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Packraft on the river Soca (Slovenia) Upper-soca section

From Lepena (near Velika Korita) to the confluence with the river Koritnica (camping Liza). Class III-IV

By Packrafting.cat

November 25^th, 2024

See the main post with all the sections and information for Packrafting and other activities on the Soca River in Slovenia.

https://blog.packrafting.cat/soca-river-the-european-mecca-of-kayaking

Original post in Spanish

See Río Soča. La meca europea del Kayak... y como no, del packraft 😉. Un sueño cumplido!

Sections

The stretches of the Soca river are:

T0 Upper Soca: From Lepena (just after the beautiful gorge of Velika korita Soče) to the confluence of the river Soca and the river Koritnica where we had our accommodation (camping Liza).
T1 Confluence Koritnica - bridge Čezsoča (Prijon Center) - Slap Boka - Sprenica 1: Quiet stretch for everyone where you can relax and watch the scenery while being carried away by the river current.
T2 Srpenica 1 - Tronovo: 4 km Cl II to III (3+) a very entertaining section.
T3 Tronovo 1 to Tronovo 2 - Slalom section. Short slalom of approx. 1 km distance with class IV rapids.
T4 Gorge de la Soča. Cataract section. It is 2km of class IV+ with many potential hazards due to siphons. We did not do this section.
T5- Otona - Kobarid section. 3 km Cl III (3+) of beautiful route combining open mouth scenery with good and constant class III rapids.
T6- Kobarid - Tolmin: 14 km of calm water ride.

To these sections we have to add the section of the Koritnica river.

T1 Koritnica: One of the best sections of the Soca valley.

Here is the information of section 0, Upper Soca.

Google Map

Here you can find a detail of all the highlights of the Soca River.

T0 Upper Soca Lepena - Vodenca (Camping Liza)

The physiognomy of the river is interspersed between canyoned areas to quieter parts, but the whole area has exceptional landscapes with a remarkable isolation in some parts, although a well known trail runs all the time near the river and there are sections with parking lots of the road nearby.

In some areas there are waves to play with.

Along the route

A hundred meters below the Great Soča Gorge (Velika korita Soče) you will find a parking lot on the left side of the river, near a suspension bridge. You can board before or after the bridge.

The first 2.3 kilometers are to enjoy the crystal clear waters and beautiful scenery, in a class II warm-up section.

At this 2.3 kilometer point you will see the second bridge of the route and we reach the first section of whitewater, the rapids of the bridge.

Packraft on the river Soca (Slovenia) Upper-soca section

The scouting, the portage and the photons are possible from the bridge. This is accessible from the left bank of the river where you will find part of the beautiful path that follows the river. It is possible to repeat this section as many times as you want (advantages of packraft dear Kayakers 😉) since at the end of the rapids there is a landing on the right bank that allows you to return through the parking lot and the bridge to the starting point.

💡 The Soca River in many of its sections is a river suitable for beginners. And in some sections with complicated passages it is also possible that the whole group regardless of level can participate in the descent. This is the case of the Upper Soca section where both the section of the bridge rapids and the Soca gorge can be ported and thus avoid the complicated sections turning the river into a more accessible class II-III.

Soca Gorge

After overcoming another bridge we reach km 5.2 where we find the key point of the Upper Soca section: the entrance to the Gorge. This level IV passage is demanding as we must paddle determined and with good technique to prevent the water from pressing us against the left side of the wall and overturning us and causing a swim through the entire Gorge. In case of a swim, keep calm until you reach the first backwater just below the bridge, where you can recover.

⚠️ In case of swimming I recommend avoiding the more than possible cuttoffs/drosages on the sides of the canyon walls, a good option is to look not to lose the material especially to keep hold of the packraft or semi-climbed to it so that we have a flotation system that allows us to reach the backwater (of peace). Do not trust the backwater! Swim hard because it is easy to get lost and skip it and swim again the second section that seems to be simpler and all a priori has some drosages in my opinion more dangerous.

It is highly recommended to do a previous scouting of this area and/or even have people watching/securing at the entrance in case someone might need help. To do this you should go out on the right bank of the river a few meters before the entrance to the canyon. You should avoid entering in droves and if possible there should never be more than one person swimming ;-)

Undoubtedly, this section of the Gorge is one of my favorites of the Soca valley. It should be noted that the entire gorges are portageable since there is a tunnel that crosses the entire section and allows us to exit at the end of the canyoned area.

In addition, this is undoubtedly one of the most photogenic areas with the photos that can be taken from the bridge (accessible by a path near the start of the tunnel), the snapshots inside and at the exit of the tunnel, as well as the graceful gap in the tunnel that allows you to photograph the packrafters who are in the final backwater of the canyon.

Salida de Gorga del Soca

This section ends in a bathing area that is very popular with hikers in summer as a place to cool off. Packrafters appreciate the step in this area that allows us to practice the boof.

From here, all that remains is to enjoy the scenery and a few more simple rapids until we reach the confluence of the Soca River and the Koritnica(km 6.8), a strategic point where we have the disembarkation point and our accommodation, the Liza campsite.

Desembarque Camping Liza

In the following photos, you can see the landing beach at the "aiguabarreig" Soca-Koritnica and a group of happy packrafters.

You can consult the packraft route of the Upper Soca section from Lepena to Vodenca on Wikiloc:

Some screenshots of the flows enjoyed.

Click on the map to see it in full.

https://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/site-media/socarivermap.pdf

Carlos Gang

The first team was sponsored by Packrafting Spain (Jamón Ibérico Sponsorship ™), the entire team with the Aoraki Packraft tuticolori:

The hiking trails through the river valleys are highly recommended. Personally, it was a good idea to visit the starting point of the Koritnica Gorges, we got some very mystical pictures.

Velika korita Soče (Great Soča Gorge)

You will pass through here on your way to the Upper Soca T0 parking lot. It is well worth a stop to visit and get to know this narrow (and forbidding) canyon of the Soca River.

A few pictures are worth a thousand words...

Monte Triglav

Someday I have to explain this story in detail, but for now here is a quick recommendation: climb Mount Triglav, there are several ways, but the one I chose to climb with sections of via ferrata I recommend it, a strenuous and unique experience.

Venecia

If, like us, you fly to Venice, you can make an express visit...

Packraft in the Noguera Pallaresa river

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