The mountain of hundred ravines
Begunjščica is a paradise for lovers of ravines, as it really has many of them. They are most popular while there is enough snow in them and the circumstances are just perfect.
The mountain never disappoints, not only the ravine lovers, nor the lovers of tour skiers. But it’s the best if both things are joined! So you can climb the ravine to the top and ski down the other way. And the original starting point from the pass at Ljubelj is really scenic.
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From ravines to fossils, a mine…
The highest peak of Begunjščica is the Veliki Vrh at 2060m and is also the most visited. And the top is very much visited anyway, as the starting point of Ljubelj is just perfect for it. There are many parking places here and the height is just right to start ascending and already feel like your high up in the mountain. On the way you can visit the famous Dom na Zelenici (1536), open every day during summer and most weekends in winter. The path towards it is suitable also for families with children (which we can’t say for the highest peak). And Begunjščica has even more to offer than ravines, skiing, beautiful views… they also feature fossils of the ancient sea creatures. It’s quite usual to find the fossils of sea shells and similar. And the mountain also has a mine of manganite used in 19th century.
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Many ways to the top
We can reach the top via many paths. Some are well marked, while others are more adventures (mostly in ravines). And these are – the ravines – the trademark of Begunjščica. Unfortunately the mountain is also known for avalanches, which make the ascend on the edges of the ski slope Zelenica quite unpleasant. There have been many cases of people getting caught in the avalanche. Still the view of the many ravines and the many paths taking you to the top give you many choices, where to go. As I also love the ravines, I prefer taking the rougher path along with tour skiers and ski down the less demanding way. But no matter how difficult the path you take is, if the weather is fine, you will not be alone and there are many mountain lovers, groups and many other people you can meet on the way.
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From the top you will get the great view of the neighbouring peaks and all the way to the mountains of Bohinj and the peaks of Triglav mountain range, also you will see Stol, Vrtača, Košuta and many more… all the way with the view to the Ljubljana valley. All of the mentioned above, make Begunjščica an ideal peak for everybody who loves mountains. We can even decide to visit it, if we do not have much time. The whole ascend takes between two or maybe three hours. And if the people are really in shape and used to mountains, it can even take much less.
But if you do have more than a few hours, and would like to stay in the mountains for a few days, I would recommend you a stay at the
Youth Hostel Radovljica, which is also one of the great starting points, to reach many peaks in the surrounding mountains.
