Kobala is a big grass launch above Tolmin with 920 m of vertical and cloudbase up to 2800 m. The Julian Alps are gentle here: climbs of 2–4 m/s, air that is “never too rough”, and on average five flyable days out of seven. The site of the first Junior World Championship.

Ask about dates Format and price All destinations

Apr–May (prime)

trip window

€1 270

Guiding format, from

1 : 4

one guide per four pilots

IPPI 4–5

pilot requirements

SkyAtlantida › XC trips worldwide › Slovenia

Site

Kobala: numbers, not impressions

Kobala launch

1080 m

grass slope facing E/SE/SW/W, 4 km from Tolmin, para-taxi in summer

Landing

160 m

a big meadow 2 km from Tolmin towards Kobarid

Cloudbase

2200–2800 m

2200 m early in the season, up to 2800 later; ceiling 2900 m AMSL

Stol (Kobarid)

1405 m

often the only launch above the inversion, a 20 km ridge

Airports

Trieste 73 km · Ljubljana 90 km

Trieste ~1 h, Ljubljana ~1.5 h, Venice 175 km

Launch-to-landing vertical

300–1100 m

a guide for our sites; the exact launch is chosen from the forecast

Duration

9 days

Trip window

April–May (prime)

Meeting hub

Tolmin (Soča valley)

the country's hub, not a fixed launch — we pick the valley from the forecast about a week before departure

Level

mountain XC

Photo gallery

What it looks like

XC trip to Slovenia — Tolmin, Soča valley — photo 1

Photos from our XC trips · 1 pictures

Why fly here

What this place gives you

Strengths

On average five flyable days out of seven, winds lighter than in Western Europe — from Slovenia's bid to the FAI
Three launches for different weather: Kobala and Stol in the Soča plus Lijak 40 minutes away, flown all year round and even in the bora
Gentle climbs of 2–4 m/s and cloudbase at 2200–2800 m — comfortable mountain XC for your first big routes
Competition-grade infrastructure: a common frequency of 147.800, a weather station on launch, helicopter rescue with a response time of about 30 minutes

What is dangerous here

The bora — a strong north-easterly: nobody flies in the Soča in a bora; Lijak is only relatively sheltered
Ceiling 2900 m AMSL over the Soča; at Lijak — 750 m above terrain north of launch and 300 m above the valley
Going into the big mountains — towards Krn and the main ridge — means a long walk-out if you land outside the valley
Access to Kobala for foreign pilots — IPPI Stage 4, Stage 5 for XC, or under an instructor's guidance

Routes

What people fly here

The classics: Kobala — Stol and back, about 55 km along the walls of Krn; Kobala — Kobarid — Tolmin, 40 km for first routes; advanced — Kobala — Gemona (Italy) 100 km, the flat triangle Stol — Gemona — Kobala 100 km, over the main ridge to Bohinj 120 km. Lijak: the 35 km ridge to Nanos, 100 km flights happen in any month of the year.

Competitions. The World Cup in Tolmin — 2001 and 2006, the European Championship 2002. The first FAI Junior World Championship — Tolmin, 18–31 August 2024: 76 pilots from 20 countries, seven tasks, launches Kobala and Lijak. Every year — Naviter Open and Freedom Open (Cat 2).

Format

Dates, price and what is included

Guiding

€1 270per pilot, EUR

Guiding + stay

€1 600twin/shared for the whole trip

Group

4–8 pilotsratio 1 guide : 4 pilots; a second guide joins the larger groups

Deposit

30 %non-refundable — except when the group does not form and we cannot run the tour

The Guiding format includes: a guide on site for the whole trip, weather briefing and the task of the day, shuttle to launch, retrieve from the landing, radio guidance and live tracking, track debrief every evening. Accommodation and meals are yours.
Guiding + stay: twin or shared for the whole trip, price in the table above.
Not included: flights, insurance, personal equipment, visa fees, local site fees — cable cars, launch fees, forest and park fees.
Booking and invoicing are handled by the manager. This is a partner site, so the final price and deposit are confirmed by the manager — the price in the table is valid at the time of publication.

Groups of 4–8 pilots; a trip runs from four. Dates inside the window are adjusted to the group that forms — tell us the month and we will schedule the trip. The 30 % deposit per pilot secures your place and is non-refundable, except when the group does not form and we cannot run the tour. What to bring — on the pilot requirements page, full rules — in the XC booking terms.

Preparation

Visa, weather and non-flying days

Visa

Ukraine and Georgia — visa-free 90/180 on a biometric passport (ETIAS from late 2026). Russia and Kazakhstan need a Schengen visa; the fee is 90 €, citizens of Russia are, as a rule, issued single-entry visas only.

Rules change — check the primary source before buying tickets. If you need help with documents, write to us.

Weather in the window

Tolmin (Volče station, 1991–2020 normals): April — mean 11 °C, maximum 17.5, 147 mm of rain over 15 days; May — 15 °C, maximum 22, 165 mm over 17 days. One of the wettest areas of Slovenia — about 1810 mm a year; allow for non-flying days.

If we are not flying

The Tolmin gorges, the Javorca church, the Kobarid museum and the Walk of Peace, the Kozjak and Boka waterfalls, rafting on the Soča; Ljubljana and Venice two hours away.

Read before the deposit

Insurance, documents and rules

Insurance that covers paragliding is mandatory — at least €100 000, with search and rescue, helicopter evacuation and repatriation. Before the trip every participant signs the participant document and sends it to us together with a photo of their passport and licence.

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Pilot requirementsLevel, equipment, radio, insurance, emergency procedure

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XC booking termsVersion 1.3 of 21 Aug 2026, 23 sections

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Safety briefing“You are the pilot in command”, weather, radio

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Participant document (RU)PDF · filled in and signed once before the trip

Where else

Other destinations

There is a flying destination in every month of the year. If your dates do not match this window, look at the neighbouring ones.

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