Exploring North Macedonia

The Balkan country of North Macedonia is about 85% mountainous and is an undiscovered mecca for hikers. Officially, the Republic of North Macedonia since 2019, is a landlocked country between Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece. And we loved it.

It is an undiscovered expanse of mountains just waiting to be explored. It is a candidate for joining the EU, and when this happens I feel things will really take off.

As we are not really city people, we didn’t take in the sights of Skopje as most blogs suggest that you should. Our short itinerary took us to Ohrid, Galičica, Mavrovo and the Sar Mountains. We visited in October, and would recommend this time of year as it is simply stunning with autumnal colours.

We brought the 15 day, third party, car insurance at the border on the north of Lake Orhid for €50. It was all pretty simple; we pulled over, moved around the stray dogs and went up to the first floor to the Sava office. She had a card machine so you can pay in cash or card. Then we headed to Ohrid to find some food at get our Macedonian denar.

Ohrid

There’s a great, but simple, park up on the outskirts of the town of Ohrid overlooking the town. It can be found on Park4Night (#47643). There were bins and water fountains along the walkway. It’s just but a short walk into town where you can explore the old walls of the city; be sure to take the walk out the back of the city to the Church of Saint John the Theologian through the woodlands. Enjoy Milenko’s viewpoint and you will see there is a secret little bay here too. Keep an eye out for some red squirrels.

We picked up a sim card from A1 in the town square on the waterfront. It was €5 for 20gb that lasts 15 days. We had to pay cash – there was a cash machine just off the square.

I wanted to try their classic baked bean dish, Tavce Gravce. It did not disappoint! That paired with traditional bread was literally one of the best dishes I have ever had. 

Galičica National Park

We drove up the zig zag road into Galičica National Park. The entrance fee is 200 denar (€3 per person) and we found a perfect spot in the middle of a vast open space in the mountains. The rangers turned up and were really friendly; they said they have no problem with us staying here. We also saw some Syrian refugees who were making their way into Serbia; the rangers were really friendly to them and helped them to the border, where there is a Red Cross centre. I can’t believe they have walked over 2000km between February to October. 

There are some great walks up here. You can find a variety of routes on OutdoorActive – but do check on Strava to see if there is a blue line as we did find some of the paths non existent! Follow the white and red markers for the footpaths.

Click here for OutdoorActive routes.

Mavrovo National Park 

This national park is home to the lynx and the brown bear. Mike saw a lynx, but we haven’t seen any brown bears, only bear scat.

Tresonce in Mavrovo National Park

Our first park up spot was down a very narrow, van scratching lane to Tresonce where there was the most beautiful woodland walk along a beck to a waterfall and cave. As the water level was relatively high ( Mid-October) we could only get so far. Also there was a metal ladder type thing which Alba couldn’t get up so we stopped.

The stray dogs so far have been present of course, but nowhere near the scale as they are in Albania. I am not sure why but will find out. I met someone who has a family member who transports the dogs to Scandinavia, so that might be the situation throughout the country. I will write when I find out. 

Toni Voda in Mavrovo National Park

To get to our favourite area of Mavrovo National Park you’ll need to drive to the south of the lake and then head up into the hills. There are loads of hills to explore up here. We spent a wonderful time parked up in a variety of places on the open meadows above the little village of Monvovo.

The shepherd passes once or twice a day – very friendly however if you have a dog, do be aware that there are many Kangals around! These dogs are the most stunning animals I have seen. The alfa male has a spike collar incase he gets attacked by wolves. 

There is also a riding centre up here where they do pony trekking. The ponies are brought down in winter, I went out on one of the last rides of the season.

Leaving Mavrovo heading north to the Sar Mountains we stopped for lunch at Restaurant Evropa Garden. I would highly recommend this place. The vibe wasn’t anything special as it is a wedding venue that does food – but the food was SO good! There is really easy parking here for campervans. I would recommend the grilled stuffed pepper.

Sar Mountains

To get to the mountains we drove to Tetovo (which was pretty hectic on market day) then we took the road up to Popova Shapka. Our camp spot was found on Park4Night and it really is in the middle of the hills. From here there are some amazing hikes in the Sar Mountain range. You could do some overnight walks here too.

Matka Canyon 

We aimed to get here on a Sunday; I would never plan to do that again, buses after buses were coming in and out. We couldn’t park, could barely turn around. So we decided not to visit but to continue our journey. If you plan to come here – do not come at the weekends, and arrive super early! 

Leaving North Macedonia

Leaving the country we took the northern road to Bulgaria, and stopped to have an early dinner at Kuklica Etno Restaurant. The food was good and the service was friendly. We found eating out in the country on the whole pretty cheap. (About 10€ for a dinner for two). 

Top tips for Visiting North Macedonia:

• Get a SIM card in Ohrid.
• Do plenty of research regarding hikes.
• Make a list of traditional food to try.
• Take longer than 15 days.

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