Maribor Island Circumnavigation
Address
Maribor
GPS
46.56865175973, 15.614297389984
Level of difficulty 1 | Gastronomy 1 | Length 2,6 km | Time 40 – 60 minutes
A short trip around Maribor's idyllic river island allows you to forget your everyday life. Birdsong, romantic tributaries and calm waters provide plenty of serotonin.
General information
Navigation rules
There are hardly any bathers to be found on the Drava, but in Maribor SUPs, tourist boats and wooden rafts bustle about on the water. Avoid them all early enough!
The entire paddling route extends across the Drava Landscape Park, a Natura 2000 area. Please treat the fauna and flora with respect by avoiding litter and noise. Also avoid the natural banks as much as possible so as not to scare any animals.
Dangers and risks
The water access under the bridge is ideal, but some of the earthy sections are a little slippery due to differences in height.
After heavy rainfall, the sluice gates at the Elektrarna Mariborski otok weir are opened and the water rushes down violently in front of the island. Under such conditions, it is too dangerous even for experienced paddlers to set sail—especially due to the rocky shores combined with strong surf.
Along the left bank of the Drava and the northern shore of the island, there are many boulders that should be avoided when the waves are strong (after rainfall) because the waves push SUP boards directly towards them. The resulting surf is also dangerous. These shores are rocky even away from the boulders, so be careful when landing and disembarking!
If you decide to stop off here, you should be sure-footed and ideally wear bathing shoes in order to walk safely over the rocks and branches.
The bridge pillars do not normally pose a danger, but depending on the waves, you should keep a safe distance from them.
Keep at least one hundred meters away from the weir! If you stay a maximum of 50 m in front of the western tip of the island, you are on the safe side. However, after heavy rain, even this distance is ineffective, especially since the surf at the tip of the island is too dangerous.
The southern shore of the island is heavily forested. If you paddle too close to it, you might occasionally get caught on branches.
Fishermen are likely to be present along all shores along this route. Therefore, please paddle with foresight and maintain a distance from the shore.
When traveling towards Maribor, you should always be aware of the passenger rafts operated by Mariborski flosarji and give them plenty of space.
The area between the western end of the island and the power station can be relatively shallow, depending on the water level. In some places the depth is barely more than a meter. At the side arm, as well as in Koblar Bay, you also have to be careful not to get your fin stuck in the clay soil.
Directions
For getting to the starting point on the river you could start at Maribor's central station. From there the best way to get around the city is north of the city center and heading west. In detail, you take Kopitarjeva ulica Street, then Razlagova ulica Street and Gosposvetska cesta Street straight ahead towards the west. You drive the first two streets until you can go no further and turn left into the next street mentioned. About 1 km after the supermarket on the western outskirts, turn left towards the parking lot near the island.
The island is also easily accessible by bus: various bus lines run from the city center to the parking lot on the island. The island can also be reached from the west, but the last stretch to the Drava must be covered on foot (400 m). Access the local and regional bus network online, buses can also be booked online.
If you arrive by train, you will need to take a taxi or the bus from the station to the starting point. The nearest airports are in Maribor, Ljubljana, Zagreb and Graz.
Parking
There is a large, free gravel parking lot directly in front of the wooden walkway to the island.
Swimming
Although it is possible to swim in the Drava River around Maribor, there is no official recommendation to do so. We also do not recommend swimming in the river along the route, unless you venture into the shallow water in the area of the old river arm.
Good alternatives are the public swimming pool on Maribor Island, which is open in summer, and the municipal indoor swimming pool:
Maribor Island Swimming Pool
Na Otok 40, 2000 Maribor
Phone +386 (0)51 310 604
Pristan Swimming Centre
Koroška cesta 33, 2000 Maribor
Phone +386 (0)51 310 604
Tour
Starting from the wooden walkway, turn right and paddle around Mariborski Otok Island to Koblar Bay and back again.
Length
2,6 km
Time
40 – 60 minutes
Start and landing
On the left under the wooden walkway.
SUP rental
Bananaway
Podmilščakova 46, 1000 Ljubljana
Phone +386 (0)40 238 756
Attention: no rental, only guided tours after reservation!
Servis Gizo
Korčetova ulica 19, 2000 Maribor
Phone +386 (0)31 280 484
A flowing haven of peace
Unfortunately, you can't see that Maribor has its own island in the trendy city center. Strictly speaking, Mariborski Otok Island is located in the municipality of Kamnica, which is part of the city area. The bathing island is popular with both locals and tourists, as it offers numerous opportunities for relaxation and leisure activities.
SUPing is one of them, and we want to take a closer look at it today. To do so, we drive out of Maribor with our GPS pointing us westward, because otherwise we would probably drive past the access road to the island.
At the end of this access road, we find ourselves in a really large gravel parking lot and, excited, we immediately head over to the wooden jetty to get an idea of this paddling area and find a good place to access the water. Then we quickly take everything out of the car and set off along the footpath under the wooden jetty. On the left-hand side, there is a perfect spot to launch the boards into the water.
We immediately turn right and paddle upstream towards the power station. Paddlers can really let loose here, as there are no swimmers or other paddlers to be found on this autumn day. But it's probably the same in summer too. The left bank (now starboard) is very rocky and lined with an inconspicuous footpath.
Walkers frequently appear through the dense vegetation, and from the water, you should also be prepared for a few nude sights. In suitable places, nudists like to tan their uncovered bodies, seemingly without being disturbed by us paddlers.
Was the graffit wall on the right in front of the weir also created in a nude state? In any case, it is a real eye-catcher due to its contrast with the surrounding flora. The same can be said of the high dam in front of us, which is not only impressive but can also be a little frightening when you consider the scenarios that play out here during floods.
On such days, the Drava becomes extremely difficult to navigate, with strong waves that inevitably push paddlers towards the rocky banks. We experienced this a year ago, had to abandon our trip, and strongly advise all paddlers against attempting it under such conditions. Today, however, the river is tame, allowing us to see right down to the bottom through the clear, smooth water. In some places, it is just one meter below the board (e.g., at the western end of the island).
We paddle leisurely, keeping a safe distance from the dam, going across the western tip of the island and towards its southern shore. The entire region around this SUP route must be a true paradise for beavers, because especially on the island, you can find gnawed trees and branches lying around near the water everywhere. Unfortunately, we don't see any of these shy rodents today. Instead, we are rewarded with a romantic bay on the other side of the island, which forms a few small waterways thanks to its offshore reed island.
It's the ideal place to put down your paddle and just drift along, listening to the birds chirping and feeling the light breeze on your skin. We discover a small waterway leading out of the bay to the main stream and let ourselves drift passively under the canopy of overhanging trees. Note the shallow bottom and the scattered boulders, but the water knows the way and gently guides us back to the Drava. We then continue left toward the city.
The southern shore of Mariborski Otok island is heavily wooded and difficult to access, especially in summer when the undergrowth is thick. However, from here we can see the public swimming pool and notice how narrow the island actually is—at its widest point, it is just 240 m across.
Pedestrians will find countless trails and officially designated paths, allowing them to explore almost every corner of the island. At the eastern tip, there is particularly good access to the water, which is often used for fishing. Anyone who wants to paddle back to the other side should therefore give the fishermen a wide berth.
Otherwise, we continue on to Koblar Bay, which is also a great starting point for SUP tours in the Maribor area. In 2022, we set sail here to paddle down to Ptuj—an unforgettable tour. Today, we are only paddling down the small, ring-shaped side arm and then head back to the island.
Even though we have to paddle the last 500 m upstream again, this is no great challenge today as the water is almost standing still. This only underlines the user-friendliness of this area. Of course, such a tour requires a grand finale, and we treat ourselves to it not far from here at the inn Gostišče Sobočan with delicious calamari at absolutely fair prices.
Alternatives: You can paddle anywhere in the city because the Drava is very calm due to the barrages, and you can easily access the water almost anywhere. The area on the other side of the barrage is also a great place to paddle. For adventurers, we recommend paddling the Drava from Maribor to Ptuj. This is an entertaining and varied half-day tour with addictive potential.
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