Notranjska Regional Park

Southwestern Slovenia


This 222-sq-km park is a real biodiversity hotspot and holds within its borders a good deal of the region's karst phenomena, including the intermittent Lake Cerknica, forests, meadows, wetlands, caves (including Križna Cave) and Rakov Škocjan gorge. There is also a wealth of cultural heritage in the form of orchards, preserved buildings and old hayracks. Great hiking, cycling and birdwatching lie within its borders. The area's tourist office can provide info.

Within the park's boundaries, bears abound, along with a small chance of seeing wolves and Eurasian lynx.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Southwestern Slovenia attractions

1. Rakov Škocjan

0.41 MILES

Rakov Škocjan is a beautiful, 2.5km-long gorge lying some 6km west of Cerknica. The Rak River, en route to join the Pivka River at Planina Cave, has…

2. Heritage House

1.74 MILES

This project, which opened in 2015, aims to preserve the cultural and natural heritage of the Notranjska Regional Park, and to that end it stages public…

3. Museum of Lake Cerknica

2.77 MILES

In the village of Dolenje Jezero you will find the Lake House Museum, with a 5m-by-3m, 1:2500-scale working model of Lake Cerknica. It shows how the…

4. Lake Cerknica

3.02 MILES

Since ancient times, periodic Lake Cerknica (Cerniško Jezero) has baffled and perplexed people, appearing and disappearing with the seasons. Cerknica is a…

5. Planina Cave

3.7 MILES

Planina Cave, 12km to the northeast of Postojna Cave, is the largest water cave in Slovenia and a treasure-trove of fauna (including Proteus anguinus)…

6. Expo Postojna Cave Karst

4.81 MILES

This well-designed, kid-friendly space displays details of karst phenomena in an engaging manner, and tracks cave exploration. Most interesting is all the…

7. Vivarium Proteus

4.85 MILES

Just near the entrance to the Postojna Cave is the Vivarium, the cradle of a special branch of biology: speleobiology. Postojna provides shelter to dozens…

8. Postojna Cave

4.89 MILES

The jaw-dropping Postojna Cave system, a series of caverns, halls and passages some 24km long and two million years old, was hollowed out by the Pivka…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "slovenia/cerknica/attractions/notranjska-regional-park/a/poi-sig/1525373/360709",
      "destination": "Southwestern-Slovenia",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Slovenia",
      "region": "Southwestern-Slovenia",
      "position": "superzone"
    }