Turquoise river Soča and Isonzo (Slovenia / Italy): photo, description

Did you know that every river, like a person, has its own unique character? There are calm and pacifying rivers, and there are fast and cheerful, spacious and majestic ones. What is the river Socha? Let's get to know her.

Where is

Socha is mostly stormy and playful. And she certainly has a feminine soul. After all, it is women who are beautiful. When you see this river for the first time, the brain refuses to believe in reality. It looks like it's a photoshopped photo. After all, such an incredible color of water happens only by the sea, but not by the river. Socha has a very rich color of turquoise or emerald. Therefore, it is impossible to take your eyes off her. I want to admire it for a long, long time, until the eye is sated with the beauty of these color shades.

96 km of the river falls on Slovenia. It is here that she is called Socha or “emerald beauty”, and in Italy she is known as Isonzo. In this country, its length is only 43 km. The width of Sochi is not very large, about 20 meters, although in some places it spills over 50 m. The river cannot boast of great depth either, only from 1 to 1.5 m. length of 138 km.

river source

The source of the river is located in the Slovenian national park Triglav on the slope of the mountain of the same name. At an altitude of 990 meters in the picturesque valley of the Trent, Soča originates, where it looks more like a playful mountain stream. Then it fills with crystal-clear waters from the limestone peaks of the Alps in northwestern Slovenia. More calmly, but rather quickly flows through the valley, surrounded by the picturesque Julian Alps. In Nova Gorica the river crosses the border. And already in Italy, it gradually becomes calmer and flows into the Adriatic Sea in the Gulf of Trieste near the town of Monfalcone.

The water of this river is crystal clear. As befits a mountain river, it is quite cool, only 9 degrees. But if you want, you can swim.

All for adventure lovers

Such beauty cannot go unnoticed. Therefore, many tourists come every year to relax on Soča, to admire its fabulous view and the virgin nature around. After all, its shores remained undeveloped. The valley of this river even won an award at the European Tourism Forum and received the title of the best holiday destination in Europe.

First of all, Socha is attractive for lovers of various water sports, such as rafting, kayaking, canyoning. The river creates many rapids, ledges, as well as steep slopes. Therefore, thanks to the natural landscape, lovers of extreme water rafting come to the river valley from all over the world.

The most popular resort is Bovec, which is located among the Julian Alps on the territory of the Triglav Reserve. Here the river Soča, flowing through gorges and high mountains, crosses a picturesque valley.

This place hosts international rafting competitions. This sport became popular here in the 80s of the last century. And not without reason, because rafting gives a charge of vivacity, a great mood and an incredible range of emotions.

Bovec is attractive not only for experienced athletes. For beginners who only want to learn river rafting, there are also all the conditions. Firstly, here you can find many clubs and instructors for training. Secondly, there are sections of the river that are completely different in their complexity and you can choose any one according to your skills. On one day you can raft on an easier section, and on the next day you can move on to a more difficult one. Having gained experience, take a chance and swim through the canyon. There, the river narrows from 20 to 1 meter, and then the entire stream sweeps through a narrow gap. Or use a completely different way of rafting: lying on a special plastic board. Only you still have to put on fins and control your board with the help of handles. This unusual activity is called river boogie.

Not only rafting

Are you tired of water activities? Then there is rock climbing, hiking or mountain biking, paragliding or just admiring the scenery.

The valley of the river Soča is ideal not only for lovers of water sports, but also just nature. The peaks of the Julian Alps surrounding these places, due to the lack of vegetation, always seem to be covered with snow. Therefore, they serve as an excellent backdrop for such amazing pictures: among the snow-capped mountains, there is a valley covered with lush greenery, and a river meanders along it with an emerald-turquoise ribbon.

Everyone who enjoys nature, who loves mountains and rivers, will get a charge of vivacity and inspiration here. And cozy hotels, good restaurants, hospitable Slovenes will make your vacation even better. In addition, in the resort of Bovec, in addition to sports, cultural events are also held. In the summer you can get to musical and folklore evenings, the festival of theatrical art. Good to visit from April to November. It's just that it’s impossible to retire here because of the large number of people. And in winter people go to Bovec to go skiing.

Fishing on the river

The unique fauna of this river attracts lovers of fishing. There is such a rare species of fish as marble trout. It is called the “ghost” of Sochi, because it is not given to a fisherman just like that and it is not easy to catch it. This species is currently protected by the state. Although such a fish for lunch is a reason for pride among Slovenian housewives.

The presence of trout in the river indicates the purity of local waters. There are other types of trout, such as river, lake and rainbow, as well as silver carp, Sochi grayling, madder. Local fishermen are very fond of these places and come here for more than one day. The Sochi Valley is considered the best place for fly fishing. If you are serious about fishing, you can hire a fishing guide. He will tell you where it is better to fish, and what kind, he will show you fishing techniques. Only before fishing you need to purchase coupons for fishing permits.

What else awaits you

If you are traveling by car, you can stop at some campsite on the river to admire its waters, and then go further, marveling at the amazing beauty of the mountain scenery and stopping by small colorful villages. Such, for example, as Most-on-Socha, where Socha merges with Idritsa. And be sure to sit in a quiet cozy restaurant to dissolve in this beauty and peace.

Along the river there are some attractions created not only by nature, but also by man. For example, the Solkan bridge is 220 meters long. It links Italy and Slovenia. This is the longest railway bridge in the world. It was declared a national treasure in 1985. Its merit is not only in its size. The views from the bridge are incredibly beautiful, and it also fits very harmoniously into the natural splendor. A hydroelectric power station was built on the river, which is located near the city of Tolmin.

In Kobarid, you can visit a museum dedicated to the twelve battles between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Soča River during the First World War. In literature, these events were immortalized by Ernest Hemingway in the novel A Farewell to Arms! This is where the action of the novel takes place. The fantastic color of the river did not go unnoticed by filmmakers. Several scenes for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian were filmed in Socha by the Americans. And, of course, unique landscapes attract different artists to create their masterpieces.

Everyone who comes to Socha finds himself in a different, slightly unreal world. This amazingly beautiful emerald-turquoise river, bordered by steep banks, surrounded by mountain landscapes, with suspension bridges hanging from above, is amazing. It is impossible to leave here and forget all the feelings that the nature of these places awakens. Therefore, those who have been to Socha once will definitely come back here!