Kayaking Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is a sleepy mountain town in Slovenia, about 2 hours from Ljubljana by bus. The town is much smaller and less touristy than Lake Bled, with generally less infrastructure, especially in the off-season. You can think of it as Lake Bled’s lesser known cousin.

One key difference/advantage though is that Lake Bohinj is a paddler’s dream. You can easily rent your own kayak and spend the whole day exploring the lake, which is surrounded on all sides by the mountains of Triglav.

I stayed in Hostel Pod Voglom, which is a great base for outdoorsy activities. The hostel can set you up with rafting, biking, hiking, and of course kayaking. It’s located right on the lake, near the trails, and about a 30 minute walk from the downtown.

Hostel Pod Voglom’s kayaks were great – very comfortable, high-quality, and reasonably priced. But if you’re staying elsewhere in the village, there are also kayak rentals in town near the restaurants. This place really loves its kayaks.

The lake itself is an absolutely magical place, especially for paddling. On cloudy days – which were most of the days I was there- the fog hangs low over the water, creating a hauntingly beautiful scene.

As you travel along the lake, which is about 12km in circumference, you reach campgrounds on one end, and the downtown on the other. Both are great places to dock your kayak and enjoy a nice meal overlooking the lake.

I even went out on the water at dusk one evening, for a particularly foreboding experience.