"Mavrovo" a Mavrovo Travel Page by Pijlmans

Mavrovo was proclaimed National Park in 1949 and is the biggest National Park of Macedonia, located in the north-west and bordering Albania. It covers an area of more than 73,000 square hectares.

More than 1000 species of higher plants can be found here, as well as no less than 140 species of birds and 45 species of wild animals.

The Mavrovo National Park is a popular resort for the Macedonians, with many weekend houses.

Shepherds walk with their sheep on the slopes of the mountains in the park.

There is an artificial lake in the park, Lake Mavrovo, accumulated in 1953 after a dam was build. This caused a church to be flooded, parts of which still can be seen in the lake. The picture was taken after a dry period in 2007, when the church fully emerged from the lake.

The mountain surrounding the lake is called Mount Bistra. Mount Bistra is also the location of the second by size ski center in Macedonia.

If you like to stay overnight in the neighbourhood, you can consider the mountain hut near Tajmiste.

Besides enjoying the natural beauty of Mavrovo National Park, there are some other sights in the park:

- The village Galicnik with its famous yearly traditional wedding

- The Monastery of Sveti Jovan Bigorski (St John the Baptist)

- The cave Sharkova Dupka

See the tip section below for details