Think about your favorite campsite. Now try to imagine it filled with half burned trash, plastic wrappers, broken branches, scattered with plastic bottles and caps, covered in traces from previous camper’s eco-crimes. Not a good picture, right?

As we get ready for the long awaited summer camping trips, we will share some tips for keeping your campsite clean we have learned over the years of organizing tours out in the wild. Learn how to keep your favourite campsite clean and amazing.

But wait, what if you don’t have a favourite campsite? Then you will find one in the unspoiled beauty of Bosnia and Herzegovina! Come for an amazing camping trip, and maybe try out whitewater rafting on the best rafting river in Europe - Tara river.

#1 Proper camp set up

The first thing you need to do, when you pick the perfect spot for your leisure, is to set up trash and recycling containers or bags. While your camping party is unpacking, there will be trash, and it is best to throw it away immediately.

Why we do this first is because when people get out of the car, they often bring trash with them - candy wrappers, bottles, etc. And when you finish unpacking you just want to relax. ‘’I ‘ll throw it out later’’ you say, and then you forget, or the trash somehow disappears.

#2 Keeping the tent clean

If you ‘ve ever been camping, you know it is not easy to clean a tent. The damn dirt always gets in the worst places and all the wrong angles. There is an easy solution to this problem. Do not get the tent dirty in the first place!

How to do that? You need to follow a few steps. Bring an old tarp and put it under the tent. That will keep the dirt around the tent from getting picked up and brought inside. Next thing is to put a small rug or a doormat at the entrance. You know how good those things are at picking up dirt. If you don’t, just pick up your doormat and give it a shake (protip: do it outside).

Because the dirt is really an unstoppable force, the trick is to put another tarp inside the tent. That way, you can just pick up the tarp when you are packing. Bring some masking tape to fix the tarp in place.

#3 Make a washing station

There is a good chance you will have to wash some dishes while camping. Whether you are eating from proper plates (not plastic or paper ones), or you brought food in some containers that need to be cleaned.

If you can, bring a large jug with a spigot and put it sideways on top of the picnic table. Put a container underneath it to catch water and you have yourself a makeshift dishwasher!

Or you can use two or three tubs, one for water and dish soap, and the other two or one with just water for rinsing.

In both occasions, make sure to use biodegradable dish soap and something to get the small food particles out of the water, like a mesh strainer. Use as little soap as you can, strain the water when you are done, put the food remains in the trash and scatter the water broadly.

#4 Toilet use

Check the campsite for bathrooms or outhouses. If there aren’t any, bring a trowel to bury your body’s waste. Dig a small hole, at least 50 meters away from water. If you can get your hands on some specialized waste bags, even better!

#5 Campfire etiquette

Campfire can make a huge difference on a camping trip, you will be really disappointed if you can’t make one. You should use established fire rings (if there are any) and use wood only from the ground. Do not burn your trash. Burn wood all the way down, and put away the fire for good before leaving. Scatter the rocks you used.

#6 Keep the area as you found it

Campsites are not custom made, you just have to find one that suits you. If the site does not suit you, look for another one. Don’t make changes to your surroundings, don’t dig trenches or build structures around the site.

Bring camping furniture to avoid dragging logs or rocks. You don’t want to find a wild, pissed-off, animal underneath a log or a rock and injure yourself.

General tips

• Check that you have all the tent stakes, so you don’t have to tie down rocks, and don’t forget a hammer to secure them in the ground.
• Your know that your pets make trash, so if you brought them with you, keep plastic bags on hand for waste management.
• Properly store trash and food. Waking up to a sound of a bear or some raccoons scavenging through your stuff is not something you want to remember on your camping trip.
• In order to keep your soap clean, tie an old pair of pantyhose around it. Hang it near your water source and you don’t have to worry about dirty soap anymore!
• Bring a coat hanger, brake the bottom side in half and put toilet paper on it. Hang the hanger, and you got yourself a makeshift paper towel holder.

At last, before you start packing, organize a search party to clean up the area. Remember, you found the campsite clean, leave it like that and enable everyone to enjoy your perfect getaway zone.

Of course, you can spend some time in our organized camp centre and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery during various activities. Check out our arrangements and pick what you like the most!