Did you know that 85% of North Macedonia is mountains? That puts this small, landlocked country in the world's top ten most mountainous nations, ahead of places you'd assume were far more vertical. Most people have never set foot here, and even fewer know it exists at all as a hiking destination. I first understood what that statistic actually feels like on a trail above Galičnik, a shepherd village so remote it's still famous for the wedding festival that once lured its scattered families home once a year. The path had been a clear dirt track for twenty minutes, then it simply stopped existing. Our guide Vojo, who grew up on these mountains, didn't hesitate, he just read the land, the sheep trails, the angle of a distant ridge, and kept walking. Ten minutes later a wild goat watched us from a rock ledge before disappearing over the skyline. In essence, North Macedonia is one of the last places in Europe where you can hike for a full day and barely see another soul. Between Mavrovo National Park in the north and Pelister in the south, the country is stacked with viewpoint peaks, glacial lakes and shepherd trails that have barely changed in centuries. It's also one of the few countries where you can still see chamois and wild goats while hiking, shepherds tending their flocks, and you can gorge on wild strawberries and sour cherries along the way. Here are the greatest reasons to hike in Macedonia; an activity you can do on our 7 day North Macedonia Activity holiday or on our tailor made itineraries. What hiking in Macedonia is actually like Trails in North Macedonia are old, in the best sense. Many started as shepherd routes centuries before anyone thought to call them hiking trails, and that
Did you know that 85% of North Macedonia is mountains? That puts this small, landlocked country in the world’s top ten most mountainous nations, ahead of places you’d assume were far more vertical. Most people have never set foot here, and even fewer know it exists at all as a hiking destination. I first understood
