Brown bear watching Are you a wildlife fan? With us you have an excellent opportunity to experience wildlife and protected areas in the spectacular landscapes of the Notranjska regional park. Today Slovenia is one of the rare countries in Europe with stabile and one of the most vital brown bear population with an expanding habitat and strongly increasing numerically. The Slovenian brown bear population is very important for the re-introduction of brown bear in Italy, Austria and France. The density of the brown bear population in Slovenia is higher than anywhere else in Europe, there are 600 bears in only 2400 square kilometers. That give us good chances to observe brown bears. In april 2008 have we seen 11 bears in one evening, 17 in four evenings. We use comfortable hides that are specially arranged for watching brown bears. This is where we spend few hours after sunset and before sunrise or a whole night waiting for the bear to appear. If lucky we may enjoy a mother with cubs or solitary males and other nocturnal wildlife too. The bears are usually seen from 30-50 meters. As the search for brown bears is done best at dusk or at dawn, daytime could be spent on many other activities depending on your wish. The observation proceeds in company of an experienced gamekeeper.
Watch TV - Slovenian magazine WE ORGANIZE TAILOR MADE PACKAGES - CONTACT US ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Caving The Križna jama Cave on the east side of Cerknica Lake is primarily famous as a rich site of bones of the extinct cave bear. Its eight kilometers long tunnels are full of stalactite decorations and also boast 50 underground lakes through which crystal clear water flows. The one-hour tour of the dry section and the boat ride on the first lake are suitable for larger groups, while the four-hour boat tour across 13 lakes only takes groups of four persons at the most.
Fly-Fishing Obrh Kolpa Trekking Cycling in Notranjska Cycling tracks in MTB park Notranjska run mostly on roads and paths without heavy traffic and give cyclists an opportunity to admire natural & cultural attractions of the region. MTB park Notranjska offers 10 thematic circle tracks, that are located in 5 municipalities (Postojna, Pivka, Cerknica, Ilirska Bistrica and Loška dolina) and cover more than 500 km. It is distinctive for its greenery. Within the park there is one of the largest uninhabited forest area in Central Europe. Horse riding
SLOVENIA TIMES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bird watching in Slovenia Cerknica lake is largest Karst polje in Slovenia. Its character is more of flooded plain than real lake. Normally is mainly dry during summer and in the late winter season. During autumn rain and after spring snow melting is filled again. In its full extent the lake can cover up to 26 square kilometres. Cerknica lake is second most important breading place for globally threatened Corncrake Crex crex in Slovenia. Number of singing males vary from 60 to 100. Cerknica lake is the only breading place for Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena and Common Redshank Tringa totanus in Slovenia. Lake is also breading place for Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus. Cerknica lake is most important or one of the most important breading places in Slovenia for large range of water and marsh bird species. It is one of two breading places for Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquta in Slovenia. On wet meadows across all area of Cerknica lake bread around 200 pairs of Yellow Wagtail Montacilla flava. Along Žirovniščica and Lipsenjščica creek breads Savi's Warbler Locustela luscinioides. There is also a considerable number of Whinchat Saxicola rubetra and Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus and Barred warbler Sylvia nisoria. It is one of few Slovenian breading places for Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus. In central part we can find few pairs of Spotted Crake Porzana porzana and Little Crake Porzana parva. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus and Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris are considered to be probable breaders on Cerknica lake. This place is during spring migration regular stop over for Glossy Ibis Plegadis flcinellus. Lake is feeding place for rare birds of pray like: White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicila, Peregrine Falcon Falco perigrinus, Short-toed Eagle Circaetus galicus and European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus. Central part of lake is covered by large reedbed with plant association of Phragmitetum communis and Scirpetum lacustris. On the margins wet meadows prevail. Cerknica lake is part Ramsar site and is central part of Notranjska Regional Park. Javorniki and Snežnik belong to the Dinaric mountain chain. Among the types of forests the beech and silver spruce forests dominate. On the warmer slopes the oak forests occur in a small extent. After the clear cuttings for industrial purpose in the former century in some areas the spruce plantations were planted. The site supports internationally important numbers of several woodland/forest bird species. Due do high altitude some of boreal-type species occur in the site. Breeding species is white-tailed eagle Haliaetus albicilla. In the site it is known one resident pair that is the only known nest in Slovenia. There is a list of SPECs that breed in the site in a significant proportion of national population. Among the species are common red-backed shrike Lanius collurio, Wryneck Jynx torquilla, Grey-headed woodpecker Picus canus, Scops owl Otus scops and kestrel Falco tinnunculus . Widely extended mountainous forests are inhabited ba many boreal species that are of great interest as thre-toed woodpecker Picoides trydactyla, ural owl Strix uralensis, tengman owl Aegolius funnereus and pigmy owl Glaucidium passerinum. Beside white tailed eagle the golden eagle Aquilla chrysaetos the peregrine falcon Falco preregrinus breeds. |
