Ponikva pri Žalcu - Požiralnik Ponikvice
Starting point: Ponikva pri Žalcu (408 m)
Starting point Lat/Lon: 46.3115°N 15.1464°E 
Time of walking: 30 min
Difficulty: easy unmarked way
Difficulty of skiing: no data
Altitude difference: -58 m
Altitude difference (by path): 20 m
Map:
Access to starting point:
We leave the Styrian motorway at the Arja vas exit, then follow the road in the direction of Velenje. At the end of the Velika Pirešica settlement we leave the main road towards Velenje and continue driving left onto the side road in the direction of Ponikva pri Žalcu. We then drive along a somewhat narrower and for the most part ascending road, which we follow to the fire station in Ponikva pri Žalcu, where we park at one of the nearby arranged parking lots.
There are also some parking options near the Church of St. Pancras and by the cemetery.
Path description:
From the fire station we first walk to the Church of St. Pancras, where we continue on the left side of the church (the marked path to Apno leads along the right side), where the path takes us past several houses, the branch primary school and the kindergarten under construction to the chapel at which we arrive at a crossroads.
We continue left (to the right is the drivable road towards Jama pekel) and then immediately right, so that we walk along the Banovšek farm. This is followed by some descent, and at the last house we turn onto the prepared path, along which we walk to the nearby spring.
From the spring we return to the road bend, then continue downstream along the Ponikvica, with the path leading us along the left bank of the stream. In places a somewhat less visible trail leads us past several smaller springs. When the valley widens we reach a cart track, which we do not follow; instead we continue along the left bank. The only difference is that the path moves a little higher onto the slope above the stream, where we first climb a short steep slope, where there is an increased risk of slipping especially when wet, though this section is quite short. Above the steep section we reach another cart track that descends parallel to the stream to the nearby asphalt road. When we reach the asphalt road we turn right and walk along it to the bridge over the Ponikvica. Here we leave the road and in a few dozen steps walk to the swallow hole, where there is however a great danger of slipping if we approach the edge.
The description and photos refer to the situation in February 2026.
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