ICCA Consortium

The Save Sinjajevina campaign is petitioning the government of Montenegro to cancel a military training ground in the pasturelands of Sinjajevina and create a protected area co-governed by the local community

First published on 06/08/2022, and last updated on 06/14/2022

By Save Sinjajevina (ICCA Consortium Member)

Save Sinjajevina Solidarity Camp will be held in Montenegro from July 8 to 15, 2022.

Join the camp in support of conserving the pasturelands of Sinjajevina and create a local community co-governed protected area.

We are petitioning the government of Montenegro to cancel a military training ground in the pasturelands.

Program

Friday-Sunday, July 8-10: Participate in World BEYOND War’s #NoWar2022 Conference from Sinjajevina (or online wherever you are!).
Friday, July 8 from 5 pm: Travel to the Sinjajevina campsite. Installation of the camp. Dinner with community leaders.
Saturday, July 9: For the early birds: cow milking and hiking in the mountains. There are workshops about Sinjajevina and connections from the mountains to the online global #NoWar2022 Conference. Campfire: dinner, poetry, and music.
Sunday, July 10: Hike to discover the flora of Sinjajevina and collect flowers for a flower-crown-making workshop. Visit Katuns (traditional houses).
Monday, July 11: Preparation day for Petrovdan. Campers can help or take a free day.
Tuesday, July 12: This is the most important day in Sinjajevina. Petrovdan is the traditional celebration of Saint Peter’s Day at the Sinjajevina campsite (Savina voda). More than one hundred people gather every year on this day in Sinjajevina. Transport back to Kolašin and Podgorica for those who may need it.
Wednesday-Thursday, July 13-14: World BEYOND War Youth Summit at the foothills of Sinjajevina with youth from the Balkans. Campers can join some of the activities of the summit, hike in the mountains or discover the nightlife of Podgorica.
Friday, July 15: This is the most important day to be in Podgorica. Save Sinjajevina, accompanied by more than a hundred Montenegrin supporters and a delegation of international supporters in the representation of different NGOs from around the world, will travel to the capital of Montenegro (Podgorica). We will submit the petition to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Defense, and the EU Delegation in Montenegro to officially cancel the military training ground in Sinjajevina. Early morning transport from Kolašin-Podgorica.

Facilities

The camp is 1,800 meters above sea level. Please bring rain gear, warm clothes, a tent, a sleeping bag, camping gear, a water bottle, and cutlery. If you don’t have a tent or gear, contact us so we can accommodate you.

The community will provide drinking water, lunch, and dinner on the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th.

Please bring extra food for breakfast and snacks and for July 11 (free day) (food that does not require refrigeration and cooking). The organization will provide breakfast and snacks known as “shepherd’s snacks,” but just in case, bring something to your liking.

The campsite doesn’t include showers. There is a river, but it has to remain soap-free.

Register

Applications to join the camp must be submitted by July 5 here.

Directions

The campsite is a one-hour drive north-west from the nearest town of Kolašin. The closest train station is Kolašin, and the nearest airport is in Podgorica. By car, it is six hours from Belgrade, five and a half hours from Sarajevo, four hours from Pristina and Tirana, and three and a half hours from Dubrovnik. Please arrive in Kolašin on the 8th OR the 11th of July before 5 pm to allow enough time to be driven in daylight on rough trails up to the camp in Sinjajevina.