Getting There
The valley
Vrata is accessible by car from
Mojstrana village (12km), which is placed in the upper
Savska Dolina valley at the end of Vrata valley (71km to Ljubljana, 13 to Kranjska Gora). You exit from the main road following the signs either to 'Mojstrana' or 'Vrata'. If you are using public transport you will have to walk up the Vrata valley from
Mojstrana (2.30h).
From Mojstrana you drive (or walk) into the beautiful Vrata valley. Half way into the valley there's
Koca pri Pericniku (mountain hut) and on the right side of the road Pericnik waterfall itself (10 minutes walk). You drive all the way over the macadam road. The trailhead starts in Vrata valley, on the meadow, called
Poldov rovt (941m) where you park a vehicle.
Route Description
The face of Oltar where goes the normal approach.
From
Poldov rovt you take the west direction. Soon behind the meadow you will find a good hunters path, ascending through woods a bit more than 100 meters. You follow this path and in some switchbacks through the nice forest you reach a small ridge in the forest where this route crosses to the ravine and then continue directly up to the bivouac II.
On this ridge you see a steep route which goes directly up. You follow it and on the next crossing you go directly up (the second route goes to the right to Skrnatarica or Kukova spica). The steep route which goes in nice switchbacks comes over some small rocks to the summit called
Brinova glava, 1571m. From this summit you follow the not very godd visible route some meters up and then you cross the steep grassy slopes and soon you come to the valley
Na Brinju between the ridge of Splevta, 2272m (on the left) and the ridge of Kopica, 2202m (on the right). You walk through the valley over some grassy slopes and higher up also over some small screes. The route comes on the pass between
Splevta and
Dovski Kriz, 2542m.
From here you cross the slopes below Dovski Kriz in the north direction to the short face below the pass
Grlo, 2429m. You climb (UIAA I) and scramble the small steep slope and you are on Grlo pass.
On the right (on the E side) is ridge to the Dovski kriz and on the left (on the W side) the ridge to the Veliki Oltar. First you scramble after the small scree then you come to the ravine and on the left side you climb to the top of Veliki Oltar. You climb UIAA II some meters but it is not very hard. You must be careful because the rock here is not soo good.
You descend by the same route back to the plateau below the face of Oltar and then you descend by bivouac II down. The screes in middle part make you descent very easier. You must take care that you stop before waterfall. =) Then the route is nicely visible below the screes. (Check the description of this route also)
Essential Gear
Rope, helmet in early Summer also ice pick and crampons (in ravine on the ridge could be snow)