Ascent to Velký Korab (2764 m)

We start from the Mavrovský lake, which is located in the north-west of North Macedonia. It is an artificially constructed lake at 1200 meters. We drive to our starting point of ascent first on a normal road, Macedonia has good roads, but after about half a long drive we turn onto a dusty offroad road.

To the starting point of our trek, we drive about 13 km off-road, which can be managed even with a regular car, albeit slowly and carefully. Allow about an hour for this part of the journey, which runs along the Shtirovica River. On the way, we were even lucky enough to see two bears that were just running across the bridge over the river. We leave the car parked a little below the police station by the side of the road, because we don't want to risk the last hill because of the large stones.

For the first few kilometers we climb through a leafy forest, which, after we saw two bears from the car a few meters below, pushes us quickly up to the open plain. Above the forest, the peaks of the surrounding mountains are already peeking out at us.

When we turn back from where we started while climbing, we have a beautiful view of Mavrovo National Park and its green hills in North Macedonia.

Although we were here at the end of June, we were surprised by how many snow plains we still found here. Fortunately, it was possible to get to the top despite them, although at times we had great doubts whether we would have to turn around below the top.

The path is pleasant, it leads through well-marked terrain through meadows. The white-red stripes are easily visible from one point to another. We have peace of mind to enjoy the views of the surrounding peaks.

With increasing altitude, there are also larger snow fields. Some are crossed by well-trodden paths, while others can be avoided and bypassed on a waterlogged meadow.

We take a short break for a snack and gather strength for the next part of the route. But we don't linger too long, because the clouds are starting to roll over the tops of the surrounding hills and we are so worried that we won't lose the view from the top of our Velké Koráb.

During the final ascent to the top, we still jump over a mountain ice stream to avoid large snow fields. The stream ran below them, and we were worried that we wouldn't wade through the snow into it.

We are finally at the top of Velké Korab. Although the clouds arrived here with us, luckily they soon lifted up and let us see the surroundings. From here we can see both the Macedonian side, where we climbed, and Albania, where our road trip through the Balkans will continue in a few days.

From the top, we look down into the valley, where our ascent and descent route meanders. We didn't even meet a living person the whole way up. It was probably due to the fact that we were leaving relatively early in the morning. When we were going back to the car, we passed a couple of hikers going up and at the top we saw other people who came probably from the Albanian side. So if you are looking for a trek without crowds in beautiful nature, we recommend the Macedonian Mountains.