wee hours of the night, you may also wish to try your luck at the nearby casino. An eventful day comes to an end with a night’s rest in Nova Gorica or another location nearby.

DAY 2: Energy-themed Hiking Trail from the Lijak Stream to Sekulak Hill – Prosciutto and Wine Tasting at a Farm open to visitors – Skydiving – Nova Gorica DAY 1: Let’s kick off the holiday with a visit to the Soča Fun Park in Solkan. At this well organised course, your safety always comes first. Enjoy yourself in the beautiful, natural setting and put your physical abilities to the test, while almost touching the tree tops. In addition to climbing courses for children, there are also four other courses with varying difficulty levels. If you are brave enough, you might want to finish off your park experience with the Descent of Courage. The flying fox is a 300m descent via zip-line over the river. Let gravity propel you across the river, approximately 40 metres above the river surface, overcoming a 12 metre decline. Feel your senses heighten as the Soča Fun Park - Solkan – Bungee Jumping – Nova Gorica adrenaline rushes through your veins. Among the most special experiences on offer here, is a bungee jump from the 55 metre high Solkan Bridge which also functions as a road connecting Solkan and the Brda region. After a day of adventure, it is time to enjoy dinner in one of the restaurants or gostilnas which characterise the region. Of course, an active day calls for a relaxing timeout. Our next stop is therefore the SPA Centre in Nova Gorica, where we will be treated and pampered like royalty. In the wee hours of the night, you may also wish to try your luck at the nearby casino. An eventful day comes to an end with a night’s rest in Nova Gorica or another location nearby. The early morning will see us set off on the “Energy-themed Hiking Trail” from the Lijak stream to Sekulak Hill, leading through a series of villages: Šmihel, Ozeljan, Šempas, Vitovlje and Osek. The hike will delight us with views of picturesque villages, chestnut groves, vineyards, fields, springs and a natural lake, affording also a captivating view of an extraordinary phenomenon – a natural window. With a bit of luck, fine weather will provide us with a spectacle in the air – paragliders and hang-gliders dancing in the light wind. We will stop for a short stay at a farm open to visitors to taste their prosciutto and fine wines. The patio there is the ideal place to recuperate and delight in the harmony of flavours presented by the homemade dishes. The diverse landscape of the Goriška region is even more breathtaking when viewed from the air. Accompanied by an experienced instructor, you can take the plunge and go for a tandem skydive. Later, we will have lunch in the vicinity of Nova Gorica. The local vintner will let us taste one of the seven hundred different wine labels from Slovenia and raise a toast to new experiences. We will finish the day off with a good night’s rest.

DAY 3: We will catch the first morning rays while we hike to the Sabotin Hill, which is the last hill of the Alpine mountain range and the first of the Mediterranean hills. This hill ridge marks the state border between Slovenia and Italy and has its share of stirring tales. Sabotin Peace Park was designed to unite 22 nations that fought on the slopes of Sabotin during the Isonzo Front in World War I. After lunch we will visit the museum exhibitions Sabotin in World War 1 and Northern Primorska in the War of Independence of 1991, and take a hike along the ridge. Returning to the valley, your gaze will instantly be drawn to the impressive Solkan Bridge crossing the Soča River. This century-old railroad bridge boasts the longest stone arch in the world and has had aerobatic planes flying through it as well as several free-climbing stunts. Incidentally, the railroad track runs to Nova Gorica, so we shall follow it. We’ll stop at the Europe Square, where the Slovenian town of Nova Gorica and the Italian Gorizia merge together. The square features a floor mosaic which symbolizes cross-border cooperation, and was created specially in order to celebrate Slovenia’s entry into the European Union. Facing north, we can accurately tell the time from the sundial made from the driving wheel of a steam locomotive. Not far from town, right next to the border of Slovenia and Italy, there is a hill on which stands the Kostanjevica monastery. From here, you can take in the whole of Nova Gorica and Gorizia and the surrounding region. Franciscan monks act as the caretakers of this cultural and historic monument. The monastery is particularly famous for Sabotin Peace Park – Solkan Bridge – Europe Square – Kostanjevica Monastery – Wine Tasting the crypt belonging to the last King of France and the last descendants of the French Bourbon dynasty who found refuge in this region. The monastery library holds a collection of 10,000 books, among them the first Slovenian grammar book written by Adam Bohorič. Next, we will take a stroll along the south wall of the monastery. Harbouring one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Bourbon roses in the world, springtime here is indeed a spectacular sight. As a matter of fact, this collection is only second right to the collection in Paris, but, of course, the flowers here are much more luxuriant. We will head off to an open farm in Vipava Valley and enjoy tasting the internationally recognized wine varieties native to the valley. A sun-kissed locality, fertile soil and influence of the Mediterranean give the local wine a particularly full flavour, intense colour and a harmonious aroma.