Everything You Need To Know Before Hiking The Kamnik Saddle In Slovenia
Welcome to our all time favourite hike in Slovenia – and possibly in the world – the Kamnik Saddle (Kamniško Sedlo) hike located in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. This hike was SO much fun and has amazing views throughout.
Blog Contents:
Hike Overview
The Kamnik Saddle Hike to the Kamnik Hut is relatively challenging but SO worth it. The majority of the hike is a regular marked out trail through the forest and some rocky areas, but the end finishes with some uphill scrambling that is not for the faint of heart. I highly recommend using the All Trails app to navigate your way through the hike as near the end the turn off to climb up the mountain isn’t as obvious as you’d imagine!
- Distance: 8-9 km
- Elevation: approximately 1000m
- Time: Out – 2.5-3 hrs; Return – 2-2.5 hrs
All Trails link for our exact route here.
Throughout the hike make sure you keep an eye out for the symbol guiding the way – a painted red outer circle with a white circle in the middle.
What To Know Before
Where The Hike Starts
This hike starts in the Logar Valley which honestly is its own experience and I highly recommend visiting even if you’re not planning on doing this hike. You will need to pay an access fee to enter the valley (we paid 7 Euros for our car to drive through in 2023) and then we were able to park for free overnight at the Bar Under The Waterfall (BAR POD SLAPOM on google maps).
This was a great kick off point as not only did we not have to worry about parking (the parking area around the bar has sufficient parking), but you get to experience the Logar Valley before you even step off into the mountains. In this valley you will find insane views of the surrounding alps, cute hotels and accommodations, and some great restaurants with some farm-to-table menus!
Where To Stay
This hike, like many in Slovenia, has a mountain hut at the top of the hike (Kamnik Hut) which is 100% worth staying at! It was a much quieter mountain hut than some of the others we have visited which made it even better – you can have some of the views all to yourself. We were even able to rent a two-person bedroom instead of the usual hostel type bunk-bed rooms.
The place had running water, toilet facilities, and a shower to use. They serve meals throughout the day including dinner and breakfast which can be purchased. You can even grab yourself a glass of wine!
You can book the mountain hut through this link here.
What To Pack
Besides the usual gear (i.e. some hiking clothes, shoes, and sleepwear) there are a few other items you may need. A sleeping bag liner is required to be brought for most mountain huts in Slovenia or you may have to pay extra for linens. Another note is as you are literally hiking in the alps, it will be chilly! Make sure you do pack some extra layers so you won’t get cold whilst admiring the views.
The Hiking Experience
Part 1: Departure
We started our hike around 2:30 pm from the parking lot after our drive through the Logar Valley. The first part until the waterfall is the busiest as this is the short hike that most people do – after that its a pretty quiet hike up! We only ran into maybe 10 other people.
Part 2: Climb The Waterfall
After taking in the waterfall from the bottom the next thing was naturally to get the view from the top! The next climb is beside the waterfall where you can hear it crashing below. This was our first glimpse into the insane views this hike had to offer of the surrounding mountains. It’s a steep climb but had some handrails, steps, and even some mist. This was one of my favourite places on the hike!
Part 3: Through The Forest
This was the slow part of the hike for us, but still pretty impressive. The views are mostly a largely forested area, cool trees nestled in the rocks, another mountain hut, and a few peaks of the mountains here and there.
Part 4: Into The Mountains
This is where the hike really started to heat up! The views make you forget just how far you had to hike to get here. A few switchbacks, a great place to take a break, and a feeling of having the whole place to yourself is what you’ll find here.
Part 5: Time To Scramble
Make sure not to miss this turn! Once you start scrambling you really need to scan the rock faces for the symbol towards the Kamnik Saddle or follow the all trails guide closely.
Here is where we started to get into rock climbing mode using the iron pegs and wired rope to keep us away from the cliff edges. We were extremely careful and slow during this section as it was pretty intimidating but also so much fun. If you want to be cautious consider bringing a helmet up – we saw other people had them but it was likely for the sections after the Kamnik Hut.
FYI: the views look way better on the way down with the mountains in the background versus facing upwards!
Part 6: Mountain Hut Views
Once you get up and past the scramble just a few steps further will take you to your first look of the mountain hut. Nestled in the mountains with amazing 360 degree views this was one of our favourite places we have ever stayed.
Here we enjoyed dinner of stew, fresh bread, a heaping bowl of pasta and of course some wine and dessert to wash it down! All of this with a fantastic view of the mountains.
The common room has games, or take a book out to the patio area to watch the sun set over the alps.
Part 7: Rinse & Repeat
In the morning wake up for breakfast before you head out again! Coffee, eggs, bread, and a few basic items on offer will fuel you up before heading off. We had to pay our bill before we checked out for the day (and yes they took credit card).
We left around 7 am and the morning light hit just right. The entire scenery we saw just the afternoon before was illuminated by the sun – it was even better than the first time we saw it.
Last Thoughts
We loved this hike so much and it’s one of our favourite days in Slovenia. We hope you enjoy it just as much too.
If you’re planning to visit Slovenia and are looking for a fully planned seven day itinerary including this hike (and SO much more), you can visit this link to see ours!
