Vintgar Gorge has been open to visitors for 130 years, with its primary goal always being nature conservation, strengthening the local community, and providing unforgettable experiences in one of the world’s most beautiful gorges.Since 1946, it has been managed by the Gorje Tourist Association, initially under the name Tourist Association Vintgar, which has been maintaining and preserving it for future generations.
About us
MANAGER OF THE VINTGAR GORGE
- The 55-hectare Vintgar Gorge is maintained and organised for visitors at the Gorje Tourist Association.
- When Vintgar sleeps and nature leaves the winter ravages behind, before each season we inspect and renew all bridges, wooden platforms, concrete surfaces, retaining walls and 1469 m of wooden fences.
- Every year, more than 50 students from the local community of Gorje help with maintenance work and guiding along the Vintgar Gorge.
To ensure the safety of visitors and preserve the pristine condition of Vintgar Gorge, a team of 20 specialists dedicates over 10,000 hours each season from November to March. They inspect protective barriers, meticulously examine the walls for loose rocks, and remove any potential hazards along the path. Our 3 caretakers of Vintgar Gorge, intimately familiar with every corner of the trail, continuously organize maintenance work and carry out necessary repairs.
VISION
Vintgar Gorge is our pride and a valuable natural treasure. It inspires us to collaborate and drive sustainable progress in the local communities of Gorje, Bled, and Jesenice. At the Gorje Tourist Association, we create the conditions for safe, immersive, and respectful exploration of nature and the cultural landscape of this part of Triglav National Park.
Our goal is to become a model for sustainable community-based management of natural heritage in Slovenia and the broader Alpine region – a model that respects carrying capacity and ensures a balance between nature conservation, high-quality visitor experiences, and the well-being of the local community.
MISSION
Our mission is to carefully and sustainably manage Vintgar Gorge in the long term, ensuring its pristine beauty is preserved.
We are committed to passing on an unspoiled and healthy gorge to future generations of the local community, where nature and people coexist in harmony. Visitor experiences are designed to respect the delicate environment while contributing to the development of the local community.
VALUES
We preserve nature.
We protect water and water resources.
We are part of the local community and its identity.
We continue and pass on the tradition of local management.
We involve young people and are constantly learning.
We collaborate and are inclusive.
We are dedicated and efficient.
We use new technologies and green solutions.
Sustainability
1.
We want everyone to feel welcome in Vintgar Gorge – animals, plants, visitors, and locals alike. That’s why, to ensure a better and safer experience, we have limited the number of visitors allowed in the gorge at the same time.
2.
Your safety is our priority. We manage Vintgar Gorge in a way that prioritizes both visitor safety and the well-being of future generations.
3.
We protect the animals and plants that share this unique ecosystem with us.
4.
We build strong relationships with the local community, working in active dialogue with local representatives, the state, and non-governmental organizations. Our key allies in protecting and managing Vintgar Gorge include the Public Institution Triglav National Park and the three local communities whose borders intersect in this area: Bled, Gorje, and Jesenice.
5.
We create green and local jobs, reinvesting visitor proceeds into the local community to improve quality of life and infrastructure.
6.
We implement cutting-edge green technologies and state-of-the-art solutions for the sustainable management of Vintgar Gorge.
7.
We promote and expand the 7 principles of responsible visiting in Vintgar Gorge. By following these principles, we minimize our impact on nature and ensure a safer, more enjoyable experience for ourselves and future visitors.
Let’s preserve nature
7 PRINCIPLES OF RESPONSIBLE VISIT
Let’s book a time together when the Vintgar Gorge will leave an autograph in your heart. The gorge is desired to be visited by so many admirers that we have limited entry for the sake of nature conservation and a more primal experience.
Every green decision counts. Your visit to the Vintgar Gorge is more eco-friendly with public transportation, and if you’re staying in nearby Bled, consider walking or cycling to get here.
Such majestic nature deserves our attention for everything we carry with us. Littering is not the style of responsible visitors who understand that nature empowers us if we enable it in the long run.
The most beautiful conversation during the visit to the Vintgar Gorge is with the locals and the Radovna River. If we walk in peace and with attention, without disturbing others and ourselves, we can observe the flow of life by the river.
This is a world that nature has built over millennia and has allowed us to enter to visit without changing or interfering with it.
Our guidelines have been honed from experience and a protective attitude towards nature. We want to protect you and the Vintgar Gorge, so we urge you to take to heart everything you need to know and adhere to.
Our local community of Gorje has lived with the Vintgar Gorge since it discovered it and realized that it must protect it. Locals have always ensured that tourist visits do not endanger the nature of Vintgar.
