Cross Country in Macedonia

Our first day starts with a breakfast at the hotel where you’re staying the first night. We pack our bags and put them on the off road jeeps. We go to the starting point where you will meet the horses for the trip, after some explanation about the riding we choose the horses and start riding through the ski center, surpassing ski lifts and ski slopes. 

On the first day we mostly ride on flat ground and seeing the Polog region with the city of Tetovo and villages around. As the path continues we start climbing small hills and passing small rivers. We have a full sight of Tito’s Peak (2748 m) and other peaks surrounding it. Through the day we ride on an altitude from 1600 - 2100m. 

We stop for lunch at one of many cottages where local villagers keep the sheep and get ready for the remaining path. We pass just below Tito and Bakerdan peak on an open flat terrain with rocks giving it a unique sight. We walk the horses on a way down to get to the flow of river to pass it and get on the other side and climb the last hill where we have a view of villages above Tetovo and face the Borislavec peak which indicates we are minutes away from the mountain lake. 

We confront a beautiful view of the lake and follow the path to arrive at the inflatable tents set close to the lake. We arrive at the camp close to the lake which is surrounded by rocky mountains and rivers coming from them filling the Bogovinja lake which is one of the so called “Sharr Mountain Eyes”.

We eat dinner and enjoy the night at the camp.

5-6h ridigng.

We wake up and eat breakfast at the camp with a lake view. Prepare the horses and go around lake following the rivers that fill it to reach the ‘’meadows under Qelepine” where the border divides North Macedonia and Kosovo. We face some flat green meadows which belong to the mountain of village Brod. We reach the source of Brod river and we continue downwards following the flow of the river passing through other small sources of river which fill the main stream. On the way we have a view of valley and as we go down we enter the Gradski Kamen Canyon and stop at the restaurant close the canyon to eat lunch especially lamb meat.

We continue to follow the path and now reach village Brod after lunch. We climb above the village and follow the old tregti path that was used from people of both Tetovo and Prizren villages for doing business and transporting different types of goods. 

We witness the sheep on the mountain as we go through Kazanat e Brodit big rocks forming unseen landscape and if lucky see wild goats on the steep terrain. We ride up the path reaching an altitude of 2000 m at the Laki i Xhinibegit which is also the point where we cross the border again. On the way down to Xhinibeg we confront a special landscape where the cottage for the night is surrounded by enormous rocks giving you a breathtaking view. The river Pena passes right by the cottage, we remove saddles from the horses and prepare for the night at the cottage that serves for the shepherds where sheep are kept during September - October season. We enjoy traditional local dish of beans and meat at the cottage and rest for the next day.

6-7 hours riding.

Wake up under a breathtaking formation of rocks at the cottage. We enjoy local breakfast and get on the horses to continue for the day. We follow up the Pena river, through the historical trade trail to get to “the neck of Dzinibeg” and then the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia is our road. We go through the border line where on the right side we have the Macedonian side of Sar Mountain and on the left the Kosovo side. We witness unseen landscape of Sar Mountain and why it is so unique. Villages on high altitudes, “mini Alps” version of rocky mountains and open green valleys where we meet sheep grazing.

Today is also sprint day. As we ride on 2000-2300 m altitude we sprint on flat terrains giving us adrenaline boost. We walk the horses on steep parts of the mountain for our safety and pass by Skakala waterfall. We are on the mountain of village Bozovca and as we climb our last hill we face the Alpine lake of Karanikola. Is located on an altitude 2200m where it’s location and form makes it special. We arrive at the camp where tents are set for the night and if there are good temperatures we can experience a unique swimming experience.

We eat barbecue at camp and enjoy the night right by the lake.
 

6h riding.

We open our eyes with coffee and breakfast by the lake. Put the saddles on the horse and start riding following the mountain tops of Vrtop and Kobilica. We continue riding on high altitude trail seing villages of Kosovo and Macedonia. Today’s path is all about trusting the horses steps as we walk on steep mountain and narrow path. We ride on open terrain with wide landscape of mountain tops and wild forests. 

We pass below the “Red Cave” as we follow the mountaineering trails to Kobilica. A very adventurous ride as we folow each other and reach the hill above Dani farm where we have a first peek of the Xherma rock which is right in front of village Vejce. We stop for lunch at villa Kobilica and enjoy the view of two of Macedonias highest peaks Black Peak and Kobilica. We are surrounded by high mountains and forest near us. We continue the journey to visit the Waterfall of village Vejce and through the crops of the village we arrive at Hostel Hana located in the village where we will be enjoying the night as a villager with tradiotional village and local conversations. 

We sleep at the hostel for the night.

5h riding.

Today we prepare for our last day of riding. After breakfast we follow the road of Vejce villagers crops to continue for the next village Brodec. The old road that has served both villages for communication between each other will be our path where we can catch the pace with the horses. We pass through the steep village and below it we enter the forest of Jelak and walk through it for an hour till we reach the Alpine house Jellak for a short break. 

After we have climbed the forest we walk on the road to Leshnica to arrive at the cottage in the mountain Silibashino. On the road to there cottage we face the hills we have ridden through the whole tour having a clear picture of the adventure we have experienced. 

We arrive at the farm and can see sheep grazing on the mountain tops. The guides explain about the farm life in the mountain as well as the processes that the shepherd follow and cheesemaking. We eat lunch at the cottage with products made on the farm. We pack ourselves and drive with offroad jeeps to the ski center and arrive at the first starting point for you to pack the bags for the next day. 

We enjoy dinner at the hotel and share the experiences of our tour.

4h riding.

Based on the time of your travel after breakfast we will be deciding about visiting attractions in Skopje.

Departure.