Hiking tour
April 18, 2019
Cycling tour through the central part of Macedonia
April 19, 2019
Bike tour
Day1
Arrival in Skopje (20 km) (D)
Pick up from the Skopje airport. Accommodation in a hotel in Skopje. Orientation walk and time on your leisure.
Day2
City tour Skopje – Mountain Vodno cycling (B, L) (30 km)
Breakfast. After the breakfast we start a walking tour from the centuries old Kale – Skopje fortress. We will continue to the Old Turkish Bazaar, mingling with the locals, meeting different cultures and religions, old forgotten crafts, as well. After that we will go to the Museum of Macedonian struggle, with possibilities to visit the Archaeological museum of Macedonia, as well, with one of the biggest ancient coins collection in the world exclusively from the Macedonian territory. We will walk across the Stone bridge, the land mark of the city, and admire the biggest monument and fountain of Alexander the Great. The next stop will be the memorial house of Mother Teresa. She was born in Skopje in 1910. Lunch in a national restaurant. After that, we will take a ride with the bikes up to the close mountain Vodno to visit the so called complex Ethno village (temporarily closed, so we will let you know in the time of your reservation if this visit is included or not), that presents various houses built in Macedonian architecture from different regions in the country. Next to the complex, we will visit the church of St Panteleymon with Renaissance frescoes from 12th century. Then we continue riding to the peak of the mountain up to the Millennium Cross. Through the village of Nerezi, we ride back to the hotel.
Total cycling: 30 km, riding uphill and downhill and some flat terrain, moderate one
Day3
Skopje – Bitola – Magarevo village (Pelister National Park) (B, D) (170 km)
Breakfast in the hotel and then drive to Bitola. Accommodation in a mountain hotel in the national park, Baba Mountain. Short introduction of the park and starting our ride to the mountain glacial lakes. We will follow the WWI trails and trenches, admire the views, explore unique flora and fauna, such as the indigenous five needle pine tree called molika, observing a natural phenomenon called rocky rivers in the mountainous terrain. Then we will get back on our bikes to the hotel. Dinner in the hotel.
Total cycling: 35 km, mountain terrain, flat and rocky, hard one
Day4
Magarevo – Brajcino (Lake Prespa) (B, L, D) (50 km)
Breakfast in the hotel. Today we start cycling from Magarevo, riding through the national park Pelister. From the mountain pass we will have excellent view over the Lake Prespa and its coast. We will ride down to the Lake Prespa. The next stop is the village Brajcino. We will have traditional Macedonian lunch in this village. Accommodation and dinner in the village in private apartments.
Total cycling: 50 km, uphill, downhill, flat, moderate to hard one
Day5
Brajcino – Galicica National Park (Mountain Galicica) – Ohrid (B, L, D) (82 km)
Breakfast in the village. Today we ride the bikes around the lake Prespa with few stops to observe more than 300 species of local birds. We continue riding uphill to the mountain pass of Galicica mountain. We will enjoy the breathtaking view over the Lake Ohrid, on the other side of the mountain. Then we will ride downhill to the fishermen village Trpejca (mentioned as the Macedonian San Tropez in the Lonely Planet), including lunch in the village, lake trout and homemade wine. Continue to the city of UNESCO, Ohrid. Accommodation and dinner in a hotel.
Total Cycling: 82 km, asphalted road, uphill, downhill, flat, moderate to hard
Day6
Ohrid City Tour (B, L, D) (4 km)
Breakfast in the hotel. Today we have a day off, but with possibility to explore this unique town on foot. One of the oldest towns in Europe, Ohrid. Full of history with traces of four thousand years of civilisation. We will visit famous medieval churches, the fortress of King Samuel with a beautiful panorama, the ancient Macedonian-Roman Theatre, sailing with small boats on the way back to the center. Our guide will take us on a journey through history in the biggest open air museum of the Byzantheum. Lunch in a national restaurant. Free time to explore more of this UNESCO site. Dinner in a national restaurant with a folk ansamble and traditional Macedonian songs and dances. Overnight in a hotel.
Day7
Ohrid – St. Naum Monastery complex from 9th century – Ohrid (B, L) (60 km)
Breakfast in the hotel. From the city port, with the boat Alexandria we will set sail to the other side of the lake, to the monastery St. Naum, founded in 9th century. We will visit the monastery itself and the main springs of the lake. After the lunch around this extraordinary work of nature, we will take our bikes and ride along the lake shore back to the town Ohrid. Free evening. Overnight.
Total Cycling: 30 km, asphalted road, little bit uphill, mostly flat, moderate
Day8
Ohrid – Tetovo – Skopje (B, L, D) (180 km)
Breakfast at the hotel. We drive to the ethnically and religiously mixed town Tetovo to visit the unique Colourful Mosque, painted from outside and inside in different colours, presenting paintings of towns and cities from the 19th century, a kind of a Renaissance in the Islamic world. After that, close to the capital Skopje, we will visit one of the most beautiful canyons in Europe, Matka, with the river Treska. We will have a lunch break in the restaurant on the bank of the river, possibly river trout, and by small boats we will set sail 6 km upstream to visit the cave Vrelo, full of cave decorations, like stalactites and stalagmites. Accommodation in a hotel in Skopje. Farewell dinner in a national restaurant. Overnight.
Day9
Skopje – Airport (B) (30 km)
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time. Driving to the Skopje International Airpost, about 40 minutes from the hotel.
Services for the tour
- Professional local tourist guide
- All transfers with our vehicle
- Accommodation in hotels on BB basis
- Meals in restaurants according the program
- All entrance fees for museums and churches
- Rates depend on the number of travellers