Bear Watching Slovenia

Join a wildlife expert and venture deep into Slovenia’s forests where you’ll get a chance to meet our majestic brown bear in its natural habitat. Experience the tranquillity of solitude while observing nature’s amazing game of life play out before your eyes.

With over 60% of its territory covered in dense forests, Slovenia is one of the greenest countries in the world. A great example of Slovenian woodlands is the Kočevski Rog primeval forest. This ancient marvel is home to 20,000-year-old cavemen dwellings and is ruled over by the majestic king of forests – the brown bear.

There are just under one thousand European brown bears living in Slovenia, around 600 of which roam the Kočevski Rog forest. The number of these magnificent creatures has grown dramatically in the last twenty years, which resulted in the government’s decision to reduce the bear population by two hundred specimens in the coming years. This sparked a nation-wide outcry to preserve Slovenia’s indigenous friendly giant. And rightly so. As human civilisation expands, the deforestation of certain areas has caused the brown bear to reach borderline extinction on the European continent. However, the Slovenian bears are under strict conservation and will undoubtedly be sharing our forests for many generations to come.

Although a very tiny chance of actually catching a glimpse of a bear while hiking through Slovenia’s grand primeval forest does exist, running into one is virtually impossible. Or is it? Normally, bears tend to avoid humans. As soon as they sense us approaching, they scurry off into the opposite direction never to be seen again. But here’s where Bear Watching comes in.

By following a wildlife expert deep into Slovenia’s bear country, you’ll come face-to-face with this furry beast in its natural environment. Before venturing into the wilderness, our guide will teach you everything you need to know about bears and their habitat. Once in the safe confines of a wooden outpost, you’ll be able to witness nature’s wonderful creatures going about their daily lives. The outpost’s giant windows will give you an up-close view of this spectacular animal. The experience is enhanced by the feeling of solitude and oneness with nature. In addition to the mighty bear, you may often be able to see wild foxes, lynxes, martens, deer, wolves, badgers, skunks and other beautiful forest dwellers. Amazing photos will be taken and loads of fun will be had!

Bear Watching doesn’t only give you a unique opportunity to learn all about these stunning creatures and the woods in which they live. You’ll also be contributing to a good cause, as some of the proceeds go directly towards the preservation of local wildlife. An unforgettable adventure awaits!

For professional photographers we have special hides are available. The professional photo hides are tailored to the needs of the photographer. They have been selected carefully regarding location and light availability. These hides are approximately at eye level with the bears. Professional photo hides are equipped with bean bags and offer options to fix tripod heads.