New on Juliana Trail: additional 4 stages and stamps

With the increasing number of visitors to the Julian Alps, we often ask ourselves where the upper limit of sustainability is, how many visitors the place can carry. Our goal is to preserve the environment and avoid the perils of over-visitation so that future generations can live from tourism and the local population continues to thrive here.  

The most important fields are transport and marketing. We need to advance our efforts toward sustainable means of transport and find solutions that will benefit visitors and also deviate from the general goals of marketing by promoting a responsible travelling mindset. Our vision is to create more and more quality experiences for conscious visitors that are improving the general life of the locals and nature at the same time.   

The best thing about the Julian Alps is the connectedness of different partners - the municipalities, local tourist boards, the Triglav National Park administration and local providers. Together we are slowly building a cooperative of variety and excellence, based on the UNESCO MAB Development Plan from 2015 and significantly upgraded with the Julian Alps Biosphere Reserve development plan (2021 - 2025).  

See details about Juliana Hiking Trail >

4 new stages on Juliana Trail

© Arhiv ZTKMŠ Brda, www.slovenia.info

One of our important joint products is the Juliana Trail  - a long-distance hiking trail around the Julian Alps. On the one hand, the route connects destinations in the Julian Alps and, on the other hand, puts into practice the principles on which we want to build our tourist offer.

The uncertain corona times are quite hard on the tourism industry. Numerous restrictions can quickly mislead us into deviating from our plans in the effort to save the tourism economy. With such complex products as Juliana Trail, we can better align with the vision of sustainable development of destinations. Despite all the consequences of the coronavirus, which will impact tourism for a long time, we persist and insist on offering our guests the best of our destinations and support the local population by providing the opportunity to develop, create and expand their offer.

Since the opening in 2019, many hikers have walked the trail. Amazing feedback at home and around the world is a great confirmation, we are on the right track. The basic circle of the Juliana Trail takes hikers on a circular pilgrimage around the Julian Alps (16 stages, 270 kilometres) while remaining at a respectful distance from the protected and sensitive highlands. This way, we relieve the burden of the ever more besieged mountain world. In late spring, when the peaks and mountain valleys are still covered by snow, the trees, bountiful meadows, lively waters and exceptional views will simply impress you. 

Last year, we upgraded the trail with additional four stages, which add a slight touch of the Mediterranean to the alpine circle. It is these additional stages that lead the hiker to the picturesque wine region of Goriška Brda, proving the inseparable connection of the Julian Alps with the Adriatic Sea.

The coordinator of the Julian Alps Association, Klemen Langus explains this decision:

"First of all, Brda and Kanal are partner municipalities of the Julian Alps. In the original designs of the Juliana Trail Julian Trail, we foresaw adding additional routes to the basic circle, with intention of enriching the basic circle. With this first extension towards the Goriška Brda, additional branches will follow in the coming years. But all of them will follow the original idea and will need to meet certain criteria." 

24 stamps on the way

© Julian Alps
The reason for the decision to place stamps on the stages of the Juliana Trail is the exceptional visit last year and the strong perceived demand for collecting stamps, which are often part of such experiences. Along the entire route, you can collect a total of 24 stamps in the reprinted version of a trail guide book, that holds a stamp diary. 

Whoever collects the stamps and sends the diary with the stamps to the booking centre in Bovec, will receive an occasional diploma and a prize. The guide is available at 25 points of sale, mostly at Tourist Information Centers or in one of the destinations online shops.

You are also welcome to join the Juliana Trail Community - our Facebook Group is now a JT "fan club" with almost 7000 members, sharing daily impressions from the trail and helping each other with useful information.