Eco holidays - Overview

Image - Organic gardens at Camp Full Monte. Interest in eco holidays, sustainable travel, eco tourism and the environment in general has risen significantly in recent years and some holiday providers in Montenegro are trying to meet that demand. There's no recognised certification or guidelines to conform to in Montenegro so what falls under the 'eco' label here can be very varied.

Image - Kitchen waste for worm compost Here at Camp Full Monte we don't just tweak a few things to tap into the demand for eco holidays - we live an eco lifestyle and are passionate about sharing it with others. Browse through our Saving Water, Green Power & Reduce, Re-Use, Re-Cycle pages, look through our Eco Project Gallery or visit our blog to find out more about what we did and why.

Tailor-made eco holidays

We provide a unique holiday package for the green traveller. You'll get an in-depth tour of our green systems plus informal talks & practical workshops on:

organic gardening - including composting techniques, organic fertilisers & companion planting
making your own eco cleaning & beauty products
reusing & recycling

We can also arrange excursions to local farms and restaurants to learn about:

making your own essential oils
the 'slow food' movement in the region
raw & vegan food

image - Camp Full Monte outdoor lounge Do as much or as little as you like - we're sure you will want time to explore the wild beauty Montenegro has to offer. We can arrange hiking tours, gastronomy excursions, kayaking trips and much more to suit your needs. Prices start from €275 per person which includes a 7-night stay in a Lodge tent with breakfast and 3 evening meals. Excursions, tours & activities are optional extras. Contact us for a tailor-made itinerary & full quote.

What is the eco experience really like?

It's all very well being 'green' but does it compromise style, comfort, facilities and enjoyment? Definitely not at Camp Full Monte! Our guests rated the off-grid, eco aspect as one of the best things about their stay with us, second only to the friendly atmosphere. Peace, quiet and closeness to nature also scored highly.

Eco Project Gallery

The first problem - Water

In summer, when we need it most, our natural spring slows to a trickle.
We had to build a water tank!

We chose the highest point nearest our spring
Spring fill

When water is plentiful we pump water into the tank
Gravity fed

45,000 litres at 1.7 bar still wasn't enough.
Waterless composting toilets

Flush toilets would use 40% of our daily water. Dry toilets were a pragmatic solution.
How do they work?

Below each toilet there is a concrete chamber ...
Chamber design

The chanbers must be accessible from the outside. We had to design the building around them.
The chamber floor is sloped

and covered with beer crates allowing the "liquid" to drain off into a collection tank.
Then a layer of mesh

The solids stay on top and liquid drains away to a collection tank.
Adding a starter layer of compost

Creates a healthy composting environment.
Chamber vent pipes

Fans draw air down the toilets, over the compost and up to roof level. No Smell !!!
Solar Power

We installed a small solar P.V. system to power the fans.
Roof pitch considerations

The pitch of the roof was designed to maximise capture of the summer sun.
The black box

A charge controller charges the batteries that power the fans.
Loads of energy

The fans don't need much power so we installed 12V USB charging points and a small inverter.
Our waterless urinals work in a similar way

Providing liquid manure for our flowers and trees.
Organic Gardens

Fed with compost and liquid manure from our toilets the gardens flourished.
Worming out the goodness

We also use other composting techniques for kitchen waste.
Worm composting bin

Turns kitchen waste into highly concentrated compost
Companion Planting

Vegetables are interplanted with flowers known to deter pests & diseases.
Replanting program

Replacing the trees lost during the build with fruit trees.
We had water but it was cold.

We installed a 300L hot water tank. But how to heat it?
We had no power for pumped solar systems

We found a thermo siphon system, no pumps or moving parts.
Very easy to install

The summer sun provides us with an almost endless supply of water at 60C..
Reducing ceramic waste

We collected tiles destined for landfill that local builders had over ordered.
Re-using ceramics

Using old shop display tiles gave us some funky shower base designs.
Re-used ceramics

We had just enough of these to finish the laundry sink.
Re-Use, Re-Cycle, Re-Purpose

Our summer kitchen is an example of re-use, re-cycling or re-purposing.
We re-used 172 railroad ties

These were to be burned by the railway company but we used them for vegetable beds, steps and fences.
Re-using water

We now re-use all our waste water to irrigate these vegetable gardens & grounds
Stepping up re-use

Surplus railroad ties were also used to make steps and fences around the site.

New Partnerships

Guests often ask "Can we buy some of Den's marmalades & chutneys?" So this winter Denise and a business partner set up "The Grassroots Company" to bring her much loved recipes to market. As you'd expect the ingredients are all organic and locally sourced with no artificial flavourings or preservatives and we'll have a stock at Camp Full Monte this summer.

Denise discovered the Ringana range of fresh, natural cosmetics & supplements and was so impressed she has become a Ringana Partner. We'll have a small stock of samples and products to try and buy at the campsite this season.

What an eco experience!

The campsite is amazing and we have been very impressed by it's low environmental impact. Phil & Tessa from Scotland

This place and the way you live is so inspiring - respecting nature, growing your own, recycling and being so eco conscious. Thank you so much! Franziska from Austria

We love the commitment to sustainable living. A natural campsite from the people to the atmosphere to the facilities. Loved it! Charlie & Darren from the UK

Thanks Steve & Denise for welcoming us into such a garden. We found many beautiful flowers and incredible ecological solutions. Charlotte & Aurelien from France

Wonderful stay at your ecological paradise. Just amazing how quiet & beautiful this place it. Very inspiring to see & hear how to save water and how to reduce the impact of being on this planet. Jennifer & Andre from The Netherlands

We couldn't have hoped for a more peaceful & friendly place. It was great to witness all you achieved with ecological practices and learn more about this way of living. Lou & Xavier from Belgium