An awe-inspiring hike to make your heart skip a beat: Kamniško Sedlo
With strikingly beautiful panoramic views, an enchanting green meadow stretches between towering peaks to the east and west and continues into a steep drop to the glacial Logar Valley to the north. At 1,900 m, Kamniško Sedlo is one of those easy half-day hikes that ends on a sunny terrace of a friendly hut in the middle of a mountain idyll, while also connecting with the neighbouring peaks through a myriad of trails. The best part? It’s less than 40 km from Ljubljana!
Kamniško Sedlo, despite its vicinity of Slovenia’s capital, contains all the elements of a world-class hike. Somehow the 5.4-kilometre hike up to the mountain ridge, which gains a total of 1,284 metres, goes by quickly as you bypass a little shepherds’ bivouac just when the forest thins out, and enter a jaw-dropping world of huge vertical rock walls on both right and left, sometimes meeting wildlife while going along a friendly trail over green meadows leading all the way to the top.
When on Kamniško Sedlo, you can opt to rest in soft grass admiring the mountainous world around you, or eat and drink in the hut, or climb the mountains. A note for the wise: bring plenty of water and snacks for the hike up to Kamniško Sedlo as the trail is marked for 3.5 hours and has no water springs on the way up.
For the best views over the saddle, walk just a little more to the east towards Planjava.
Extending your adventure
Nested among two majestic mountains, Planjava to the east and Brana to the west, Kamniško Sedlo is actually the point where easy and friendly stops, and demanding and technical begins. From there on, all trails require a helmet, skills, some climbing, and it takes hours before you reach another mountain hut after climbing over precipitous rocky landscapes. See our tips for hiking safety.
Anyway, those of you looking for a little extra can extend your trip to the two most obvious peaks, Mt. Brana and Mt. Planjava, but could also go further on to Turska Gora, Ojstrica, or over to Okrešelj and Logarska Valley. My favourite? Brana, 2,253 m.
At 2,253 metres and a semi-steep face, Brana is a sort of introductory trip to the high mountains. Marked for an additional one hour, the trail first passes a large scree slope, then climbs over large rocks along a steep face with a steel cable securing the most exposed parts. It’s really not that hard but if you have a soft spot for exposure, you may find the last section a bit unnerving.
Mountain hut on Kamniško Sedlo
Open throughout the year at sunny weekends and every day from June to September, the Kamnik Hut is a place to rest, boost your energy with mountain dishes like ričet and jota, enjoy a cold drink, or even spend a night under a starry sky. Stretched out between private and communal bedrooms, the hut sleeps 56 people easily, while the winter room sleeps another 12 people if needed.
Arriving at the trailhead
As the trail starts from the easily accessible Kamniška Bistrica Hut in the Kamniška Bistrica Valley, located less than 40 km from Ljubljana, you can arrive there either by car or bus (Ljubljana – Kamnik, Kamnik – Kamniška Bistrica). From there, it’s just following the signs for Kamniško Sedlo. Easy peasy.
Anyway, have fun and enjoy a beautiful day in the mountains!
