We spent a couple of hours today walking along the cliffs of the Adriatic Sea in the town of Strunjan. It is between Piran and Izola. There are two ways to access the park, along the coastal path that follows the ocean from Piran. It takes about an hour from what we were told at Information. Another way to get to the park is by a 20-minute bus ride from Piran. Since it was so hot and humid, we opted to ride the bus.
160 hectares were set aside in 1990 to preserve this land. The path follows the salt pans where salt is harvest and a marshy area that is attractive to a wide variety of birds.
This was the best view of the salt pans at the beginning of the walk. They have been in existence since the Middle Ages. Today, they are not as large as they were back then.
Black Winged Stilt Bird
The trail is very well marked and is about a 2.5 mile (4 kilometers) loop that gives you incredible views of the Adriatic Sea.
Signs showing the paths of the nature preserve.
The beginning of the path where we started our climb uphill.
Looking back on St George’s Church and the Bell Tower of Piran.
Our reward for hiking!
The Strunjan Cross that stands tall for the fishermen to see as they head out to sea.
Continuing on the path, we get our first view of the Strunjan Cliffs.
This cliff is 262 ft (80 meters) high and is made of flysch. Flysch is a sedimentary deposit that consists of a thin bed of shale mixed with layers of sandstone or conglomerate. It is the largest coastal flysch wall on the Adriatic Ocean.
This is looking back from where we walked.
A thoughtful “love bench” to enjoy the view.
The olive groves and vineyards that we hiked through, along with the cedar trees, made me think I was in Tuscany, Italy and not Slovenia!
Flowers lined part of the path.
I thought the sea thistle (aka sea holly) was really pretty.
This was at the end of our hike – a view of Izola, another ancient Roman port that was once part of Venice during the 9th century. In the upper left side, of the picture, is the port of Trieste, Italy.
It was a hot and humid day to be hiking but the occasional ocean breeze helped. The beautiful views made it all well worth it!
Wishing you joy and sparkles!