Northern Mountains - Montenegro - page 254

ADVENTURE RACE MONTENEGRO
Started by a bunch of British expats operating outdoor adventure businesses, the Adventure Race
( www.adventureracemontenegro.com ) should be high on the agenda for anyone who fancies themselves an ac-
tion man or wonder woman. Held in late September/early October, there are now two separate events.
The Coastal Challenge is one day of kayaking, mountain biking, trekking and orienteering amid the excep-
tional scenery of the Bay of Kotor. For the truly hardcore, the Expedition Challenge is a gruelling two-day, al-
most nonstop, team-based race that also includes rafting and traversing the northern mountains in the night.
For Jack Delf, one of the event's founders, drawing attention to Montenegro's unique environment is a key
part of his motivation.
'We consciously stage the Expedition Challenge in areas where bears, lynx and wolves are thought to live,'
says Delf. 'Montenegro is the last country in Europe to have the continent's big five mammal species - the bear,
the wolf, the chamois, the wild boar and the lynx. They exist separately in other places but not all together in the
wild. These animals could be a major draw for Montenegro, but we need to stop them being wiped out first. Cur-
rently nobody knows how many there are, what they do or where they go. My goal is to raise €100,000 to get
EuroNatur to tag the bear and the lynx.'
The Expedition Challenge has struggled to find sponsorship to cover its costs, let alone raise money, and con-
sequently the event wasn't held in 2012. The Coastal Challenge, on the other hand, returns modest profits which
are donated towards local charities. In the meantime, the situation for Montenegro's wildlife remains precarious.
'The last confirmed live bear sighting was five years ago,' says Delf. 'I've heard of two that have been killed
since then, including one that was found decapitated. The traditional mentality here is “my father took me hunt-
ing and I want to take my son hunting”. We need to get the message across that if you do that, your son will be
the last to see a bear in this country.'
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Durmitor National Park Национални парк Дурмитор
Magnificent scenery ratchets up to stupendous in this national park, where ice and water
have carved a dramatic landscape from the limestone. Forty-eight peaks soar to over
2000m in altitude, with the highest, Bobotov Kuk , reaching 2523m. From December to
March Durmitor is a major ski resort, while in summer it's a popular place for hiking,
rafting and other active pursuits.
The park is home to enough critters to cast a Disney movie, including 163 species of
bird, about 50 types of mammals and purportedly the greatest variety of butterflies in
Europe. It's very unlikely you'll spot bears and wolves, which is either a good or bad
thing depending on your perspective. We were assured that the wolves are only danger-
ous if they're really starving at the end of a long winter.
Durmitor National Park covers the Durmitor mountain range and a narrow branch
heading east along the Tara River towards Mojkovac. Žabljak , at the eastern edge of the