Sopot waterfall

Inland Istria can be experienced in countless ways, and for us, apart from the food, one of the more interesting is exploring its natural beauty. Besides the permanent watercourses of the Mirna, the Raša and the Dragonja, there is a whole string of smaller rivers and streams hiding some of the finest natural sights in Istria and in Croatia. Some of them have literally become trademarks of Istria, and Sopot waterfall is one of those.

Although it lies only 8 km south-east of Pazin, the drive from town can take a while, because you have to make a complete half-circle via Pićan. You turn off the main road towards Sopot onto a slightly narrower road that after some 4 km brings you to a car park in the village of Floričići. From there it is about 400 m of easy walking downhill along an earth track to the waterfall.

Istria is full of walking and cycling trails, and Sopot is no exception. It is part of the St. Roch trail, which takes you from Floričići to Pićan. This time we had no time for the whole trail, so we made do with the 400 m walk down to the waterfall.

Istrian streams and smaller rivers have one problem. During the dry part of the year most of them run dry, and the dry part of the year is not necessarily only the summer. We found Sopot in a very “meagre” edition. There was just enough water to form a waterfall, but that is far below its full potential.

A note for photography lovers: this is a morning location. The afternoon sun is hidden by the cliffs, so the waterfall and the lake are in shade. Since our main phone for taking pictures had died the day before, we were not much inspired to photograph anyway, but that is not the point of our travels in any case. Sopot had been on our wish list for ages and we could hardly wait to see it in the flesh. Regardless of the low water and the shade it was sitting in, Sopot enchanted us in every way!

We were lucky that there were not many people around it, so we could take our time. We do not like having to jostle with people, hurry, and step out of someone’s shot. We like to experience a place in peace, because only then can you feel it in all its fullness.

The very first sight of the waterfall is enchanting! The Švićki potok stream passes through the arch of a stone bridge and forms a waterfall that drops from an impressive semicircular cliff, from a height of 25 m, into a small picturesque pool. That pool, like most other Istrian pools, reflects a beautiful green colour when the sun is on it. As the pool was in shade we could not see that here, but we did witness the colour on the Trail of the Seven Waterfalls, which we will write about another time.

To really experience this place it is not enough just to glance at it from above; it is well worth going down to the pool itself. The descent to the pool starts from the opposite, south-western side and runs through a little wood along an earth path. We hardly need to stress that care is needed on the way down, because accidents have already happened here. After rain this path is certainly muddy and slippery, so that too should be taken into account when deciding whether to go down. The last part of the descent goes over two smallish rock faces fitted with ropes to help you down and back up again. I do not know how well the photographs with this text can convey it, but with the necessary care and suitable footwear, the climb on this section should not be much of a problem for older children and adults.

Once you are down by the pool the waterfall is far more intense, because you are literally face to face with it, and the canyon around you adds to the atmosphere. If there is nobody up on the cliffs, for a moment you feel as though you were in the middle of some jungle rather than in cultivated Europe. The droplets carried from the waterfall are a pleasant refreshment, and nature here is utterly calming. As the water was fairly low, we also explored the course of the stream a little further downstream. Fun for nature lovers is guaranteed!

A couple more notes to finish with: Sopot near Pazin should not be confused with Copot (which some also call Sopot) above Buzet. Copot is special in its own way, and we will come to it another time. Near Sopot is Benkovski slap, higher still and even more dramatic, so if you are here already, it is worth slotting that into the same outing!