Borovniščica pools in Pekel gorge
In Pekel gorge near Borovnica the Borovniščica stream drops from 610 m to 335 m in five larger and many smaller waterfalls, carving pools and potholes beneath them. The bigger pools hold brown trout, and in places the water has undercut the banks into hidden underwater hollows that you can explore with a torch. The most interesting pool lies between the second and third waterfalls, over 3 m deep and with the most fish; the pool below the first fall is tiny but 2.4 m deep and opens into a roomy underwater hollow. The dive itself is simple; getting there with kit is the hard part.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Lakes, Rivers & Caves
- Area: Central & East Slovenia (Ljubljana area, Velenje)
- Depth: 0–3.3 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: low
- Type: channel, cave
- Coordinates: 45.88728, 14.3678
- Highlights: pools below five waterfalls, undercut underwater hollows under the banks, brown trout, largest pool below the third waterfall (3.3 m), marked trails with pegs, cables and ladders (since 1904)
- Tips: Legal status: Pekel gorge is described as a natural value of national importance, but no protection decree (natural monument) with rules on swimming or diving was found; the trails are marked and maintained. Check with the Municipality of Borovnica before diving. From Borovnica follow signs for Pekel through Dražica and Ohonica to the Gostilna Pekel car park and information board. Access is genuinely hard: the best pool (between falls 2 and 3) is reached only by climbing on pegs, cables and ladders, and the top pool needs about 250 m of ascent in kit; reaching the potholes between falls 4 and 5 needs your own rope. Take minimal gear – a 5 l cylinder is enough; carry weights in the BCD pockets or use stones. Leave fins off for the tiny lowest pool. The hollows are overhead environments – enter only with a torch, trained for overhead conditions, and avoid stirring silt. Bathers use the pools in summer. Best at medium-low water; falls freeze in winter. The SPZ sheet dates from 2017; river gravel, banks and access roads may have changed since.