In May, we did a short trip with an Audi Q8 e-tron to Slovenia to explore the Stol Pass and some of the other highlights of this beautiful country.
Stol Pass
The Stol Pass track is the most famous gravel track in Slovenia. It has a length of 18km, a maximum altitude of 1381m, and runs from Korbarid to Zaga.
It is easy to drive and can be done even with a 2WD in good weather. But slightly higher ground clearance is recommended.
If you get the track book Berge des Balkans from Pistenkuh you can download their GPS track and use this as guidance.
Just be careful if you are planning to do this track early in the season. In 2006, I tried to reach the Stol Pass in early May with my VW Touareg and was stopped by a snow field. After an hour of shoveling and with the help of sandboards, I finally managed to get out of the snow and back on the track. Lessons learned!
This time, we were hoping for better conditions.
Since 2009, the track has been closed for motorcycles, but 4x4s are still allowed.
The first section of the track runs through a lush forest.
Then we reached an open area with spectacular views of the nearby valleys and mountain ranges.
The higher we drove, the more foggy it got. Very typical for the Stol. I had the same experience in 2006.
Finally, we reached the highest point of the track a 1381m. Due to some construction work at the top, it was not possible to continue to Zaga. Instead, we had to turn around and start again from Zaga. In the end, we drove the whole track with the exception of 10m in the middle.
The section from Zaga to the top leads through an extremely beautiful forest and is a nice contrast to the more open landscape on the Korbarid side of the pass.
Charging was not a big problem. There aren’t any 150 kW DC chargers in this area, but in Bovec you can find a 40 kW CCS charger next to the Spar supermarket.
On the other side of the road at the former cable car station, you can get a good pizza. When you have finished your pizza, your car is already fully charged. Not a bad combination.
Soča Valley
The track starts and ends in the Soča Valley. The Soča is probably the most beautiful river in Europe, if not in the world. Therefore, a quick visit to some of the Soča canyons is a must.
Postojna Cave
About 2 hours away from Bovec, you can find the huge Postojna Cave, which is always worth a visit.
Ljubljana
Although we had visited Slovenia more than 20 times in the past, we had never explored its capital. It was time to change this.
We enjoyed our short trip to Slovenia. It is one of my favorite countries in Europe and will always have a special place in my heart. The combination of offroad, adventure, nature, and culture worked very well. Ljubljana was a very pleasant surprise. It’s a beautiful city with a very relaxed atmosphere. Zero stress. Perfect to gain some energy back. Very different from large capitals like Paris or Berlin. I loved it.
EV Overlanding 