2025 - Bearwatching in Slovenia
Into the green heart of Slovenia, where the Brown Bear still reigns.
The forests of Slovenia are places of silence and mystery, where carpets of moss glow in vibrant green and beams of light break through the dense canopy, painting the undergrowth with shifting contrasts. It is here, in this atmosphere suspended between shadow and glow, that the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) lives as the true guardian of the wild.
Walking through these woods is not only an encounter with wildlife but also an immersion in a landscape where time slows down and every detail, from a leaf trembling in the breeze to the sudden appearance of a bear, becomes unforgettable.
A special thanks to slovenianbear.com for guiding this extraordinary experience.
Day 1 - First contact with the forest
The journey begins with the first steps into the Slovenian wilderness. The forest reveals itself immediately with its contrasts of light and shadow, the silence broken only by birdsong and the crunch of leaves underfoot.
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
Day 2 – A lesson in coexistence
From the hide, time seems suspended. The hours pass slowly, filled with expectation, until the forest suddenly stirs and the first Brown Bear emerges from the twilight.
In that same clearing, a Red Fox appears and begins to feed almost undisturbed by the presence of the much larger predator. The two share the same space in an exemplary balance, each respecting the other’s role in the ecosystem. This quiet coexistence is a powerful reminder of the lessons humans could learn from the natural world, where survival is guided not by domination but by respect.
brown bear - ursus arctos
red fox - vulpes vulpes
red fox - vulpes vulpes
red fox - vulpes vulpes and brown bear - ursus arctos
red fox - vulpes vulpes and brown bear - ursus arctos
red fox - vulpes vulpes and brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
Day 3 – Tenderness in the twilight
As evening falls, the forest offers an even greater gift. A mother bear steps into the clearing with her two cubs, filling the scene with tenderness and awe. The soft light filtering through the trees creates shifting patterns of shadow and glow, wrapping their presence in an atmosphere of wonder.
Later, more bears appear, transforming the clearing into an extraordinary vision of wild life unfolding before our eyes. Strength, grace, and family bonds intertwine in an unforgettable moment that reveals the true richness of Slovenia’s wilderness.
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
black bird - turdus merula
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
Day 4 - The last dawn in the forest
On the final morning I return to the same hide, surrounded once again by the silence and mystery of the Slovenian forest. This time, instead of bears, a swift shadow catches my eye: a Weasel (Mustela nivalis) appears, quick and elusive, moving through the undergrowth with astonishing agility.
As the day unfolds, the same bear family from the previous evening arrives. The mother and her two cubs move gracefully through a landscape of shifting light and shadow, creating a breathtaking scene of tenderness framed by the living forest.
Witnessing both the smallest predator and the great guardian of the woods in a single day feels like a perfect closure to this journey. I leave with a deep sense of gratitude for the encounters and the lessons these days in the wild have offered.
weasel - mustela nivalis
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos
brown bear - ursus arctos