Magnificent North Macedonia | Treehouse & Hitchhiking

There are times when the most outstanding countries are the unexpected ones. North Macedonia is absolutely one of those countries! We fell in love with this country as soon as we crossed the border.

Did you know that North Macedonia has over 34 mountain peaks? Each has a height of more than 2,000 meters above sea level. Mount Golem Karb is the highest at 2,753 meters above sea level. People never visited most of these peaks.

This blog tells you about the best places to visit, our treehouse experience and our hitchhiking adventures in North Macedonia.

Not To Miss in North Macedonia

Skopje 

Skopje is the capital and the largest city of North Macedonia. This city is rich in history with customs and traditions. We stayed in Skopje for four days, which wasn’t enough as there was so much to see.

Things to do in Skopje 

• Wander the streets of Skopje. 

You’ll see over 100 statues, including The Great Monument of Alexander.

• Spend some time near the Vardar River. 

This river is also known as the Axios River, the longest river in North Macedonia.

• Visit the Memorial House of Mother Theresa of Calcutta. 

This house is in Mother Theresa’s hometown, Skopje, where she lived from 1910 to 1928.

• Stop and see the Archaeological Museum of the Republic of Macedonia. 

This grand museum offers archaeological relics from ancient Macedonian times.

• Spend a day at Matka Canyon. 

Even if you plan only one day in Skopje, you should visit Matka Canyon at all costs! 

Mavrovo 

After exploring each corner of Skopje, it was time to visit the magnificent Mavrovo. Mavrovo is a village in the mountainous region of western North Macedonia.

Everywhere in North Macedonia is beautiful, but Mavrovo has something special. We spent three days in an apartment in the national park of Mavrovo, having 360° views of the lake surrounded by mountains. You can book this fantastic accommodation directly from here. 

Must see in Mavrovo

• The National Park. 

It’s the largest of the four national parks of North Macedonia. It is characterized by lakes, deep canyons and dense forests that abound with diverse wildlife.

• If the weather permits, swim in Mavrovo Lake. 

It’s surrounded by the Šar Mountains and the Bistra Mountains, both exceeding 2000 meters in height. Walking along the river is so harmonious. 

• Visit St Nicholas Church, also known as the Old Mavrovo Church. 

This church is abandoned and submerged in Mavrovo Lake. 

Mavrovo was the location of our first hitchhiking experience, and we can say it’s where the fun began!

Some people told us North Macedonia isn’t ideal for hitchhiking as only a few people will stop for us. We still gave it a try. At first, we had no idea what we were doing, but luckily, we were picked up after only a few minutes. And to our surprise, we couldn’t believe who picked us up! A Macedonian driver who lives in our home country, Malta!

We say Malta is tiny, but it’s a smaller world!

Struga

In Struga, we have so many beautiful memories. Spending five days in this incredible town wasn’t enough. It has so much to offer and so many things to see. 

The accommodation was a surprise for Steff. She always wanted to experience a treehouse, so I took the opportunity and booked a treehouse at one of the campsites in Struga, Camping SCOUT, to surprise her while in this beautiful country. When you book, use WB10CS for 10% OFF!

Steff couldn’t believe her eyes when we arrived, as she thought we were staying in a regular apartment. It was a great moment to stay in a natural place filled with treehouses and camps surrounded by trees and mountains.

Must see in Struga

• Lake Ohrid. 

This lake is one of the oldest in the world and the deepest in the Balkans. Swimming in this lake is so refreshing. 

• Streets of Struga and the Old Bazaar. 

You’ll get the locals feeling and learn more about their culture.

While in the treehouse, we met a couple, Hristina and Antonio, who were next to ours and instantly became good friends. We spent our first night exchanging travel stories, and in a flash, we planned a road trip to Ohrid together for the following day. We ended up extending our accommodation for another night; this time, we spent it camping!

What to see in Ohrid 

• The Bridge of Wishes. 

This bridge was built to shorten the road from the centre to the Church of St. John Kaneo.

• The Bay of Bones. 

It’s a reconstructed village of stilt houses displaying Bronze and Iron Age items recovered from Lake Ohrid.

• The Monastery of St. Naum. 

It is one of the most popular attractions in Macedonia.

During our backpacking adventure, we got used to the fact we were jumping from one country to another, but leaving Macedonia wasn’t easy. We left our hearts there as we loved this country so much. Since we hate goodbyes, we promised Hristina and Antonio we’d see each other again.

Our last night ended by camping in Stuga, and early in the morning, after drying our stuff from the storm in the evening, we left Camping SCOUT to start hitchhiking to Albania. We walked a few kilometres to find a good spot for our hitchhike series of the day.

We didn’t even walk ten minutes, and without putting our thumbs up, two extraordinary gentlemen stopped and picked us up. They even got out of their way to drop us off at the border of Kjafasan. What a fun drive that was!

Who said hitchhiking in Macedonia is hard? Or maybe it was our lucky day?

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