Badaševica Canal
Address
Koper
GPS
45.542412270678, 13.719810598101
Level of difficulty 1 | Gastronomy 1 | Length 5 km | Time 1 - 1.5 hours
You can paddle into Koper's tourist-free zone along the Badaševica. The navigable part of the small river runs through the southern outskirts of the city and ends at a small waterfall in the green.
General information
Navigation rules
If you start paddling at sea, please avoid any bathers.
In the harbor, of course, also avoid all boats, as SUPs have secondary priority.
Please avoid any rubbish, as the local SUP club invests a lot of time and effort in regularly cleaning the banks.
Dangers and risks
Getting in and out in the harbor can sometimes be easier, but on other occations more difficult depending on the water level (weather, tide range). The quay walls can be up to a meter high, which makes getting in and out difficult. However, there are several metal ladders you should use.
A little further inland there is no longer a quay and you can get in over the walled bank if it is not too slippery and the water level is reasonably high. If you are unsure, it is better to get in and out over the quay using a ladder. I was lucky enough to paddle at high tide, so the above obstacles were not present.
Fishermen can be found on the banks here and there. Since the river is quite narrow, you should look ahead from time to time to see where the line is hanging in the water.
Time and again small boats are of course sailing at the mouth of the sea or in the area of the small harbor. Their preferred destination is the sea, not the hinterland. Nevertheless, paddle carefully and get out of the way early enough!
Directly in front of the waterfall, the water is, as expected, choppy. To be safe, just kneel on the SUP.
The whole way you keep paddling under bridges and jetties, and at some you have to duck your head or crouch down.
Directions
Drivers coming from the city center usually have to circle around it to get to the car park because of the one-way system.
If you are coming from the north or from the south on the H6 expressway, leave it at the Koper – Semedela exit, drive over the canal and marina, keep to the right and you will quickly reach the car park.
If you are travelling by bus, it is best to take line 2, 2a, 3 or 4 to Koper Mandrač. With the Koper Card Plus you can use public transport more easily, flexibly and without cash. It is ideal for stays of several days.
Nevertheless, you can travel quite quickly even if you walk. From the city center it takes a maximum of 20 minutes heading south (approx. 1.5 km).
National and international bus, train and flight connections can be found via the comparison portals Omio, Busbud as well as RailEurope. Those arriving by plane have several options, as the nearest airports are in Ljubljana, Zagreb and Triest.
Parking
The parking lot next to the small river is subject to a fee from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with one hour costing one euro (as of 2023). You can usually always find a parking space here and you can drive almost directly to the water. There is enough space on the green areas to prepare for your tour.
Swimming
The Badaševica River is almost a stagnant body of water, but it is not really suitable for swimming. According to local residents, the water is not clean and in the past it has also smelled bad.
The Slovenian Riviera is not only known for the sea, but also for its thermal baths. Already in April, the air and the sea have an average temperature of up to 17°C. The average air temperature rises to 28°C in summer, and the water temperature is still inviting even in October, with average highs of 19°C. The beaches in the city area include the following:
Tour
From the small harbor out of town to the waterfall and back again.
Length
5 km
Time
1 - 1.5 hours
Start and landing
At a suitable location along the harbor or at the pedestrian bridge.
SUP rental
Active Koper
Pristaniška ulica 8, 6000 Koper
Phone +386 51800070
Halo SUP
Kvedrova 10, 6000 Koper
SUP Club Naredi Nekaj za Naravo
Istrska cesta 70, 6000 Koper
naredinekajzanaravo@gmail.com
More to see than just sea
If you want to avoid the waves in Koper, we recommend a short SUP tour through the hinterland. The last three kilometers of the Badaševica River from the sea out of town show paddlers a different world that paints an unexpected face of the port city on the Adriatic.
If you want to maximize the tour distance and get on the board easily, it is best to park not far from the dog beach and walk your SUP about 150 m to the pedestrian bridge by the sea. In this area and on the outskirts of the Obmorski Park Žusterna you will find good opportunities to start the tour.
Although on windy days waves from the sea are pushed into the small marina, the water of the Badaševica is relatively calm and can be mastered without any problems even by SUP beginners. The small river, which has several characteristics of a stream, is also called Karlonga or Korna lunga by locals and originates about eight kilometers from its mouth in the valley below the village of Sveti Anton.
Today, thanks to regulation, it flows into the Bay of Koper. It once flowed into the Škocjan Lagoon, where the Škocjanski zatok nature reserve is now located. An oxbow river still leads there, but paddling is not allowed on it. The regulation of the Badaševica was necessary to protect the approximately 3,000 people living directly along the river from flooding. I can almost see this for myself today, because after the heavy rains of the last few days, the water in the area of the boat docks is pushing up almost to the asphalted footpath. Since the water level can vary, you should check it along the route before setting off so that you don't have to turn back soon after the harbor due to insufficient water.
Compared to the still rough sea, here on the calm river there is a smooth gliding property beneath my feet. It is a small stroke of luck that the water level is so high, because under normal circumstances getting on the quay wall can be awkward. If the water is half a meter or deeper below the quay, you have to carefully climb onto the SUP using one of the access ladders.
Even though boats are lined up one after the other, I don't have to worry about oncoming traffic today. Instead, one of the protected nutria that live here jumps into the water from the bank in front of me and dives dynamically past me under my SUP - its air bubbles rising up to the surface. The animal and the passers-by along the road don't seem to notice me much, which is understandable, especially since kayakers and canoeists train here on the regulated canal of the river when sea conditions are adverse.
At the end of the boat docks, I immediately notice the great graffiti art on the concrete walls, which fits perfectly into this sun-drenched region due to its rich colors. Every few hundred meters you pass a bridge, a commercial zone passing by on the left, a residential area on the right. As is generally the case in and around Koper, you immediately notice the cleanliness and the well-kept nature, which undoubtedly contribute to the popularity of this port city.
The route mostly goes straight ahead and makes a slight curve every now and then. Fortunately, there is always something new to discover along the banks, so monotony is avoided. After about 1.7 km, the atmosphere suddenly becomes more rural, as gardens, wild meadows, vines and fruit trees begin to spread out behind the green strips lining the banks.
Small streams keep flowing in from the side, while a lonely fisherman sits contentedly on the bank. I can easily avoid him on the ten-meter-wide river channel. A little later I reach a small left-right chicane and suspect that the navigable part of the Badaševica will soon end. My synapses have barely processed this thought when I find myself in front of a small waterfall, which represents the turning point of my journey and at the same time gives me the opportunity to take a short break in nature.
The sound of the water, coupled with the birdsong, has an almost meditative effect and makes me forget that there are still houses on top of the steep bank to my right. Although the direction of flow is now heading back to the sea, I hardly feel the push of the waterfall. As I pass the fruit trees again, a family is helping themselves to a cherry tree. I express my surprise that the fruit is already ripe and we start talking. The children immediately pick a handful of juicy red cherries and bring them to me.
So I quickly get off the board and onto the grassy bank to rush towards them. In fact, many of the fruits are already ripe at the end of May and I enjoy some Slovenian organic vitamin bombs. Hospitality is written in capital letters throughout the region, which is probably also due to the open-hearted temperament of the people here by the sea.
Every stroke of the paddle pushes my SUP back towards the sea and I don't even notice how quickly time passes. Somewhere along the boat docks the river water will probably mix with the sea water, but I don't check it any further. Apparently the Badaševica canal is not exactly drinkable water, which is why I skip the water taste test that I usually do in lagoons and rivers that flow into the sea.
Nevertheless, this little tour through Koper's hinterland left a good taste and a lasting impression on me. If you are in the area for a longer period of time, you can do a light warm-up tour on its canal, so to speak, before heading out to the Bay of Koper.
Alternatives: If you haven't had enough after this tour, you can simply paddle under the pedestrian bridge into the Bay of Koper. From there, turn right and you'll be in the city center in just a few minutes. Or you can paddle left in the direction of the next town - Izola.
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