Macedonia in 9 days
 Short tour description:
Activities included in “Macedonia in 9 days” tour: Biking, trekking, hiking, swimming, speleological activities, lake boat ride, river row boat ride, para gliding, water skiing. Note: All activities will be adjusted according to participant’s physical condition. This tour includes visits to: Canyon Matka; Lake Matka; Treska river; Monastery Holy Mother – build in XV c.; St. Anderew’s church – build in XIV c.; city of Tetovo; Painted mosque build in XVII c.; NP Mavrovo; Mt. Bistra – peak Medenica 2163m.; village Galicnik; cave - “Sharkova dupka”; Monastery St. John Bigorski – build in XI c.; Lake Debar; city of Ohrid; St.Sophia church XI c.; St.Bogorodica Perivlepta XIII c.; St.Jovan Kaneo church XIII c.; St.Pantelejmon – Plaoshnik - build in X c.; St.Nikola Bolnicki & St.Bogorodica Bolnicka built in XIV c.; Small St.Klement built in XIV c.; St.Dimitria, St.Konstantin and Elena & St.Mali Vraci - built in the XIV c.; St. Erazmo early Christian church - built in the V c.; Old bazaar, Mesokastro settlement, Kaneo settlement, Ohrid fortifications, Ancient theatre, Icon gallery. St.Zaum church - it was built in XIV c.; St.Naum monastery - build in the 910 by St.Naum.; Ohrid lake, NP Galicica, Mt. Galicica – peak Magaro 2350 m.; monastery of Georgiou’s at Kurbinovo build in XII c.; Slivnica Monastery - monastery Mother of God in the vicinity of village Slivnica build in XVII c.; NP Pelister; city of Bitola; arheological site Heraclea;.; Smolare waterfall 39,5 m. High; Kolesino waterfall 16 m. High; monastery Vodocha build in XI c.; monastery Veljusa build in XI c.; Ancient city Stobi ( III c. B.C.)
Detailed schedule for the tour:
Day 1  08:00 Breakfast at the Hotel 09:00 Departure from Skopje to Canyon Matka 9:45-10:05 Parking Matka - Monastery of Holy Mother .
There is about 20 min time for a visit and a short walk around the Monastery of Holy Mother until 10:05.  10:05 - 10:35
Easy walk by the river Treska and the kayaks pat up to the dam of the lake Matka. From the dam to the church of St. Andrew’s we’ll walk on the beautiful path curved in the canyon stone walls.  10:35 – 11:00
Visit the Church of “St. Andrew’s” and the mountaineering house “Matka”, where we’ll stay about 25 min. 11:00 – 12:30
From the small port we’ll take a boat. The trip with the boat is a wonderful experience and the Matka Canyon can be observed from this trip. One way of the boat trip takes about 25 min. Short stop for coffee and refreshment drinks in the beautiful hidden improvised (wood and stones only) restaurant located over the water in beautiful lake lagoon. There we’ll stay for about 30 min. after which we’ll take a boat again and get back to the little St. Andrew’s port. 12:30 – 12:50 We’ll return to the parking by foot, and after that departure to Tetovo . 13:20 Tetovo. Visit to the Painted mosque in Tetovo , the unique mosque in the Islamic art built in 1675 by Husania Hanuma, daughter of some Pasha in this period.  13:50
Departure to N.P. Mavrovo 14:45 Accommodation and lunch in hotel in Mavrovo. 17:00 
There are a lot of possible activities for those five afternoon hours in Mavrovo like: - - Biking - - Visiting cave “Sharkova Dupka”. - Trekking ( easy walk around Mavrovo lake) - Hiking  20:00
Dinner in the restaurant in Mavrovi Anovi (at the foot of the mountain, on the shore of Mavrovo Lake). Day 2  08:00
Breakfast in hotel 09:00 Transportation to a higher level of the mountain, up to the village Galicnik. 09:00 – 13:00 Hiking to the Medenica peak 2163 m and back. Note (for all gests that don’t want to hike, we’ll organize easy walk through the village and another chance to learn more about Macedonian traditions, such as Galicka svadba – Galicka wedding).  13:00
Lunch in traditional Macedonian ambient in the village Galichnik. 15:30 Dinner and overnight in Mavrovo. Day 3  08:00
Breakfast in hotel 09:00 By bus through the Mt. Bistra, scenic drive along lake Debar to Ohrid.  11:00 Visit to the monastery of St. Jovan Bigorski built in the XI-th century and contains the largest and most intricate wood carved iconostasis.  12:00
Departure towards village Vevcani. Visit to the village Vevcani, Vevcani Springs and lunch in one of the best Macedonian ethno restaurant. 17:30 Departure towards Struga. 18:00 Arriving in Struga, short coffee break and walk trough the center of the city and along the river Black Drim which running out of Ohrid Lake  19:30
Departing from Struga toward Ohrid. 20:00 Arriving in Ohrid and accommodation in hotel. 21:00 Diner in national restaurant located in the old city. Day 4 08:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 09:00 Start Ohrid city tour. This tour will include visits to: St.Sophia church 11th c. - Cathedral of Ohrid archbishops; St.Bogorodica Perivlepta 13th c. - The church was built and painted in 1295; St.Jovan Kaneo church 13th c. – most known for its scenic location, standing on a cliff over Lake Ohrid; St.Pantelejmon – Plaoshnik, it is the site of the first university in Europe, opened in the 10th c. and it is the place where the cyrillic alphabet was created. Other significant cultural and historical objects like: Old bazaar, Kaneo settlement, Ohrid fortifications and Ancient theatre.  14:00 Lunch in fish restaurant. 16:00 Free afternoon. Until diner there are a lot of thinks what you can do in Ohrid. Shopping and bueing souvenirs and famous Ohrid pearls, spending relaxing time in one of the many café bars located on the Ohrid Lake shore, swimming and sunbathing in diferend ambients like main city beach, in Kaneo seatlement beach, in private café bars beaches (all of them are free for use). 20:00 Diner in the hotel. Day 5 08:00 Breakfast in hotel  09:00
By yacht or boat we’ll leave Ohrid port and sail towards St.Naum.You’ll have great opportunity to see the entire Ohrid shore line with all tourist places (villages, inhabits, camps, hotels etc.) on Ohrid’s shoreline, so you’ll be able to get full impression about Ohrid’s 35 km long shoreline. 10:00 St.Bogorodica Zahumska (St.Zaum) port.. There is about 3 ½ hours time for a visit, walk around the church and swimming in the crystal clear water of the many small wild and untouched lake lagoons. 13:30 Departure to St. Naum Monastery. There will be another 30 min. boat ride until we reach St.Naum Monastery. Boat trip is wonderful opportunity to see the deepest spot in Ohrid Lake 321 m, as well as beautiful crystal clear springs rising from the rocky isolated beaches. 14:00 Lunch in St.Naum restaurant 16:30 Visit to St.Naum monastery.  17:30
A rowboat tour to the springs of Black Drim River 18:30 Sailing back to Ohrid 19:30 Arriving in the hotel 20:00 Diner in hotel.
Day 6
08:00 Breakfast in hotel  09:00 Departure towards Otesevo (located on the shore of Prespa Lake) through high pass of N.P. Galitzica – “Livada” 1600 m, passing by the wonderful nature surrounding.  10:00
Arriving on the mountain pass Livada. From there we’ll hike (2-3h) to the highest point of Mt. Galitzica - peak Magaro (2245m), or 20 min. easy walk to lower peak “Lahoceraj” from where on the both sides you can see Ohrid and Prespa Lake in the same time. On our way to Prespa we’ll stopover at the hotel Europa for a refreshing drinks on the terrace, further on to the small monastery of St. Georgius in Kurbinovo and the Slivnica Monastery, walk from the village to the monastery and back to the bus. Note: Lunch – lunch packet at the top of the mountain and wonderful opportunity to collect rare kinds of mountain tea. Departure for NP Pelister 20:00 Accommodation, diner and overnight at hotel “Molika” 1400m in NP Pelister. Day 7 08:00 Breakfast in hotel 
09:00
Short uphill walk to mountain house “Kopanki” ( apx.30 min. ), than trekking along plane trail towards area called “Crveni stani” ( Red Rocks ) from where wonderfull view opens towards the summit of mountain “Baba” ( means – Grandma ) – Pelister 2601 m 10:40 Back to m.h.”Kopanki”, short coffee break and back downhill to hotel “Molika” 11:30 Departure for Bitola 12:30 Arrival in Bitola and visit to the archaeological location “Heraklea”. Walk through famous Bitola’s “Shirok Sokak”. Also visits to: “Clock Tower”, Orthodox Church St.Dimitrija, Catholic Church, the Bezisten and the mosque of Yahdar-Kadi  15:00 Lunch in national restaurant in Bitola 16:30 Departure from Bitola and long journey to Strumica 19:30 Arriving at Strumica 20:00 Accommodation at the hotel, dinner and overnight Day 8
09:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 10:00 Departure for vilage Smolare.  10:15
Village Smolare and Smolare waterfalls. This waterfall is the unique existing waterfall in Macedonia, where the water falls from the high of 39,5 meters. It can be found above the village of Smolare, at an elevation of 630 meters, located deep into the mountain of Belasica, where the river Lomnica springs hidden among the hundred-years-old beech wood 12:00 Starting from Smolari waterfall easy trekking tour to the villages Mokrino, Mokrievo and Gabrovo. 14:00 Village Kolesino, Kolesino waterfalls. It’s enchanting in every season during the summer it will freshen you up and in the winter it will astonish you with its frozen beauty. It can be found at an elevation of 610 meters, on the river Baba and in the bosoms of the mountain Belasica, surrounded by maple trees and stone cliffs. The water of this waterfall falls from the height of 16 meters.
15:00
Lunch in nature (lunch packet) in the souroundings of untouch nature and relaxsing sound of the Kolesino watrerfall. 18:00 Departure for Stumica 18:15 Arriving in Strumica – hotel. 19:30 Dinner
Day 9 08:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 09:00 Departure for village Popcevo.  09:15
Arivving in Popcevo from where we’ll walk to “Carevi Kuli” and to the monastery Vodoca. Note: Lunch – lunch packet Departure for Skopje 20:00 Arriving in Skopje-hotel Note: On our way back to Skopje depending on the time schedule, if possible we’ll visit archaeological location Stobi ( ancient city that presents contains of the civilization path of the people of this area starting as early as the 3 century B.C. through and into the following nine centuries. The famous Greek writer Homer knew Stobi.)
21:30 Farewell party Location: Skopje, canyon Matka, Tetovo, Mavrovo, Galicnik, Debar, Vevcani, Struga, Ohrid, St.”Naum”, NP Galicica, lake Prespa, Bitola, NP Pelister, Strumica
Duration: 9 days
Tour technical difficulty: easy walks only
Term: June or july 2007
Tour: Customized
Tour Staff & Support: 3 professional licensed tourist guides, drivers, local guides, boat and boat crow. Group size: 7 Price: 699 Euro Group size: 50 Price: 499 Euro
Price includes: 6 lunches ( national restaurant’s ), 8 dinners ( national restaurant’s ),3 lunch packets, 8 breakfasts (hotel), 8 overnights in 4* hotels, entrance fees for all cultural, historical and archeological sites that we’ll visit, three 24 hours available tourist guides, transportation with euro standard bas (air conditioner, dvd…), one day boat ride on Ohrid lake.
Price don’t includes: All additional expenses incurred: telephone calls, room service, snacks and drinks outside of organized meals, tips, etc, are your own responsibility.
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