The most beautiful natural sites to discover Northeast

A tropical garden with a humid and warm atmosphere that includes nearly a thousand exotic plants. The garden is well-designed, lush and has small educational workshops to help you better understand how the finished product is obtained from the raw plant - examples of the pepper and coffee plant. Superb orchid garden - more than 4,000 in total with an unsuspected number of varieties - too. A moment of total change of scenery guaranteed!

Beautiful green space with ponds, swans, music kiosk (1890), aquarium.

The window of Matkov. It is a 8 m opening in the rocky walls, accessible by a trail that leads from the Elektrokovina holiday house to Zabrložnica.

This is another glacial valley, parallel to the Logar valley, 6 km long. La Ride takes its source and joins the Črna to give the Savinja.

You can reach it by car before continuing on foot. The trail leads to Okrešelj (1,396 m) after a continuous ascent. It is possible to quench your thirst at the Slap Rinka Hostel at the foot of the waterfall until 10pm. The source of the Savinja River is located about 20 minutes upstream from the Rinka waterfall. Hiking boots are recommended to start the winding path that leads above the waterfall jump and continues via footbridges, ladders and boulders to the source. The final part continues through the woods. 15 minutes from the first source of the Savinja River, a panoramic relaxation break at the Frischaufov dom na Okrešlju hut at 1,378 m. It took an hour's good mountain walk to get there. The place is packed on the weekends. Meals are then taken from the backpack. As for the house, it offers hearty little dishes. The bravest ones continue towards Kamniško sedlo at 1,864 m. Count an hour and a half of climbing in addition. Laces first and a steep passage towards the end with a handrail. After the Rinka waterfall falls, the water disappears and then resurfaces, mixed with the water from the spring Črna, near the Kranija farm. When the rains are heavy, the waters of the waterfall remain on the surface and adopt a new name: Kotovec. La Savinja is truly born at the end of the Logar Valley. The Črna joins the Jezera, flowing from the Matkov Kot valley. From now on, the waters begin their course under the name of Savinja.

From the summit, the valleys of the Miža, Mislinja, Drava and Savinja can be identified. On a clear day, the Triglav and Grossglockner (Austria) become visible. The church consecrated in 1602 by the Bishop of Ljubljana Tomaž Hren and erected at an altitude of 1,680 m holds the country's altitude record. By road about 20 kilometres southwest of Slovenj Gradec. Via the hiking trail, ask at the information office to reach it and bring a map. The region is also a small paradise for hikers and mountain bikers.

This glacial valley is also a natural park. It is surrounded by Križevnik (1 901 m), Ojstrica (2 350 m) and Krofička (2 083 m).

It is a rocky needle on the left 4 km upstream from Luče with an intermittent and fluctuating source. Water appears every 10 to 20 minutes. This natural site is particularly famous in Slovenia and throughout the former Yugoslavia. A hundred years ago, climbing it was the only way to get to Luce from Solcava. One admires the courage of the few intrepid climbers who have overcome this extreme difficulty, which is still some 40 m high.

Ajdovska Cave is an ancient prehistoric site where archaeologists have found many objects of daily life dating back to the Bronze Age. It allowed its inhabitants to protect themselves from external dangers. The cave has undergone several human occupations over the centuries, serving as a food reserve during periods of famine or harsh winters. It continues to provide essential shelter for the large local bat population.

It can be reached by a forest road after crossing the Savinja from the city centre. There is also a road to get there on days when the sky is not very nice. Built in 2015, this impressive hut perched in the middle of the forest was built with local wood. There is absolute calm, nature takes back its rights only a few hundred meters from the city. The architectural achievement is spectacular. Educational, scientific and cultural workshops take place there throughout the year.

7 km from the centre of Celje you will find a large oasis called Šmartinsko jezero. This lake is a meeting point of recreation, sports and water fun for people who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The lake is surrounded by a well-maintained walking and cycling path. The car park opposite the Panorama café in the hamlet of Runtole is the best place to park as the access road leads through a hilly coniferous forest. From the café, you will have a breathtaking view of the lake. The biggest carp caught was 34.6 kg!

The artificial lake of Ptuj was created by the dam designed to generate hydropower from the Drava River. It is the largest lake in Slovenia (346 ha) which in summer allows you to kayak on 9 km long, to rent small sailing boats, scooters on the water, to relax on the beach, to fish too... A beautiful promenade has been built all around this stretch of water. Many enthusiasts meet here to observe the avian biodiversity with its lot of cormorants, terns and gulls.