Zelenci, the emerald source of the Sava Dolinka

How do you visit Zelenci?

A well-kept woodland path leads to the lake, and a wooden boardwalk lets you get close to the water and the marsh without damaging them. Next to the lake an observation tower gives you the view from above with the Ponca mountains behind. It’s an easy outing, suitable for families. Being a reserve, stay on the boardwalk and the marked paths; the whole point of the wooden walkway is to let you see the marsh without trampling it. And keep dogs on a lead, as the Triglav National Park rules require.

A decree of Jesenice municipality declared Zelenci a nature reserve in 1992, and today it’s part of Natura 2000. The Slovenian Tourist Board counts it among the country’s major marshes and among the southernmost in Europe.

The lake and the source of the Sava

The reserve lies on the northern edge of Triglav National Park, with wooded Vitranc to the south and the equally wooded Karawanks to the north. What’s protected is a marsh, the Drni, about 1,200 metres long and 150 wide on average, with a lake at its western end. Very clean, cold springs rise in that lake through a layer of lake chalk on the bottom, and it’s the chalk that gives the water its blue-green colour. Hence the name, Zelenci.

Zelenci is the second source of the Sava Dolinka. The first is near Tamar, at the Nadiža waterfall, in the Planica valley. The water stays at about 6°C all year, which is why the lake never freezes.

When to go to Zelenci

Each season has its appeal. In spring the surroundings are ideal for quiet walks, with the first flowers and birdsong, and the water is especially clear. In summer the emerald colour is at its best and the woods give shade. In autumn the setting turns yellow, orange and red. And winter surprises you, because the water stays unfrozen while the peaks behind are white, and that’s the scene I’d go looking for.

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Humphry Davy and what’s nearby

The English scientist Sir Humphry Davy came to Zelenci in 1819, 1827 and 1828, and wrote that there was nothing more beautiful in Europe. The Slovenian Tourist Board has since adopted the line for the whole Upper Sava Valley.

Coming from Kranjska Gora, the logical thing is to carry on to Rateče and walk into the Planica valley, with its ski jumps, the same morning. With time to spare, the summit of Peč above Rateče is where Slovenia, Italy and Austria meet.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Zelenci on GetYourGuide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kranjska Gora for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.