Slovenia feels thrilled for “bravecations”

“Bravecations” mark a sharp shift in tourism, trading the comfort of well-worn itineraries for the intensity of the present moment. These trips are about stepping outside one’s comfort zone, embracing extreme sports and immersive experiences that push physical and mental limits. A new way for travelers to blend adventure, extreme sports or intense cultural events that Slovenia is ready to embrace.

With more than 13,000 caves, fast-flowing rivers and deeply rooted traditions, Slovenia perfectly embodies this trend that is redefining the travel experience. The country offers a compact concentration of adventure, where visitors can test themselves on white-water rapids, be swept into the primal rhythms of the Kurenti dance, or lose their bearings in vast underground worlds.

The Soča, an emerald river built for adrenaline

With its striking turquoise-green color, the Soča is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most beautiful rivers. But beyond its hypnotic appearance lies its true appeal: a dynamic course punctuated by waterfalls, rapids and narrow rock-carved gorges that create a natural playground for thrill-seekers.

Rafting on the Soča delivers the adrenaline rush at the heart of the bravecation concept. Aboard a raft, surrounded by a team and led by a professional guide, participants surrender to the power of the river while learning how to master it. The descents are designed to be both safe and exhilarating, allowing beginners to experience white-water rafting with confidence. For those eager to go further, other Slovenian rivers—the upper Sava, the Savinja in Štajerska, the Kolpa in Bela krajina and the Krka in Dolenjska—offer a wide range of routes suited to all skill levels.

The Slovenian soul to discover during Kurentovanje, more than a carnival

From February 7 to 17, 2026, Slovenia’s oldest town, Ptuj, will host the 66th edition of Kurentovanje, one of Europe’s most striking carnivals. Recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, the event is far more than a tourist spectacle. It is an invitation to step into an ancient pagan ritual where mystery, discomfort and fascination collide.

Dressed in sheepskins, wearing grotesque masks and heavy bells that clang with every step, the Kurenti perform their wild, ritual dance to drive away winter and summon spring. Standing in the middle of this loud, disorienting celebration means letting go of control and surrendering to an ancestral energy—an experience that prepares the mind for another form of surrender: descending into the depths of the earth.

Venturing into Slovenia’s underground worlds

After icy adrenaline and cultural immersion, Slovenia offers a third dimension of bravecation: underground exploration. With more than 13,000 known caves, several of them UNESCO-listed, the country opens its subterranean landscapes to the most curious travelers.

Seven hundred meters below ground, in the former Mežica mine closed in 1994, visitors can kayak through flooded galleries or cycle along five kilometers of tunnels, guided by a former knap (miner) who brings 360 years of mining history to life. In these remarkably preserved spaces, a strange intimacy sets in, highlighting the courage of those who worked here for decades.

The experience reaches its peak at Postojna Cave, Europe’s largest show cave. Beyond the standard tourist route, the “Following the Footsteps of Luka Čeč” tour invites visitors to don caving boots, a helmet and a headlamp to explore areas normally closed to the public. In total darkness and silence, roped in and moving carefully, participants rappel down shafts, cross underground lakes and encounter the hidden biodiversity of the karst. The highlight is a close encounter with the “baby dragon”—the olm—in its natural habitat, a creature that seems lifted straight from Slovenian legend.

In 2025, Slovenia welcomed approximately 7 million arrivals which generated 17.9 million overnight stays.

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