Ritam Srbije / Rhythm of Serbia
Highlander, from 17 th to 21 st June You don’t have to be a highlander – it’s enough for you to love nature This unique event intended for nature lovers will this year bring together a record number of participants on Stara Planina, the Balkan Mountain
Highlander Hercules, covers a distance of 101 kilo- metres and conquering it is predicted to require five days on Stara Planina. Highlander Pegasus is a 53-kilo- metre-long trail, with three days set aside to complete the journey. The weekend option, Highlander Orion, is 33 kilometres long and, with just one night spent sleeping under the stars, is the most suitable option for novice enthusiasts and families with older children. While enjoying spectacular views, participants have an opportunity to put their physical endurance and re- sourcefulness to the test, feel a sense of harmony with nature, experience isolation far from civilisation, and often without even a mobile phone signal, sleep un- der open skies and find inner peace and enjoyment in this challenge. It is important to note that this adven- ture has no winners or losers; it is not a competition, but rather a personal or team challenge that broadens personal horizons. This year’s challenge has two Stara Planina start- ing points, with participants embarking simultaneous- ly from the starting point below Babin Zub peak and from the mountain lodge in the village of Dojkinci. Trails of differing formats merge at certain points, so plans envisage all participants camping together un- der the open sky on Beleđe pass, with a campfire and a unique atmosphere. From here the trails diverge once again, passing the stunningly attractive peaks of Ko- pren and Tri čuka, the Tupavica Waterfall, Draganov vir waterfall and Ponor Bay. The lengths of the trails reward the participants at each kilometre, such that those who spend the most days on Stara Planina will also receive the opportunity to enjoy the experience of crossing the Vrtibog Plateau - through the Arba- naški kladenac, over Smilovica summit, through the stone village of Gostuša and along the shore of Zavoj Lake, all the way to the village of Temska, which offi- cially marks the end of this year’s Highlander adven- ture challenge.
L overs of hiking and recreational tourism are awaited by the now traditional Highlander adventure, where participants can select the length of hiking trail to suit their fitness lev- els and choose how many days they want to spend in this area of pristine nature. The marked hiking trails that participants trav- erse are named after constellations. The longest trail,
Ove godine početna tačka je istovremeno na dva mesta na Staroj planini/ This year’s challenge has two Stara Planina starting points
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