Slovenia rests among a largely mountainous terrain in the southern reaches of Central Europe. It shares a northern border with Austria, eastern border with Hungary, southern border with Croatia, and western border with Italy. Slovenia is also one of the most bio-diverse countries on the continent, with extensive rivers and forests providing a thriving environment for thousands of different animal species.

The population of Slovenia is quite small and scattered, with roughly 2 million citizens in total living throughout the country (the majority are Slovenes, though many other southern and central European ethnicities and cultures are represented). Ljubljana, the country’s capital and largest city, is a particularly popular destination where to volunteer abroad in Slovenia. Portoroz, a small coastal town on the southern Adriatic coastline, is another such popular destination.

Because many volunteer projects throughout the country are devoted to environmental and wildlife preservation, it is also common to volunteer abroad in Slovenia’s rural areas, where you will be living much closer to nature than in the big cities. Slovenia is very small, so don’t stress too much about the decision of where to volunteer abroad; anywhere you end up, you will be only a few hours from everywhere else!