The Soca Valley has a stunning landscape: forest-covered mountains and the crystal clear river. You can enjoy this landscape by doing various outdoor adventures. In this blog post you get a peak of what rafting on the Soca looks like.
Spending your time during summer in the Soca Valley you can not miss the numerous rafting companies.
Starting your rafting tour at the Soca Valley
First you have to select your rafting company. Whether you do a prebooking online or a spontaneous walk in at one of the many companies (depending on the season and the number of persons – the spontaneous booking might not work), you need a company to go rafting with.
At the company you pay the rafting fee but there are also some “hidden costs” such as the river permit or if you wanna buy the pictures they take. Rafting tours start with a price of 40 Euros per person and go up to 70-80 Euros. What is included in these prices varies slightly from the companies but overall the equipment is part of the tour.
Let me guide you through your rafting experience.
What to bring to your rafting tour at the Soca
It is important to bring a swimsuit and towel with you. You can change into your swimwear at the rafting center and at the end of the tour have your change of dry underwear ready.
If it is a sunny day make sure you take sunscreen, especially for your face, arms and shoulders, everything else is covered in the neoprene suit.
You shouldn’t bring anything with you on the rafting tour, since there is the risk of losing. The rafting guide even told us that we could drink the river’s water. You can look your belongings into a locker at the rafting center.
River permit for the Soca river
The river permit is something rather new that the government introduced. You have to pay online before the tour starts. The rafting guide will tell you how and where. It is a website where you need to fill out the form and then pay 12,50 Euros per person.
Equipment that’s provided from the rafting company
The equipment is given from the rafting guides. The equipment consists of a neoprene suit and neoprene shoes, helmet (they even have helmets where you can put your action cam on) and a life jacket.
With small buses they bring you to the starting point at the Soca river. There you get assigned to the boats and the rafting guides give first instructions and your paddle.
Start and duration of the rafting adventure on the Soca
The bus ride to the starting point from a rafting company in Bovec takes around 10-15 minutes. That’s where the action starts. Listen carefully to the important instructions of the rafting guide.
The duration of the rafting tour varies from company to company. You should plan 3 hours for the tour in total. You will be on the water for around 1 hour and 30 minutes depending on the water level.
The transport back to the rafting center is a bit longer with around 20 minutes – and yes it is slightly uncomfortable to sit in the wet neoprene suit. But the adrenaline that just rushed through your body, the outlook of a shower and anticipation of the photos taken during the tour make it bearable.
The time on the river and breaks
During the tour the rafting guide gives you very clear instructions when and how to paddle. He/She senses the group dynamic and makes sure the raft stays on the water in the right position. The rafting guide will give you options of going through soft and hard parts of the river at some sections. Choose wisely I guarantee you it is fun!
At some part of the river the tour will make a break and against a big rock one raft is turned around and is used as a slide. Also there you have the possibility to distance yourself from the group and pee behind the rocks (removing your neoprene suit of course).
The next stop is for the real brave rafters. You can climb up a huge rock and jump into the water. It is probably a five meter jump and once you are on the top of the rock there is no turning around.
At the end of the tour you have to carry the raft up the hill to the parking space.
Booking your rafting adventure at the Soca
It is advisable to book your rafting tour in advance. The rafting season starts in April till October. With the high season being June, July and August. You might be lucky to book spontaneously during high season especially if you are just one or two people, since there are rafts going daily and there is the possibility to join a raft.
You can look up the various companies in the Soca Valley or you can also book via Manawa. If there is written Instant confirmation, you can book and get confirmation immediately. Ideal if you are planning various activities and you don’t want to wait for a confirmation.
In summer 2025 I booked a rafting tour with Froccs Rafting Club. It was an incredibly fun experience. Especially because I was with my two sisters and my mum. To be honest I was curious how it would be for my mum, because she is not so much into these outdoor adventures. But she loved it! What made it so fun going with my family was that we screamed a lot – at least at the beginning because we didn’t know how the rough parts would be. The rafting guide was funny and was taking our left/right weakness with humor. It was an afternoon full of adventure on the beautiful Soca in Slovenia. I can only highly recommend rafting. I have already rafted a few times in Austria and it is always a memorable outdoor experience.
The Froccs Rafting Club also had a guy in a kayak who took videos and photos. And those will be shown on a screen at the rafting center after the tour. You can buy them for 24 Euros.
The author of the blog
Lisi is an adventurous, mostly solo traveler from Austria. She likes to travel slowly, discover underrated countries/regions, and of course, learn about cultures. She has been traveling the world and creating travel content since 2016. With a degree in tourism management and a passion for travel and cultures, she wants to tell stories that inspire her readers and help them travel more consciously.
