The Golaki and Smrekova Draga Nature Reserve spreads out on the Trnovo Plateau high above the Vipava Valley. Anyone arriving to the highlands from the valley can observe the transition from a sub-Mediterranean landscape of vineyards and fruit trees to an unmistakably Alpine environment with small mountain pines at the highest elevations. This is one of Slovenia’s most important habitats of the wood grouse; it also supports rare Alpine plants, including the Carniolan primrose, which is endemic to Slovenia.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the park is the Smrekova Draga frost hollow – an area characterized by persistent temperature inversions. Typically, temperatures decrease with altitude, but the unusual topography of the area causes cold air to descend and remain trapped at the bottom of the basin.

The inversion results in unexpected plant life. The temperate beech forests near the top of the hollow give way to spruce and mountain pines – species commonly found at high altitudes – near the bottom. Patches of snow there can persist into the summer, and the unique microclimate allows rare plants such as the stemless gentian to thrive.

Now protected as a nature reserve, the area attracts adventurous hikers eager to explore one of Slovenia’s most unusual habitats, while its remoteness from the established tourist trails enables the reserve’s unique plant and animal life to thrive with little disruption from humans.