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Campfires in Croatian campsites

If you go camping in Croatia any time of year – either summer or winter, by the evening you will probably be tempted to put a campfire near your tent or caravan. That simple pleasure of sitting around a campfire can be very tempting especially if evenings are chilly when cozy sessions by the campfire sound like a great enjoyment.

Well, I must disappoint you – most of the campsites in Croatia do not allow building up an open fire next to tents as it is considered a fire hazard.

However, large numbers of campsites have designated areas where you can put a fire on and look after it in your own arrangement while most of the campsites have their own BBQ areas where your host will put fire in the evening to let visitors enjoy warmth and BBQ if they wish.

If you stay at the campsite where you can make your own fire (check with your host if campfires are allowed) you will need to collect firewood – the good news is that dry branches are wildly available around the Croatian countryside and using them is a nature-friendly activity.

The firelighter and charcoal you can buy on most of the petrol stations around the country. Some of them also sell ready-prepared wood – check with your host where your nearest store is…

In terms of “safety first rules”, the important things to keep on your mind are:

  1. Wind direction – putting the fire at the right side can prevent smoke or sparks getting into your (or your neighbour’s) tent
  2. Start off with a small fire and build up if necessary.
  3. Lay large stones in a circle around the fire – it adds safety and enables you to put BBQ grill panel on it.
  4. Have a sack of sand and bucket of water ready for an emergency

If your campsite doesn’t have a designated area where you can put a fire on, your alternative is a portable gas camping stove or BBQ which are allowed in all campsites. They are also easy to handle and hassle-free (although they can be a fire hazard too!)

In my opinion, the best food to cook on BBQ or open fire in Croatia is fish – plenty of it is available to buy along the coast of Croatia (check for fresh sardine!) Pork and lamb chops, as well as veggie and meat burgers and kebabs, are also wildly available.

Thick meat pieces are not as practical as they take ages to cook. My favorite food by the campfire is baked jacked potatoes – all you have to do is to wrap them in the few layers of foil and bury them in fire’s ashes. Leave them there and within about 20 minutes they are ready for eating 🙂

A useful article about campfires is on Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campfire