Exploring Macedonia

Macedonia remains one of Europe’s last undiscovered areas. Being centrally located in the Balkans, this country is a crossroad between the East and West, Christianity and Islam - a melting pot of civilizations. The landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful, the people are some of the world’s most welcoming, and the food is some of Europe’s most comforting. During this introductory exploration trip of beautiful Macedonia, You experience first-hand the bustling green markets of Skopje, the beautiful areas of Matka by hiking and kayaking, hike or ride horses in the Mavrovo national park, dip in the crystal clear waters of the Ohrid lake which is a UNESCO world natural heritage site, and cycle along the lake. During the trip You will taste local cuisine typical for each area visited prepared by friendly locals.

Activities:​ ​Sightseeing, adventures (hiking, kayaking, horse riding, cycling) and local gastronomy (cooking)

Date:

16 Aug Departure

However if you have a group of 10 and want to undertake this trip on any other date pls contact me.

Cost: Approx AED 7200/person in DBL/Twin occupancy (this is the group rate. For those who do not wish to travel in a group pls contact me @ 0561146780)

Included:

• Transportation throughout the journey (English speaking driver, fuel, pay tolls, parking incl.)
• Tour leader from our local partner
• Accommodation at DBL/TWIN room in selected hotels
• All meals (as per program; selection of traditional dishes made from locally sourced ingredients; beverages excl.)
• All activities, equipment and local support guides (as per program)
• Water/snacks during the trip
• Entrance fees at archaeological sites / national parks
• 24/7 assistance from our local partner
Flights - Dubai to Skopje and back

Excluded:

Personal expenses, Visa cost

Flight Details: Flydubai operates direct flights between Dubai and Skopje every Thursday and Monday

Visa:http://www.mfa.gov.mk/index.php?lang=en

Day 1 Thu: Depart from Dubai at 9:15 am and Reach Skopje at 12:05

After arriving at Skopje, our trip leader will meet you outside at the customs and immigration area of the airport and will escort you to the hotel. After a short break at the hotel, you will be given short walking tour of Skopje’s most famous amenities (the Stone Bridge, the famous mosques - Mustapha Pasha, Sultan Murad, Yahya Pasha, Ishak Bey, the Old Bazaar and it’s inns and hammams, as well as the Skopje Fortress). In the evening the you will be taken for a welcome dinner at a restaurant with traditional setting, where you will try dishes typical of Skopje.

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Day 2 – Kayaking / hiking / rock climbing in the Skopje area (Matka canyon)

After breakfast, you will be transferred (30min) to the Matka canyon, Skopje’s most famous tourist attractions. The vast Matka Canyon is a protected natural reserve and home to several medieval monasteries (XII-XIV cent.), amazing caves and a wide variety of plants and animals. Located just 15 km from Skopje, with its steep cliffs and limestone rocks, Matka is one of Macedonia's most popular kayaking, mountaineering and climbing sites.

Your adventure in Matka canyon will first start with a hike around the area. There is a choice of different trails available and the duration of the hike will be approx 2 hrs.

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After the hike we will embark on a kayaking adventure to the Vrelo cave. Located on the right bank of the Treska River, the cave was listed as one of the top 77 natural sites in the world in the New7Wonders of Nature project. Vrelo Cave has many stalactites including a large one in the middle of the cave is known as the "Pine Cone" due to its shape. There are two lakes at the end of the cave, with one larger than the other. The smaller lake is 8 metres (26.2 feet) at its longest length and 15 metres (49.2 feet) in depth at its deepest point. The larger lake is 35 metres (114.8 feet) at its longest length, and 18 metres (59 feet) at its deepest point. Though the exact depth of the cave is unknown, some speculate that it could be the deepest underwater cave in the world.

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The Monastery of St.Andrew (XIV cent.) will be the starting point of our kayaking adventure and we kayak along the Matka lake to reach Vrelo (cca 5 km; cca 3h in both directions). Once the Vrelo cave is reached, we leave the kayaks to enter the cave and enjoy it’s interior and wildlife (cave lakes and ornaments, bat colonies). After the cave visit you have a choice to either kayak back or if you are tired will be transferred back viz boat. You will then be taken to a nearby village restaurant (village of Shishevo, 10min transfer from the canyon) to try dishes typical of the Skopje countryside. You will then proceed to Mavrovo national park in the late afternoon/early evening hours. Dinner is arranged in a local restaurant and you will spend the night at the national park.

Day 3 – Discovering Mavrovo national park

Today you will be offered 3 different activities to choose from: horse riding, hiking or cultural discovery of Mavrovo National Park. Mavrovo National Park is the largest of the three national parks of the Republic of Macedonia. It was founded in 1949 and is located in the west of the country. The national park, the lake, and the region are named after the village of Mavrovo. Beautiful vistas abound, and the park is home to Macedonia's highest peak, Mt Korab (2764m).

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For the horse riding and the hiking tour, you will first be transferred to the area of Galicnik (with short photo stop at the viewpoint of Carevec, overlooking at the Mavrovo lake) which is a 30-45min transfer. Day spent on a horseback in Mavrovo offers a first-hand experience of the riches of the Mavrovo national park. This particular holiday is a great way to discover the beautiful countryside far from the clutter of the urban life. During the ride (3-4 hours) we visit places with beautiful sceneries, mighty mountains, crystal clear rivers and waterfalls, smooth and vast green highlands.

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The hiking tour follows an easy path starting at location near Galicnik (1350m asl), leading to Mt.Medenica (2163 m asl), the highest point of the Bistra Massif, afterwards descending to the village of Galicnik. It takes 3-4 hours to hike across limestone pavement and flower-bedecked grassland, enjoying spectacular landscapes.

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For those willing to spend a more relaxed day, you will spend the day exploring the southern part of Mavrovo National Park, ethnically and culturally different from other parts of this region due to the presence of indigenous communities of Macedonian Muslims. We stop in the village of Rostushe where you enjoy a walk to the Duf waterfall and here we enjoy coffee/tea break in the outdoors. What follows is the visit to the St Jovan Bigorski Monastery (St John the Baptist) – the most spiritual monastery in Macedonia which was built in the 19th century. In the monastery we see an icon of St John the Baptist dating from the 11th century as well as the final and most stunning one of only three iconostasis carved (into walnut). Afterwards you return to the village of Janche where you get hands on with a cooking class with the local village women who will teach you how to prepare their local pastries, a specialty of the region.

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The hiking and horse riding guests join at a small family owned restaurant in Galicnik, where selection of typical dishes of Mavrovo (kachamak, white sheep cheese, bakardan) is arranged. After lunch, we will do short walking tour of the center of the village of Galichnik, remarkable for it’s architecture and traditions, also birthplace of many famous Macedonian poets, artists and writers.

All guests are joined in Janche in the afternoon hours, and from there you transfer to the city of Ohrid and where you will spend the night.

Day 4 Discovering Ohrid

Ohrid is a small resort city on the hilly shores of Lake Ohrid in the southwest of the Republic of Macedonia. In the city’s compact old town, medieval churches, monasteries and open-air ruins stand alongside traditional houses with red-tiled roofs. The massive walls of the centuries-old Samoil’s Fortress, at the top of the hill, dominate the city skyline.

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it was made a UNESCO heritage site in 1980. Nestled between high mountains up to 2,800 m and Lake Ohrid, it is not only a place of historic significance but also of outstanding natural beauty. Ohrid is the jewel in Macedonia's crown.

For the guests willing to spend laid back day, we will firstly offer short morning walking sightseeing tour of the old part of Ohrid - UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Sites visited include: Tsar Samuil’s Fortress, the Amphitheater, Plaosnik complex, church of St.Sofia. Also, we will pay a visit to the most famous islamic amenities in the Ohrid bazaar (Ali-Pasha mosque, Ajdar-Pasha mosque). Lunch is arranged at restaurant by the lake shore, offering dishes made from local fish. The afternoon is free for the guests to explore Ohrid on their own.

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For the active guests a cycling tour around the Ohrid lake is yours (Macedonia and Albania). First you will be transferred to the Macedonian-Albanian border near Struga, and from here you will start your biking along the Ohrid lake. The first section of the route is in Albania, where we will pass by interesting villages, and stop by for coffee in the city of Pogradec, largest city on the Albanian coast of lake Ohrid. Afterwards we will enter Macedonia at the Monastery of St. Naum, make another short stop to visit the beautiful monastery complex (founded in the 10th cent.). From St. Naum we will ride to the village of Trpejca, where we will enjoy Ohrid trout for lunch. In the afternoon hours we ride along the east coast and pass by the picturesque villages, until we reach Ohrid. Short sightseeing of the Ohrid amenities in the UNESCO protected area will be provided.

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This evening we head to Kuratica, a village on the outskirts of Ohrid, where we enjoy the hospitality of local Goran, and his family. Here you will be treated to local delicacies and If lucky he may even entertain you with some music by the campfire.

Day 5 Goodbye Macedonia

Checkout after breakfast, followed by 8am departure to the Skopje airport (departure flight at 1pm).