Destination: Soča Valley

Picture the perfect terrain for paragliding and it’s quite possible you’ll end up somewhere that looks a lot like Slovenia’s Julian Alps. Mountainous – but not too forbidding – with grassy and well-maintained launches, ridgelines that stretch towards Italy’s Dolomites and beyond, wide valleys for easy landings and retrieves. Add reasonably priced accommodation and food, and it’s not difficult to see why it’s a paragliding playground.

At its heart is the Soča Valley, which carves its way from the Alps all the way to the Adriatic. The 15km...