Crazy Mountain Camp Montenegro 2014
From June 21, 2014 till June 26, 2014 the Crazy Mountain Camp took place in an amazing remote valley in the Durmitor National Park in northern Montenegro. Mountain hiking, swimming in wild mountain lakes, crazy group games, spending a week in a unique location!
Join the Crazy Mountain Camp if you are in for an amazing new experience!
This Crazy Mountain Camp is not suitable for people that never hiked in the mountains before. Please read all information on this page to fully understand the situation.
21 - 26 June 2014
12
Simple mountain hut
Durmitor National Park, Montenegro
EUR 215
Activities
We'll have a mountain hut just for our group in a remote valley in the Durmitor National Park, at an altitude of 1.700m and far away from "civilisation". In the daytime we will be hiking in the overwhelming mountain landscapes with picnics and swimming in wild mountain lakes. In the evening we will organize crazy group games, cook and eat together, and probably there will be the unique Crazy Camp Mountain Sauna. The Crazy Mountain Camp will be an intense and unique experience!
Location
We will be in a simple mountain hut, far away from the noise and rumble of cities and villages, in the middle of beautiful nature: mountains with peaks of up to 2.500 metres above sea level, canyons, rivers, fields and forests. There are no villages in this valley and actually our hut is the only building in the whole valley. The only encounters we will have is with occasional hikers, wildlife and maybe some cows or sheep.
From our hut, it is a three hour hike to get to the road and from there it is 15 kilometers to the nearest village. In other words: we are on our own… and far away from pharmacies or medical care. So don't forget to bring your stock of anything you might need. Basically there will be no possibility to go for shopping during the week.
Accommodation
The hut is very simple. All sleeping places are in one big sleeping room. There is a wood stove for cooking and there is a dry toilet outside. Please do not expect luxury things like comfort, privacy or mobile network coverage. Bring a sleeping bag! There will be max. 16 people in our group. No smoking in the house.
I will try to bring a small generator for one hour of charging camera batteries etc. per day.
Couples
If you are a couple, please understand that in the Crazy Mountain Camp you can not behave like a couple. In general the sleeping places are allocated through a lottery [faq] and we're all sleeping in one big space. And you are expected to participate in all activities and group life as individuals and not as a couple. Yes you will be hugging – in the numerous group hugs! So be prepared to sit each at the other side of the group table during dinner, and accept that someone else than yourself might be giving your partner a massage of the sour muscles.
Mountain hiking
The days in the Crazy Mountain Camp will be dedicated to mountain hiking. Not mountaineering; no ropes, crampons or helmets. More info on the trail classifications (T1 etc.) here. Please do read!
The hikes that we will make are T3 and T4. Occasionally we will be crossing snow fields and some trails are quite exposed.
There is a hiking program set up but it is not an obligation to participate; if you are a seasoned mountaineer you might prefer to go rock climbing by yourself instead of hiking with our group. And also if you want to spend your days relaxedly searching for berries or spotting birds, feel free to do so. However, everybody is expected to participate in the group life at the end of the day and in the evening.
Weather conditions in the mountains can change fast and often. For this reason, the program can be changed according to what is safe and enjoyable.
What if I love mountains but don't want to join that 'serious' hiking?
Actually, it will be a bit complicated. Just to reach the hut from the road it is already a 3 hour hike (T3, so rather 'serious' already) – and that will be with your backpack filled with your personal stuff for a week in the mountains.
However, there is no obligation to join the big hikes that we will be making from the hut. If you're into nature photography or drawing landscapes, you will find a multitude of subjects within 500 meters from the hut… Most probably you will not be the only one that will not join all the hikes.
Preparation
Although the Crazy Mountain Camp is intended to be a relaxed, non-competitive event, mountain hiking is a sports activity that demands some extra attention for two reasons: altitude and safety. You don't really need to have a lot of experience in mountain hiking, but you will need a fair condition, good mountain hiking shoes, a daypack, a water bottle, rain protection and some layers of warmer clothes. A pair of hiking poles is helpful but not a necessity.
If you suffer from vertigo or acrophobia, this Crazy Mountain Camp will be quite challenging.
How to get there
The Durmitor National Park is in the north of Montenegro, close to the border with Bosnia. The village that is closest to our hut is Žabljak. There are buses to Žabljak from the nearest bigger city, Nikšić, and from the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica, from Belgrade and from some other places, such as Tivat.
The nearest international airports are Podgorica, Tivat, Sarajevo and Dubrovnik.
From and to Benelux (and NRW – Munich) there is a ride share available, approx. EUR 140 two way per person.
Amongst others, citizens of the EU, Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, the USA, Turkey, ex-YU, Albania and Australia don't need visa to visit Montenegro – but please check this yourself.
Cost
The deal
If we complete 10 people, the price for these 5 days and nights is EUR 215 per person for accommodation, food (that we will cook together) and fun. That is cheap! However, don't come if you are only interested in an affordable holiday. The Crazy Mountain Camp is all about the group, spending fun evenings together, doing crazy games, and enjoying the mountains together!
If we complete 16 people, the price will go down to EUR 195.
It seems that sometimes an entrance fee is charged for the national park; that fee is not included (should be some EUR 1-2 per person).
A Past Experience
The Crazy Mountain Camp Montenegro 2014 has already taken place. It was a wonderful journey!
We hope to see you at one of our future gatherings.
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