Hotel Plesnik has unveiled a new exciting experience that invites guests to slow down, reconnect with nature, and discover the living heritage of the Solčavsko region. Titled Shepherds’ Experience – Wisdom, Flavours and Harmony of Solčavsko, the experience combines hiking, storytelling, gastronomy, and sustainability into a deeply authentic journey inspired by the everyday life of local shepherds. Accompanied by a shepherd, guests follow traditional pastoral trails through alpine landscapes, listening to stories told in the local dialect and gaining insight into customs, knowledge, and ways of life passed down through generations. Along the way, they gather around the fire in a forester’s hut to enjoy homemade local specialties before concluding the day with a refined culinary experience at the hotel.
More than a tourist activity, the experience offers genuine insight into a landscape shaped by coexistence between people and nature. It is rooted in the rhythms of the valley, the wisdom of local communities, and the preservation of cultural identity – values that increasingly resonate with travelers seeking meaningful and transformative experiences.
A Culinary Journey Rooted in the Landscape
Each hike is adapted to the season, weather conditions, and participants, ensuring no two experiences are exactly alike. Through conversations, stories, and small surprises revealed by the shepherd along the route, guests gradually discover the flavors, traditions, and spirit of Solčavsko.
The experience transitions from the trails to the table. At the hotel restaurant, dishes celebrate the culinary heritage of the valley and are prepared using seasonal ingredients, often sourced directly from the farms and producers guests encountered earlier in the day. For those wishing to deepen their connection with local gastronomy, an optional workshop with renowned Slovenian chef Janez Bratovž offers the opportunity to learn how to prepare traditional žlinkrofi dumplings.
Reflecting on Sustainability Through the Shepherd’s Index
An especially innovative part of the experience is the Shepherd’s Index, a specially developed application that encourages guests to reflect on their own lifestyle and daily habits. By comparing modern living patterns with the traditional lifestyle of Solčavsko shepherds, the app helps visitors better understand their environmental footprint while offering practical inspiration for more sustainable everyday choices.
Rather than promoting sustainability through abstract concepts, the experience translates it into something tangible, personal, and emotionally engaging.
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An Open Model for the Future of Tourism
Developed as part of the ST3ER project, Shepherds’ Experience was conceived not only as a single tourism product, but also as an open and adaptable model that can inspire other destinations and providers across Slovenia. The concept encourages partnerships between small local providers and supports circular models of experience development rooted in local knowledge, partnerships, and community engagement.
To support wider implementation, the project also includes a practical handbook intended to help other tourism providers develop similarly authentic and sustainable experiences within their own environments.
Tourism That Invites Guests to Truly Enter a Place
The experience reflects a growing shift in contemporary tourism: away from creating artificial attractions and toward opening access to what already exists. It is designed for travelers who seek more than sightseeing – guests who wish to genuinely understand a destination through the people who live there, the stories they tell, and the landscapes that shape them. The project has also been recognized internationally by Singular Places, which selected it as an experience with genuine meaning and will promote it on the global market. Its launch was additionally supported by key partners from the destination and the broader tourism industry, underlining its strong development potential beyond the local environment.
Sustainability as the New Luxury
At the core of Hotel Plesnik’s philosophy lies the belief that true luxury today is inseparable from sustainability. The hotel actively works to strengthen responsible tourism development throughout the wider Solčavsko and Upper Savinja Valley region by connecting local stakeholders and building a network of authentic, interconnected experiences.
This approach has also gained international recognition. Hotel Plesnik was recently included on the prestigious TIME World’s Greatest Places 2026 list of the world’s 100 most extraordinary places to visit and stay. TIME recognized destinations distinguished by a strong sense of place — destinations shaped not for tourism itself, but through deep respect for the environment, local culture, and community.
In this spirit, Shepherds’ Experience was created through close collaboration between the hotel, local producers, shepherds, artisans, and the wider community — proving that the most memorable experiences are often those that already exist quietly within a place, waiting to be shared.
