The birthplace of the Reka river – also called 'a big water' (“Vjlka woda”) by the locals – is a beautiful valley cut deep into the beech forests below Mount Snežnik. This magical place of cool shadows is a popular picnic and hiking spot, and a paradise for mushroom hunters, bikers and nature lovers.

An exceptionally rare endemic butterfly, called the scarce large blue, frolics around here. The wet meadows are home to the elusive corn crake, bittern and quail, and the shining kingfisher flies above the waters. If you're lucky, you may even see the rare bee-eater. But be careful – the true boss around these forests is the brown bear!