Discover Mavrovo National Park 2026

North Macedonia's largest artificial lake lies nestled among forested mountains at around 1,200 meters elevation and offers a picturesque sight with its emerald-green water, which comes into its own especially combined with the autumn foliage of the surrounding forests.

As North Macedonia's most popular winter sports area, Mavrovo offers slopes at over 1,600 meters elevation with views of the surrounding mountain peaks and serves in summer as a starting point for hikes and mountain bike tours through the national park.

During the construction of a reservoir in the 1950s, the surrounding village of Mavrovo was flooded, which is why the tower of the old Church of Sv. Nikola still picturesquely rises from the lake at low water levels today, a popular and unusual photo subject.

The national park's dense beech and pine forests are home to one of the largest brown bear populations in the Balkans, and numerous marked hiking trails lead through untouched nature to the peaks of the Šar Mountains and the Bistra massif.

From Skopje, the national park is reached by car in about 1.5 hours via a scenic mountain road. Skopje Airport serves as the nearest international connection.

North Macedonia's largest artificial lake lies nestled among forested mountains at around 1,200 meters elevation and offers a picturesque sight with its emerald-green water, which comes into its own especially combined with the autumn foliage of the surrounding forests.

As North Macedonia's most popular winter sports area, Mavrovo offers slopes at over 1,600 meters elevation with views of the surrounding mountain peaks and serves in summer as a starting point for hikes and mountain bike tours through the national park.

During the construction of a reservoir in the 1950s, the surrounding village of Mavrovo was flooded, which is why the tower of the old Church of Sv. Nikola still picturesquely rises from the lake at low water levels today, a popular and unusual photo subject.