Eagle Trail on Dolga Njiva
Eagle Trail is a pleasant and relatively effortless way to learn about many interesting features of the local landscape. The loop trail is easy and suitable for families who are less interested in an adrenaline rush and more interested in satisfying their curiosity about natural history and sampling tasty local foods.
Golden eagle
Have you ever watched a majestic bird soaring from time to time above the Košuta massif? The golden eagle, an endangered species, nests on these steep slopes above the mountain pasture of Dolga Njiva, at home in the kingdom between the rocky grey cliffs and the open blue sky.
The pasture community of Dolga Njiva and the current caretakers of the hut, the Kleindienst family, long considered how to enhance the attractions of Slovenian mountain pastures so as to make them truly accessible to a wider public. Starting points for ascents of 2000-metre-high peaks are a real challenge for anyone, while for the true gourmand the delicious dishes to be had at a mountain dairy are challenge enough.
An easy route for budding natural historians
But what about for all the young ones whose legs are still short and mouths still small, but who have a huge desire to learn? Dolga Njiva is already full of animals that curiously observe you from their pens: sheep, goats, pigs, turkeys, and curious donkeys, in short, a real miniature zoo. Now there is also a new nature trail - Eagle Trail, which explains in a pleasant and easily understood way the basic features of the natural world to be found in the immediate vicinity of the hut and which are often overlooked. The loop trail begins and ends at the hut and is suitable for families who are less interested in an adrenaline rush and more interested in satisfying their curiosity about the natural world.
Follow the signs
Along the way you'll be guided by path markings and information panels explaining natural phenomena such as scree, Košutnik Brook and its source, various tree species, alpine flowers... you'll even come across an entire land of gnomes. At the wildlife observation point you can hunt for chamois, who "climb" around the scree, or look for a golden eagle nest on the steep slope.
It's a lovely walk, and you can enjoy an authentic herder's meal before you start or after you finish.
Attractions along the way
- The source of the Košutnik
- Golden eagle nesting sites
- Botanical riches