Category Archives: Uncategorized

Balkan Rivers Tour will take place in autumn this year. So instead of making After-Party in cold and rainy November we are making Pre-Party in hot and sunny August. We will use this party and get together as a chance to apply pressure to SENG (Soča Hydropower Plants Company) and demand that they finally cancel plans for the dams on Učja River and upper Soča River. How? With a big flotilla of rafts and kayaks! Where? On the Soča River between Srpenica and Trnovo. Since hard work and creative action should always be awarded… we will make a party afterwards! In the evening we will gather in Kamp Koren to […]

Na zadnji dan junija, na prelepo sobotno jutro, smo združili moči z malo verjetnim partnerjem – skejterji na dogodku Rolka 7. Zakaj? Da bi dokazali, da naravovarstvo nima meja, omejitev in fiksnih idej; da bi pokazali da je prava zabava in rock’n’roll! Blejsko jezero je na 45 plovilih gostilo 50 ljudi, ki so podporo divjim rekam Slovenije izkazali z vesli dvignjenimi visoko v zrak. Kajaki, veslaški enojci, kanu, SUPi, pletni in flamingo. To ni bil protest. To je bila kreativna akcija. Akcija, s katero smo korumpiranim politikom dali vedeti, da je dovolj uničevanja. Da naj prenehajo z forsiranjem Akcijskega narčta obnovljivih virov Slovenije, ki bi, tak kot trenutno je, odprl […]

Woho! We are joyfully announcing what we hope will become the biggest and most effective action so far – Balkan Rivers Tour 3! A month full of film premiers, paddling and protests! Sign up for newsletter to stay up-to-date with all news regarding the tour and get ready. Cheers! Direct link to program here: https://balkanriverdefence.org/program See you on and next to the river!

Like everyone and everything we are also facing evolution. 2018 will be a big year for Balkan rivers and for us. We are turning a page in what is now becoming a thick book with new name that gives much better insight and explanation into what we are all about. Here is a little interpretation on why and how: We started Balkan Rivers Tour flying by the seat of our pants. What took off as a crazy idea turned into the biggest (and most fun) river conservation action in Europe. We started by touring the Balkans to raise awareness about the stunning, wild rivers that call the Balkan Peninsula home. We […]

Things should always end with a nice get together and party. To celebrate the completed tour we teamed up with Soča Outdoor Festival and Kamp Koren to provide best venues for best actions on the banks of Soča.

We have brought another edition of Balkan Rivers Tour to reality. It was different than the first edition. Is was not that big, that is for sure, but it was more focused. With two river systems paddled from source to sea we showed what a river truly is. How it travels from mountains down to the sea and connects these two seemingly unconnected ecosystems. Action on Soča exposed the negative effects of dams and it was really painful to see experience that from a kayak. On the other hand action on Morača was so invigorating; 200 kilometers in a kayak trough 2 rivers and one big lake without a single […]

There is a special connection formed, between a paddler and a river, when it’s paddled from source to sea. Seeing the changes of the rock formation and vegetation. From alpine shrubs and rock gardens, to stark canyon walls with dancing grasses and fig trees, the changes are visible but also tangible. The air and the light changes; the volume and the power of the river too. This power is something that as kayakers, we seek. We respect and we cherish. But for other, for people who haven’t been deep within the canyon walls, for people who haven’t felt the euphic freedom of a perfectly executed boof, this power is seen […]

It is on! Tomorrow we are starting with Morača – Skadar Lake – Bojana River paddle event. Check the program here (only change is DAY 4 – instead of end of paddling in Vranjina we will paddle till Virpazar, restauran Silistria tripadvisor Restaurant Review) and join us! MORACA-ACTION_itinerary_final

“Experiencing this amazing valley on skis, in waders and in a kayak brings you closer to nature and realization how complete she is. Valbona river is the vein of the valley, the essence, as she transports all information from the highest of peaks to the lush forests right at the bottom of it. She makes sure the cycle keeps on going like it was in the last millions of years. Local people have always acknowledged that in many legends and cherished her flows but now new age of money dwelling leaders set their feet in this eden, trying to take advantage of this same invigorating flow. It is time to […]

Sometimes, it’s easier to look on the bright side – to focus on beauty and clear water, wild rapids and wildlife – than it is to stare straight at a garbage-clogged tributary, or concrete filled river. In Greece, we were exposed to remote and absolutely breathtaking canyons. But as we traveled north, this kind of untouched wilderness was harder to find, as the people of Albania struggle to carve out a life in a developing country. Passing hydro dams on the highway our minds were quickly distracted by another stunning view – vistas of towering mountains, trees, rocks, and water. But the dry riverbeds became more frequent, and the pipes […]