Kočevski rog: bear watching

Program duration: 2 days
Season: April - first half of September
Difficulty: moderately demanding
Suitable for: families with older children, couples, individuals, small groups (up to 8 people)
You can observe: the brown bear, wolf, lynx, deer, roe deer, forest birds, owls, waterfowl

Package description:

• on the first day you will learn about bears in the "Bear Room",
• you will look for traces of wild animals in the forest and you may even encounter them,
• after lunch you will learn the rules of behavior when observing animals,
• accompanied by a hunter, you will observe animals from the observation stand,
• you will end the first day full of impressions after dinner,
• the next day you will visit a bear-friendly beekeeper,
• you will go on a hike along the trail "Following the Bear's Footsteps",
• you will try to recognize animal traces,
• you will learn the difference between a forest and a primeval forest,
• you will end the adventure by visiting the remarkable fir tree, the Queen of Rog.

Program schedule:

Day 1: Learning about bears and observing the animals

The first day of the adventure begins in the town of Kočevje, located in the heart of Kočevsko. An experienced and specialized guide will first present you with the entire program and take you to the "Bear Room" in Kočevje. The "Bear Room" is intended for learning about bears and everything related to them, and during your visit, you will learn about the brown bear's living environment, the importance of population regulation and tools for measuring the population.

Then you will go deep into the heart of the Kočevsko forests until you find the first traces of wild animals. This will be an ideal place to stop and start exploring the secret forests where you can discover traces of different animals. With the help of a guide, you will follow the animals and explore the various signs of the presence of wildlife in their natural environment and learn a lot of new things.

After visiting the forests, it will be time for lunch, and then you will return to the "Bear Room", where the guide will share additional information about the correct behavior at the observation stands during animal watching. Then you will be joined by a local hunter who will accompany you for bear watching to specially adapted observation stands set up a few meters above the ground. There you have to sit in complete silence and indulge in the sounds of nature and animal watching. With some luck, you may also be able to spot a brown bear, as they mostly roam on established paths and are therefor likely to be seen. Nevertheless, you need to be aware that nature is unpredictable, which actually makes it even more enchanting.

Late in the evening, the hunter will safely escort you to the means of transport, which will then take you back to your accommodation. This will be followed by a light dinner, socializing and sharing your experiences with a guide.

Day 2: Coexistence of men and bears

After a delicious breakfast of local delicacies, you will head to a nearby farm, where you will learn about successful practices of coexistence of men and large beasts. Here you will learn about the challenges and actions needed for peaceful coexistence between men and bears. You will also stop by a local beekeeper who was awarded the sign "Bear-Friendly" beekeeper, who will introduce you to measures for successful coexistence and introduce you to beekeeping and various educational stories about the coexistence of beekeepers and bears.

After lunch, you will go on a hike in the woods, where the guide will teach you about the natural environment of bears, and you will also be able to try yourself in recognizing the tracks and other traces of bears and other wild animals. The trail "Following the Bear's Footsteps" leads through Rog, along the Roška hiking trail and will guide you through the most beautiful corners of the Secret Forest and along the edge of the Rajhenavski Rog primeval forest. Here you will be able to observe the difference between man-made forests and primeval forests that are left to the laws of nature and are not encroached upon by man.

You will end the day by visiting the Queen of Rog - the amazing fir tree (Abies alba), with a circumference of 5 meters and a height of over 50 meters. The Queen of Rog germinated around the year 1500.

We have developed this program in accordance with the standards of sustainable tourism and with the least possible impact on the environment, especially on wild animals.

Price:

2 people - 700 €/person
3 people- 540 €/person
4-8 people- 460 €/person

The price includes:

- 2 days of guidance in the company of an experienced local tour guide
- presentation of the life and characteristics of bears and other animals in the forest
- tracking signs of the presence of wild animals in their natural environment
- a visit to the beekeeper and tasting of honey and other honey-based products
- a visit to the bear room
- evening bear-watching accompanied by a local hunter
- all transportation in the destination as part of the program
- 2 x lunch, 2 x dinner and 1 x breakfast
- 1 x overnight stay

Contact and inquiries:

Zavod Kočevsko
T: +386 31 544 744
E: info@kocevsko.com