01
MANDATORY GEAR
Staff may check equipment before the event start. Participants missing required equipment, either at the start or during the event, will be disqualified and will not be eligible to receive a HIGHLANDER Pin, Patch and Certificate
- Tent or bivouac sack or hammock and waterproof tarp
- Sleeping bag (not required if bringing bivouac sack)
- Sleeping pad (not required if bringing bivouac sack with a built-in sleeping pad)
- Cutlery
- Gas stove, gasoline, or alcohol
- Hydration bladder or water bottles with a minimum total volume of 4L
- Warm clothing and footwear suitable for terrain and conditions
- Compass
- First-aid supplies (bandages, adhesive tape, adhesive bandages, stretch bandages, sterile gauze, antiseptic, repellent, pain relievers, survival blanket)
02
SHARED EQUIPMENT
This equipment can be shared in a group of maximum 4 people; however, the group must cross the Finish Line within a time difference of no more than 30 minutes from the first to the last group member. Participants sharing equipment must inform the organizing staff at Registration - Event weekl
- Tent
- Portable stove and canister
- Compass
- First-aid KIT
03
REGISTRATION INCLUDES
You can leave your additional luggage with us.
Leave it at the Check-in and collect it after you finish. Please note that the Organizer is not responsible for any of your valuable items. Participants may make private transportation arrangements to start point.
- Duty of RCS (Red Cross Serbia) and other professional services during events on Stara planina
- 3 hiking meals per day (dehydrated food, ready meals, spreads, cheese, bread, etc.)
- HIGHLANDER bandana
- HIGHLANDER ID - detailed instructions with a place to stamp each control point
- HIGHLANDER physical route map - detailed map in a waterproof case
- HIGHLANDER gpx route map
- HIGHLANDER BIB number and other KIT items
- HIGHLANDER Patch
- HIGHLANDER Pin
- HIGHLANDER Certificate
- Organization of educational and entertainment activities
- Infrastructure at the start, finish, control points and along the route
- Preparatory one-day actions/hikking in different localities of the Republic of Serbia (period March-June 2025)
- Organization of educational activities before the HIGHLANDER Stara planina 2025 event
- Gifts from sponsors and organizers
- Organization of the party after the event
04
VIOLATION OF THE RULES
Participants will not receive the HIGHLANDER Pin, Patch and Certificate in any of the stated circumstances.
Participants will be disqualified under the following circumstances:
- If groups the teams sharing gear reach the finish line more than 30 minutes apart
- Preventing staff from verifying that gear meets requirements
- Missing required gear
- Littering
- Fire starting
- Sleeping or cooking in mountain lodges, huts or other accommodation facilities
- Borrowing equipment from the same facilities
- Bivouacking outside of the designated camps
05
FOOD
HIGHLANDER Stara planina, Serbia offers meat and vegan options.
Organizer will provide camping food according to the diet preference each participant chose during the registration process. All meals are distributed at the start and campgrounds.
Provided camping food is suited to the average daily needs of an average adult: cooked food, dehydrated food, and pre-made meals, spreads, cheese, cold cuts, and bread. You can choose between a meat or vege diet, the gluten-free option, however, is not available. You choose your diet preference during the registration process.
Meal sizes are suited to adult people. 3 meals per day are provided for all participants. We recommend bringing snacks, dry fruit, and similar food in addition to the meals provided by the Organizer.
There are no stores or supermarkets on Stara planina, so stock up ahead of time. :)
More information about meals will be available a few weeks before the start of HIGHLANDER Stara planina.
06
WATER
You must bring your own water to the Start (minimum 4L).
It is important to stay hydrated so please make sure to always carry enough water with you.
Drinking water is available at each checkpoint, and there are water sources along the trail. At the starting point, participants will receive maps with information about active springs on the trail in that period of the year.
Mountain water is generally safe for drinking but using water purification (tablets/drops/filter) may be a good idea.
07
BIVOUACKING AND SITES
Participants choose their bivouacking spot on the site.
Choose a location on a hard dry surface such as rock, sand, gravel, or pine needle duff, not on vegetation or in meadows.
Sleeping arrangements may only include the required gear: tent, tarp, bivouac sack or hammock.
Fires are prohibited.
Lodging, cooking or borrowing gear from mountain lodges or huts are PROHIBITED.
08
TIME LIMITS
HIGHLANDER is NOT A RACE, but it does have a time limit.
All participants who collected all stamps and came to finish by the time of the finish closing, will receive their HIGHLANDER Pin, Patch and Certificate.
09
FIRE
FIRE MAKING IS PROHIBITED AT STARA PLANINA NATURE PARK.
10
LITTERING AND WASTE
Garbage cans will be placed at the checkpoints (all information will be in HIGHLANDER ID).
Littering and polluting is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification.
Participants may use the lavatories available at checkpoints, huts, hostels, etc.
In nature, feces must be buried at least 20 centimeters deep, and minimum 60 meter away from campsites, water sources, buildings, and backpacking trails. Use toilet paper sparingly and pack it out. A plastic bag confines odors effectively, and double bagging prevents any accidental contamination.
11
DOGS
This is a dog-friendly event but dogs must be on a leash.
You need to carry the dog food with you.
When in camping area: dogs will need to stay on a leash and must be taken outside of the camping area to relieve themselves. Dogs are not allowed inside any buildings including the dining hall.
$0No extra registration required
Please note it might still be pretty hot and unless the dog is acclimated to the heat, overheating might be a challenge. For the same reason, please make sure the dog is well hydrated - you probably need to carry 1.5x to 2x your water amount for the two of you.
12
WITHDRAWING
In the event of a serious injury or inability to walk, and if there is no cellular coverage, this must be reported at the nearest checkpoint through other participants or the organizers so that emergency service can be called.
If cellular service is available, a serious injury or inability to walk must be reported to emergency services by dialing NUMBER (see HIGHLANDER ID).
If withdrawing for reasons other than injury, participants must reach a road and either go back to Knjaževac or to the closest checkpoint.
The organizer is not responsible in any way for participants' withdrawal. Withdrawing participants will be responsible for making their own transportation arrangements.
Check backcountry safety tips to avoid unnecessary withdrawing.
The organizer, in agreement with the CKS, the available capacity and the difficulty of the terrain to be reached, prioritizes reported cases of withdrawal (withdrawal due to HEALTH reasons) and accordingly decides which participants will sooner or later be taken care of and in what way.
THE ORGANIZER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE RULES.
