The Slapnica valley

Note: The figures for length and elevation gain are given for the shortened version of the trail, there and back. Starting from the quarry, the trail is 13 km long with 500 m of elevation gain. If you want to go as far as Dragan’s mill, add another 2.7 km and 147 m of elevation gain.

The Slapnica valley (Slapnička draga) is the stream valley of the Slapnica brook, which rises at the foot of Žumberačka gora. It lies within the Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje Nature Park.

Along its course it gathers the waters of numerous other tributaries. The most significant are Vranjački potok, Drenovac, Duboki potok, Jarak and Kalovka. Most of the smaller streams dry up in summer, so the water level of the Slapnica fluctuates a good deal too.

The very name “Slapnica” (from slap, waterfall) suggests that the stream abounds in falls. They are mostly smaller ones up to two metres high, but this valley is full of surprises! On the tributaries mentioned above, very close to the main trail, far larger waterfalls lie hidden – and they are among the most spectacular in Croatia!

When we were planning this trip, our expectations of the Slapnica valley were middling. Since the whole Žumberak region is beautiful, we did not expect anything here to stand out that much. The Slapnica valley, however, surpassed all our expectations, and we would rank this trail among the most beautiful in Croatia. That will certainly earn it a permanent place in one of the sections on our front page!

Practical information

First a few practical details. From the sources available online it was not entirely clear to us how far you can go by car and from which side we should approach the trail. At the southern end of the trail there is a quarry.

Logic told us that the road should be fine at least that far and that there would be enough room to park around the quarry. Although one navigation app was taking us to the other end of the trail, we stuck with the approach from the quarry side, which proved to be right. At first we left the car here, but then several cars with “local” plates drove past us, which suggested the forest road was in “drivable” condition. As we had a few other things planned for the day, we decided to shorten the trail a little and drove some 1.5 km upstream, to the last bends before a cluster of holiday cottages, where we parked beside the road in deep shade. That turned out to be a bullseye!

The bulk of the trail is in fact a forest road winding along the stream. It is an earth-and-gravel road, passable by car, with only the odd small pothole here and there. From somewhere around the halfway point it continues as an asphalt road. If the asphalt were ever extended all the way to the quarry, it would permanently destroy the charm and the beauty of this trail. We are not usually fans of walking along roads, but this one has a wonderful feel to it, it fits into the natural setting and it offers countless ways down to hidden oases by the stream. Traffic is very light. In half a day we met 5 or 6 cars.

The length of the walk can be adapted to your own preferences. A reasonably rounded-off whole would be Quarry – Dragan’s mill, with detours to the two big waterfalls on the tributaries – Vranjak and Brisalo.

From the quarry it is 2.8 km to the first turn-off for the Vranjak waterfall. From that turn-off to the next one, the one for the Brisalo waterfall, is a further 3.2 km.

From there it is another 1.3 km to Dragan’s mill. The whole way is relatively flat, and the only slightly steeper climbs are up to the two waterfalls mentioned. They are reached by paths 200 – 300 m long that are not difficult; families with younger children were managing them too.

If for any reason you do not want to walk the whole trail but do want to see the waterfalls, you can drive as far as the turn-offs for them, which some people were doing during our visit, but that takes a great deal away from the experience and the beauty of the trail as a whole.

If you want a bit more of a challenge, the route can also be extended. Beyond both of the big waterfalls there are hiking trails that are somewhat more demanding and end at the top of the canyon.

The best time for the trip

Bear in mind that most of the tributaries dry up during the summer. If you want to see the big waterfalls in all their glory, the right time to visit is after a longer spell of rain. The vegetation contributes a great deal to the beauty of the whole valley. In this area that means only from mid-April onwards. We were there at the beginning of May. The vegetation and the water level were both ideal! The temperature was perfect through the morning, but on the way back (around 2 p.m.), with 25 degrees, we looked with some sympathy at the day trippers with small children, because it was already on the edge of comfortable. Although the trail is in shade for most of its length, we think the best time to visit would be in the morning, from the middle of April to the end of May.

Late autumn here is probably beautiful too, but only after heavier rains, which are needed to fill the stream beds.

The Vranjak waterfall (Vranjak)

From the quarry to the turn-off for the Vranjak waterfall is about 2.8 km. As we had left the car a little closer, it took us 1.2 km of pleasant walking. The morning freshness of the forest stayed with us the whole way. We often went down to the Slapnica itself to enjoy its hidden oases.

The turn-off for Vranjak is well marked and you cannot miss it. The climb begins gently and runs through dense vegetation. The path is well trodden and clearly visible. Its total length is about 300 m. After two thirds of the way we pass an imposing rock, carved out by the action of the water.

Nature here is beautiful, at moments a real jungle!

We duck under a fallen tree and then come to a slightly steeper section of the path.

It gets muddy and the path branches off in several directions. Through the thicket we can make out the fall down which the stream drops in steps, but we cannot clearly see the way up to it.

Only at the very end do we see the turn to the right that takes us to the last steep pitch, up which we climb to the foot of the cliff. We approach the waterfall from the side. The sight is fascinating!

The Vranjak waterfall plunges from a height of 15 m, and we are standing right underneath it. We step in behind the falling water and through the spray we look out at the jungle we have just fought our way through. The smiles will not leave our faces. It is as if we were on another planet!

The trail along the Slapnica had already delighted us, but at this moment we realised we had an article with its own permanent place on the front page!

Many people will probably ask themselves at this point whether to carry on or whether they have seen enough already. Our advice is: carry on!

The Brisalo waterfall

The turn-off for this waterfall is a good 4.4 km from the turn-off for Vranjak. The way to it is still largely flat, with the odd gentle rise. The second part of the route is asphalted. That is the only thing we do not like, but we understand that the road had to be protected from the rain because of local traffic.

The turn-off for the waterfall crosses a footbridge.

We pass a visitor counter…

This path climbs far more gently than the one to the Vranjak waterfall, and it is some 100 m shorter. In total it is about 200 m long.

In places we literally feel as if we are in a jungle!

We pass a short section with a cable… Nothing serious, you can get through without holding on. After that the path crosses the stream. We hop from stone to stone – a little adventure never goes amiss!

On the other side we come to a section that has to be taken on the cable. It is very easy, suitable for children too, and delight for young and old alike is guaranteed!

Very soon afterwards you reach the pool into which the Brisalo waterfall comes crashing down.

And while Vranjak was a little shy, Brisalo is utterly explicit and wild. You can walk behind this one too, and since it carries more water the effect is even more striking!

The walk through the Slapnica valley is quite certainly one of the most spectacular in Croatia! Photographs cannot convey its full beauty!

A few more photographs of the Slapnica and its surroundings…