Tailored to Photographers
When building bear photo hides, photographers’ preferences and needs were taken into account. In addition to the windows used for watching, the hides have several openings, through which you can take photos without being sensed by the animals. You can take photos by using bean bags or by screwing the ball head. The hides stand at locations with good light conditions. High vents were set up to carry your scent up to the treetops, preventing the animals from sensing you.
Abundance of Environments
The bear photo hides are situated in carefully selected locations across the forests of the Notranjska Region, in different environments: Dinaric Karst forest, spruce forest with moss-covered rocks, overgrown grass with pine trees and junipers, clearing, etc.
High Density of Bears
The forests of the Notranjska and Kočevska Regions are home to over 400 bears and are part of a wider Dinaric population. Our bear photo hides are located in the central bear habitat, where the local population is extremely dense.
Code of Conduct
You can only enter the hide accompanied by a guide. Go to the toilet before entering the hide. Be quiet in the hide, do not talk, make noise, move, or make quick motions. Take photos in silent shot and single shot mode and avoid burst mode. Generally, you should start watching bears in the afternoon and finish with the dark, when you are picked up by your guide. Never leave the hide on your own.
Equipment
We recommend using 100–400mm f/2.8 lenses. Recommended equipment: bean bag, ball head, torch, backpack, tick repellent, hiking boots, and clothes.
Species:
common: Brown bear, Fox , Jay,
relatively common: Black woodpecker, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk
rare: Red deer, Roe deer, wild boar
Number of hides:
8
Places in hide:
2-4 person in each hide
Location:
Notranjska in Kočevska forests, south Slovenia;
Photo-season:
March to October
Distance from lodge to hides:
10-30 minutes with car
Mobile phone reception:
Yes
Distance from the car to the hide:
100-700m to walk
Distance between the hide and the feeding place:
15-30 m.
Distance to the animals:
from 10 m
Difficulty level
Let us know if you have any health issues or other considerations
Maximum number of photographers:
12
Price:
from 150 euro per a person per a day