The most beautiful natural sites to discover The Great Lakes

This "big town" (golem grad) is also known as the island of snakes or "Île Saint-Pierre". It is the only island in the country and a magnificent natural reserve with exceptional flora and fauna: snakes, turtles, birds… 750 m long and 450 m wide, its summit is 50 m above the lake. Today, uninhabited, it houses the remains of several civilizations. Golem Grad was indeed populated for two thousand years, and the monasteries were active between the Xe and the XIV century. In addition to a Roman necropolis, six churches were discovered. Among them, Saint Peter's Church, erected at the time of the Serbian Lord Volkašin (XIV century), was best preserved. One of its characteristics is the fresco of the leak of Mary in Egypt, a theme rarely represented in medieval churches of the region. You can also see a paleochristian basilica (end of the century-Ve century), in which the fragments of a mosaic have been discovered. To admire all this, he does not fear snakes. They would be 50,000 on the island. To say that we cross all the time, all the time, in water and in trees. The researcher of the CNRS Xavier Bonnet, a snake specialist, conducted several missions and was reassuring: The two most common species are not dangerous: tesselated snakes are not venimous and ammodyte vials bite scarcely. These animals are very fearful, not the kind to jump to your ankle. " "

Donkey's Peak" (Врв Магаро/Vrv Magaro) is the highest peak on Mount Galičica, at 2,255 m above sea level (GPS: 40.932886, 20.820534). It lies between the P 504 road between Lakes Ohrid and Prespa to the north and the Albanian border to the south. A 5.6 km loop starts from the road at Lipova/Липова, 17.7 km east of Trpejca. At the summit, a white and red marker bears the name and altitude of the peak. The views are superb: of the two lakes, but also of Mali i Thatë ("dry mountain"), which reaches 2,787 m in altitude, in Albania.

This 27 km-long former military road (P 504) offers magnificent scenery. It passes close to the Magaro peak and the Albanian border, crossing Mount Galičica between the two lakes. It connects road P 501, 3 km south of Trpejca, on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid, with Tsarina/Царина, south of Oteševo, on the western shore of Lake Prespa. Don't miss a stopover at the Galičica pass, at an altitude of 1,660 m, to enjoy the grandiose views over the two lakes.

This "Three Men" peak (Три Мажи/Tri Maži) is part of Mount Galičica. It rises to 1,630 m above sea level at GPS 41.068529, 20.846229, southeast of de Velestovo. Starting from the hamlet, it can be reached via a superb 12 km loop trail with a 600 m vertical drop. The first seven kilometers are uphill, the next five downhill. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful views of the lake and the town of Ohrid. The route is fairly easy. Details can be found on wikiloc.com and mymacedoniablog.wordpress.com.

This small lake surrounded by a beautiful forest (Езерото Острово/Ezeroto Ostrovo) is 220 m long and 140 m wide, with a maximum depth of 3.5 m. It is fed by a complex known as the "Saint Naum spring" (Извори Свети Наум/Izvori Sveti Naum). It consists of 48 springs, 30 of which are underwater. These are resurgences of natural channels originating from Lake Prespa and passing beneath Mount Galičica. The lake includes three green islands, one of which is home to the Ostrovo restaurant. The lake can be explored by rowing boat with a guide.

This peak (Бугарска Чука/Bugarska Čuka) is the highest summit of Mount Galičica in the Elšani area. It reaches an altitude of 1,801 m at GPS point 41.004208, 20.846783. Offering views of both Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa, it owes its name to the Bulgarian positions that faced those of the French here during the First World War. Unexploded ordnance remains on site. The peak can be reached by a 7 km trail from Elšani. Detailed itineraries on wikiloc.com or on the Galičica National Park website.

The natural region of Lake Ohrid has recently been protected by three different international conventions, two of which extend across the border with Albania. Since 1979, only the part located in Northern Macedonia, and in particular the old town of Ohrid, had been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. But in 2019, this site was extended to include the entire area around the lake, forming the "Ohrid region": an area of 947 ^km2 that is now classified as a Unesco "natural and cultural heritage" site. This includes not only the lake itself (349 ^km2), but also the Albanian shores, notably the town of Pogradec (population approx. 60,000), south of the lake and 8 km west of the St. Naum monastery, and the peninsula of the village of Lin (population approx. 500, Albanian and Macedonian), west of the lake and 22 km south of Struga. Lake Ohrid is also part of the "Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve", which extends over 4,462 ^km2 around Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. This was created in 2014 by North Macedonia and Albania under the aegis of Unesco. It is managed by the German-based organization PONT (Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust) (pont.org). Finally, since 2021, the 250 ^km2 North Macedonian part of the lake has been listed under the Ramsar Convention for the preservation of wetlands of international importance with a high concentration of birds and fish.

This lake (Преспанско Езеро/Prespansko Ezero, Liqeni i Prespës, Μεγάλη Πρέσπα/Megali Prespa) is the second largest in North Macedonia, after Ohrid. It is one of Europe's most important ornithological areas: around 42% of the continent's bird species live, stay or nest here. With a theoretical surface area of 259 km², the lake is shared between three countries. Northern Macedonia owns the largest part, 176.3 km². The remainder is divided between Albania (46.3 km²) to the southwest and Greece (36.4 km²) to the south.

Large and small Prespa. There are actually two Prespa lakes. An isthmus 4 km long and 500 m wide separates Lake Prespa - or Great Prespa Lake - from Little Prespa Lake (Мало Преспанско Езеро/Malo Prespansko Ezero, Prespa e Vogël, Μικρή Πρέσπα/Mikri Prespa). Located in the south, it covers 46.8 km². It lies mainly in Greece, with a small part in Albania (4.3 km²). Formed 1 million years ago, the two lakes cover a total area of around 306 km². They are shallow: 14 m on average and 48 m maximum for the large lake, 7.7 m on average for the small lake. They are linked by a natural channel across the isthmus, which lies in Greek territory. They lie 853 m above sea level, between Mount Galičica (2,254 m) to the west, Mount Baba (2,601 m) to the east and Mali i Thatë ("dry mountain", 2,287 m) in Albania to the south, making them the highest non-glacial lakes in the Balkans. Thanks to their elevated position and porous karst configuration, the Prespa lakes supply water to Lake Ohrid via natural underground passages 7 to 12 km long, which run beneath Mount Galičica.

Islands and biodiversity. The lakes include three small islands. On the large Lake Prespa are the islets of Golem Grad (18 ha), in Northern Macedonia, and Maligrad (5 ha), in Albania, both uninhabited. The island of Agios Achillios (80 ha) on Greece's tiny Lake Prespa is inhabited by just twenty or so people. Tourism is underdeveloped, and there are no towns on the shores, only hamlets and villages. But the area is rich in biodiversity, with marshes and reeds, numerous endemic species of fish, crustaceans and aquatic plants.

Waders and pelicans. The Prespa Lakes are one of Europe's most important stopovers for migratory birds from Africa and the Middle East. Large wading birds such as the little egret(Egretta garzetta), great egret(Ardea alba), sickle ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) and black-crowned night heron(Nycticorax nycticorax), and fishing birds such as pygmy cormorant(Microcarbo pygmeus), white pelican(Pelecanus onocrotalus) and curled pelican(Pelecanus crispus). The latter, very rare on the planet, is the largest of the pelicans. The Prespa Lakes are its only breeding ground on the Old Continent. In fact, Europe's largest colony of this bird, with an average wingspan of 3 meters, can be found here.

Ramsar and Unesco. The three national areas of the two lakes are listed under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: Greece (51 km²) since 1975, Northern Macedonia (189 km²) since 1995 and Albania (151 km²) since 2013. There is also the small Ezerani Nature Park (20 km²), north of the large lake, in Northern Macedonia. The whole area is bordered by four national parks: Galičica (227 km²) and Pelister (171 km²), in Northern Macedonia, Prespa National Park (277 km²), in Albania, and Prespa National Park (51 km²), in Greece. There are also two international protected areas. In 2000, the "Prespa Park" was created between Northern Macedonia, Albania and Greece. It is managed by the Society for the Protection of Prespa (spp.gr), co-founded in 1990 by Swiss biologist Luc Hoffmann (1923-2016) and based in the Greek village of Agios Germanos, on the shores of the small Prespa lake. And, since 2014, the areas of the two Prespa lakes located in Northern Macedonia and Albania have been part of the "Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve" created by Unesco. The reserve extends over 4,462 km² between the two countries. It is managed by the German-based Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (pont.org).

Threats and disasters. Despite all the protection measures implemented by the three countries, the Prespa Lakes ecosystem remains fragile. The surface area of both lakes is shrinking year by year as a result of global warming. Several endemic species are threatened with extinction, notably the Prespa trout(Salmo peristericus). In 2022, a sudden outbreak of avian flu caused the death of more than 1,700 curly pelicans - around 60% of the colony on the two lakes. This was a catastrophe for a species that had previously numbered fewer than 18,000 individuals worldwide.

A symbol of rapprochement. To end on a more positive note, the Prespa lakes recently served as the setting for a rapprochement between Athens and Skopje. It was in the Greek village of Psarades, on the southern shore of the great lake, that representatives of the two countries signed the historic Prespa Agreement on June 12, 2018. This enabled FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) to finally gain international recognition under the name of "North Macedonia".

The name of this ravine (Француски Тел/Francuski Tel) bears the memory of World War I fighting. It's a natural fault in the foothills of Mount Galičica, around 900 m above sea level. Between October 1915 and September 1918, the Macedonian front passed through here: the French Armée d'Orient and a Russian contingent held the southern parts of the great Prespa lake and Mount Galičica, between Oteševo and Trpejca (southeast of Lake Ohrid), while Bulgarian forces were established to the north with elements of the German army.

This beautiful and venerable plane tree (Охридскиот Чинар/Ohridskiot Činar)is the most famous tree in the country. Referred to by the generic Turkish term çınar ("sycamore"), it is actually an Oriental plane tree(Platanus orientalis). Legend has it that it was planted in the ^10th century by St. Clement of Ohrid himself. A plaque installed on site by the municipality in 2019 accredits this theory. But its presence is actually more recent. It dates back to the ^fifteenth century, at the beginning of the Ottoman period, when the charchia was built.

This peak (Црн Камен/Crn Kamen, Guri I Zi) is the highest point of Mount Jablanica, at 2,257 m above sea level. It lies on the border with Albania, at GPS point 41.246393, 20.521880, about 5.8 km west of Vevčani as the crow flies. Nearby is the small Lake Večani (2,810^m2), at an altitude of 1,993 m. The summit and lake can be reached by a 13.6 km loop trail from the hamlet of Gorna Belica, itself 11.8 km on foot southwest of the Vevčani springs. The route from Gorna Belica to the summit is detailed on wikiloc.com.

This small island, whose name means "big city" (Голем Град), is one of three islands in the two Prespa lakes. Covering an area of 18 ha, it is the only island in North Macedonia. Also known as Snake Island (Змиски Островou/Zmiski Ostrovou) or Saint Peter's (Свети Петар/Sveti Petar), it is a formidable nature reserve home to exceptional flora and fauna: snakes, turtles, birds... 750 m long and 450 m wide, its summit rises 50 m above the lake. Today uninhabited, it boasts important historical remains. Golem Grad was inhabited for two thousand years, and monasteries were active here between the ^10th and ^14th centuries. In addition to a Roman necropolis, six churches have been discovered. Of these, St. Peter's, built in the ^14th century by the Serbian lord Volkašin, is the best preserved. It features a fresco of Mary's flight into Egypt, a theme rarely depicted in the region's medieval churches. There's also an early Christian basilica (^4th-5th century). But to admire all this, you mustn't be afraid of snakes. There are an estimated 50,000 of them on the island. In other words, they're everywhere, in the water and in the trees. CNRS researcher Xavier Bonnet, who has carried out several missions there, is reassuring: "The two most common species are not dangerous: tesselated snakes are not venomous and ammodytes rarely bite. These animals are very timid, not the type to jump at your ankles."

These springs (Вевчански Извори/Vevčanski Izvori) are among the most famous in Northern Macedonia. Located on Mount Jablanica, at an altitude of 910 m, they have been a protected area covering 1,370 ha since 2012. Several streams here swell the waters of the Vevčanska River, which flows through Vevčani, before joining the Black Drin at the village of Dobovjani, 6 km to the east. The area is enchanting, with old mills, waterfalls, paved paths, wooden footbridges, information panels (English version), picnic areas and thick vegetation dominated by oak and hazel. The area is home to numerous animal species, including 120 types of butterfly, 30 species of reptile and 9 types of bat. However, the main source of the Vevčanska is further up (1,344 m), at the place known as the "Jankov Stone" (Јанков Камен/Jankov Kamen). A pleasant, easy 3.3-km-long trail follows the river between the "Vevčani springs" and the "Jankov stone" (allow 3h round trip). You can sleep in a dormitory at the Jankov Kamen hut (+389 75 89 20 45, approx. €8/person), then continue for 8.5 km to Gorna Belica (Горна Белица, Belica e Sipërme), at 1,440 m altitude. This hamlet, with just four inhabitants in 2021, does however have a hotel, the Gorna Belica (+389 70 27 45 60, around €25 for two). It's a good starting point for other trails to the peaks and lakes of Mount Jablanica.

This lake (Охридско Езеро/Ohridsko Ezero, Liqeni i Ohrit) is one of the oldest in the world and the deepest in the Balkans. Good for swimming in summer (the water temperature then exceeds 23 ° C), it extends over 349 ^km2 on both sides of the border with Albania, including 250 ^km2 in Northern Macedonia, which makes it the second largest lake in the Balkans after the lake of Shkodra, between Albania and Montenegro, which displays an area of 370 to 530 ^km2 depending on the season. However, the latter contains barely 2 million cubic metres of water, compared with over 55 million cubic metres for Lake Ohrid. Bordered by the towns of Ohrid and Struga, in Northern Macedonia, and Pogradec, in Albania, Lake Ohrid is also known as "Lake Pogradec" in Albanian (Liqeni i Pogradecit). At an altitude of 693 m, it offers magnificent scenery: it is surrounded by mountains, particularly to the east, where Mount Galičica (2,254 m) separates it from the large Lake Prespa (259 ^km2). Its rich flora and fauna have earned it Unesco World Heritage status since 1979, and Ramsar status for wetlands of international importance since 2021.

An old cousin of Titicaca. Oval in shape, the lake is 30.4 km long from north to south and 14.8 km wide from east to west. Its average depth is 155 m, with a maximum depth of 288.70 m. That's almost as deep as Lake Geneva, between France and Switzerland, which drops to - 310 m. But it's a long way from Norway's Lake Hornindalsvatnet, which holds the European depth record at - 514 m. On the other hand, Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes on the planet, along with Lake Titicaca (between Peru and Bolivia), Lake Baikal (in Russia), Lake Tanganyika (between Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia) and the Dead Sea (between Israel, the West Bank and Jordan). All date from the same period: they were formed around four million years ago. Lake Ohrid is also distinguished by its very particular geology and hydrography. It is carved out of dense limestone rock, which prevents it from draining to the bottom. It is fed mainly by Lake Prespa, located at a higher altitude (853 m), whose waters flow through natural galleries beneath Mount Galičica to emerge as springs on the outskirts of Lake Ohrid. The most important of these resurgences are located on the south-eastern shore, around the St. Naum monastery, close to the Albanian border.

Translucent waters. Passing underground, the water is filtered and emerges particularly clear in Lake Ohrid, ensuring astonishing transparency at depths of up to 22 m. The lake is also fed by some forty rivers. The lake itself is the main source of the Black Drin, a 177 km-long river that flows from Struga (on the north shore) into Albania, where it joins the White Drin from Kosovo to form the Drin River, which flows into the Adriatic Sea. Lake Ohrid is the second largest watershed (2,600 km²) in Northern Macedonia, after the Vardar (22,000 km²). And yet its waters flow very slowly: it is estimated that they take seventy years to fully renew themselves, compared with just thirteen years for those of the great Lake Prespa.

Exceptional biodiversity. Lake Ohrid is without doubt the richest lake in the world in terms of biodiversity. Due to its age and natural properties, it is home to 1,200 animal and plant species, many of which are endemic, i.e. found only here. There are, for example, ten endemic fish species. The most emblematic is the Ohrid trout(Salmo letnica), served in many restaurants under the nameohridska pastrmka(koran in Albanian). Endemism is particularly impressive among plants and invertebrates, with a freshwater sponge, 12 crustaceans, 20 algae, 63 molluscs and 178 small organisms that are completely unique in the world. The whole complex is a vast larder for thousands of birds that winter here, particularly endangered species such as the rare and imposing Dalmatian pelican, the Ferruginous duck - an attractive diving duck - the Pygmy cormorant, the Screaming eagle and the Imperial eagle. However, the Lake Ohrid ecosystem is threatened by human activity. High tourist numbers are leading to increasing pollution, and almost all the marshes have been drained for agricultural purposes. All that remains is the Studenčište marsh (Studenčiško Blato), home to 79 types of birds and a rich variety of aquatic worms and insects. But it's located just southeast of the city of Ohrid, where hotel complexes are booming, so bird numbers are in sharp decline. Some endemic fish species are in danger of extinction, notably the Ohrid pike-perch(Salmo ohridanus), locally known as belvica(belushka in Albanian). Human pressure is most acute in the North Macedonian part of the region. Ohrid is the country's tourism capital. As the country has no access to the sea, the beaches on the eastern shore are crowded in summer. This part of the lake is nicknamed the "Macedonian Riviera".