Every year I embark on a challenging adventure. Not only are these adventures a great way to build resilience, wisdom, and joy, but they also raise awareness and critical funds against the war on nature. It’s my creative expression of ‘finding joy’ in climate action which I hope inspires you to find yours.
Written by Rebecca Woolford
Whether it’s walking 100 miles, or climbing 5 of the HIGHEST peaks in Britain, each year the small team here at Kiwano embarks on a Hike for Nature.
This year we stepped into the boots of FEMALE RANGERS – those who stand on the FRONTLINES of conservation every day. Patrolling vast distances daily, a female wildlife ranger covers at least 20 km daily; the distance we walked every day represented their patrol.
With the help of clients, colleagues, friends, family, all passionate about nature, we raised £772 for How Many Elephants, an anti-poaching conservation charity from the UK. The charity supports female and mixed ranger teams in Africa and around the world and founded ‘World Female Ranger Week’ to amplify the voices of female rangers in the global media.
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone. Special mention to:
- Senderos, Latin American specialist and B-corp
- Tredwell Travel, a safari specialist and travel consultant
*The important bit* Every penny raised went directly to the charity How Many Elephants. The cost of the equipment, accommodation, food, and travel to make this hike possible was all funded by Kiwano.
Location: Triglavski National Park, Slovenia
4 days – 95 kilometres – 2,000 metres ascent
A great adventure and experience in Triglavski National Park, Slovenia
Day 1 of 4: Bohinjska Češnjica to Dom na Komni
The 1st day was equally beautiful and brutal. We walked with heavy packs 24 km, 1,300 metres of ascent, all of which in the last 6 km (with a gradient of up to 23% on loose rocks and stones.)
Officially, we were meant to start in Bohinjska Bistrica but decided to start from our accommodation in the nearby village Bohinjska Češnjica instead. This seemed like a good idea at the time, except that it added an extra 1 km and 200 metres of ascent to the expedition.
Due to poor weather conditions in the past few weeks, we had to change our plans. Instead of walking up to Vogel, we were to walk around lake Bohinj instead (our disappointment only lasted a few seconds, we were secretly happy to be climbing 500 metres less).
The first part of the day consisted of walking in the forest, alongside a river and through small villages until we reached the beautiful lake Bohinj.
Now, as we’ve come to Slovenia three years in a row in our digital nomads days, we’ve walked around lake Bohinj dozens of times before, but never with 30-kg bags on our backs, having to press on as we were a couple of hours behind schedule, whilst mentally preparing ourselves for the looming ascent of the day…. which was hard.
The climb itself is not specifically hard, but when you already have 15+ km behind you and have to carry a heavy backpack, it is not the most pleasant stroll. Especially as I was on my period, which added fatigue and discomfort into the mix. The idea of postponing the hike definitely crossed my mind a few times… but then I remembered that the female wildlife rangers we were stepping in the boots of do not have the luxury of postponing their work. They put their shoes on and walk at least 20 km per day – often with heavy gear and in extreme conditions.
We reached the mountain hut just before dusk and enjoyed the sunset.
Day 2 of 4: Dom na Komni to Soča Valley
We thought climbing was the hardest bit… That was before we had to descend 1,500 m.
We left our hut early to follow our journey through the Julian Alps. The views at the top were simply breathtaking. The sun was shining, today’s walk was going to be only 23 km long, we had all the time in the world. Our gentle descent took us to a beautiful lake perched in the middle of the mountains, Krnsko jezero, a perfect spot for our short picnic (following the lesson we learned last year, we took 10-min breaks every 90 minutes).
Following this pleasant start, the major descent of the day towards Lepena Valley was, once again, brutal. It was essentially a copy/paste of the climb from the day before, but on the way down (and with looser rocks, it seemed). At points it felt like we were very slow, especially compared to the locals running past us (to be fair, they didn’t have heavy backpacks to carry, did they?).
Fortunately for us, the hut at the bottom was serving crepes and Orehovi štruklji (walnut dumplings, local delicacies) which were simply delicious. I’m not sure these are recommended foods for multi-day hikes, but who cares? We had a fantastic time eating them.
Still reminiscing on the day’s beautiful views at the top of the mountain, little did we know that a surprise was in store for us: the Šunik water grove. We walked in the middle of the forest along gorges and green pools carved by the river over centuries. This place was magical, quite simply.
A few more kilometres later, we started following the Soča river, a fan-favourite for kayakers and rafters, and walked by the Great Gorge of Soča, another picture-perfect sight to add to the list. A few kilometres walking on roots (breaking our ankles, did you say?) alongside the river and we reached our lodge for the night.
Day 3 of 4: Soča Valley to Kobarid
Initially planning to walk over a mountain, we had to take the long way around.
For the third day in a row this year and the third year in a row, Mother Nature was on our side, gratifying us with a shining sun. Still, as the weather had been bad in the few weeks before, the path over the mountain we were initially meant to follow was impracticable, so we had to go the long way around (including transport towards the end to avoid walking by the side of the road for 10 km).
Once again, we were secretly pleased. Another 1,500 metres climb would have hurt a lot… Instead we got to walk along the mesmerising Soča River on relatively flat terrain. Our legs were starting to burn; it is said that day 3 on a through-hike is the worst, as your body realises what you’re putting it through. You’re meant to take it easy and walk a shorter distance, so you can recuperate and go hard again on day 4. Take it easy we did not, as we walked over 23 km in 8 hours, all the while being excited at the prospect of eating a pizza in Žaga a few hours later (once again, a questionable choice of food during a through-hike, but who cares).
Just before reaching Žaga, we took a break enjoying the view of the Boka waterfall, the highest waterfall in Slovenia with a total height of 144 metres and width of 18 metres.
After our meal we took a lift from Žaga to Kobarid where we checked in into our hotel, our final night on this hike.
Day 4 of 4: Kobarid to Bohinjska Bistrica
Final day… under the rain.
We woke up to the sound of pouring rain. Not quite what you want to hear on a day where you have to walk over 24 kilometres…
Fortunately for us, it felt like the rain was adapting itself to our schedule the entire day, in the sense that the alternation between fierce heavy downpour and gentle light rain was perfectly in line with our break plans. There’s nothing like having lunch (and changing a dozen plasters on your blisters) under a barn whilst the world outside is apocalyptic, only for the rain to stop when you’re about to start walking again. Oh, we did get wet, but it could have been so much worse.
This was an enjoyable day, we mainly walked through forest paths (and only got lost once or twice), keeping the last climb (and descent) for the second to last section. It was only a 200 metres gain but after 4 days of hiking, descending a 15% gradient on loose rocks on a precarious path running alongside a cliff edge was a little challenging, to say the least.
We reached the town of Most na Soči where a train would take us under the mountain to Bohinska Bistrica, marking the end of this exciting adventure.
A massive thanks to Hut To Hut Hiking Slovenia for preparing this custom hike for us, borrowing sections of the Juliana and Alpe Adria trails.
Where did the £772 raised go?
The money was sent directly to How Many Elephants, who sent 100% to Janet Sakala, an incredible wildlife ranger, and a dedicated member of the Conservation South Luangwa (CSL) K9 Unit.
Janet’s work in 2023/2024 has been instrumental in several key areas through:
- Wildlife Crime Prevention: Janet and her K9 partner were involved in numerous operations that led to the arrest of 47 wildlife crime suspects and the confiscation of 52 firearms. Their efforts have been crucial in reducing illegal activities in the region.
- Efficient Operations: The K9 Unit, including Janet, conducted 154 operations, which involved searching over 6,220 motor vehicles, 4,133 bicycles, and 4,012 motorbikes during roadblocks and checkpoints. These operations have significantly disrupted illegal wildlife trade routes.
- Community Engagement: Janet has played a vital role in community outreach, helping to raise awareness about wildlife conservation and the importance of protecting Zambia’s natural heritage. Her work has helped build stronger relationships between CSL and local communities.
- Resource Efficiency: Despite accounting for just 7% of CSL’s expenditure, the K9 Unit was responsible for 24% of suspects arrested, 29% of firearms confiscated, and 59% of bushmeat seized. Janet’s contributions have been a key part of this efficiency.