The most beautiful natural sites to discover Pelagonia

The "Salt Spring Cave" (Пештера Слатински Извор/Peštera Slatinski Izvor) is the largest in the country. It is over 4 km long, of which around 1,000 m have been explored, and is home to numerous stalactites and stalagmites, a river and several small lakes. Unesco-listed, it was created in dolomitic marble during the last Ice Age. The entrance is through a small, crudely-constructed opening. But it's best not to venture too far without caving equipment and experience.

This cave (Пештера Пешна/Peštera Pešna) has the largest opening of any cave in the Balkans: 40 m high and 56 m wide. It lies beneath Mount Dautica (2,178 m above sea level), near the modern minimonastery of Archangel Michael in the hamlet of Pešna (pop. 5). Compared to Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings, its entrance is guarded by medieval fortifications. Easy to access, the first chamber is home to swallows and bats. But it belongs to the country's largest cave network, estimated to be 10 km long.

This artificial lake (Езеро Козјак/Ezero Kozjak) is the largest in the country. Built on the Treska River, it covers 13.5 ^km2 and is 32 km long from south to north, with a maximum width of 400 m and depth of 130 m. Although it is a long way from Makedonski Brod, most of it lies within the municipality. Its southern tip is at the hamlet of Dolna Belica/Долна Белица, 28 km north of the town of Makedonski Brod. The northern part, meanwhile, is part of the Jasen nature reserve (311 ^km2), which also encompasses the Matka canyon on the outskirts of Skopje. The lake was created in 2004, after ten years' work. Sandwiched between the Suva Gora massif (1,857 m above sea level) to the east and the Karadžica massif (2,473 m) to the west, the Treska is held back by the country's highest dam: a 130 m-high arched structure. It is located near the hamlet of Nova Breznica/Нова Брезница. The latter is located in Suva Gora, 71 km northeast of Makedonski Brod.

Dreaded but superb little road. From Nova Breznica, small road no. 302 leads to the dam. It is 13 km long and very narrow, starting at an altitude of 713 m, climbing to 1,049 m before winding its way down to the dam at 495 m. This is one of the most beautiful roads in the region. This is one of the most dangerous roads in the country. But it offers superb panoramic views of the lake and surrounding mountains. More peaceful is the road that runs along the western shore of the lake under the Karadžica mountain. It is reached by an impressive bridge 18 km north of Dolna Belica. Built in 2003, it has a 358 m-long deck supported by five piers, the highest of which is 64 m high. Once across the bridge, you can reach the lakeside hamlet of Blizansko/Близанско, 3 km to the south. Alternatively, continue north for 7 km. This stretch serves two areas of waterfront villas. The lake is full of fish, and locals come here on weekends to fish for Macedonian trout(Salmo macedonicus), rainbow trout, carp, chub, hotu, barbel, spirlin or eel. The asphalt road then ends, giving way to a track that is difficult to cross without a 4 x 4. But this part of the lake is less interesting than the one to the north-east, near the dam. Route no. 302 is certainly formidable, but here you can enjoy the Jasen nature reserve's well-developed hiking trails and even a panoramic restaurant.

The Great Pelister Lake (Golemo Ezero/Големо Езеро) is a glacial lake located at an altitude of 2,218 m, below the Veternica peak (2,400 m). It extends over 4.2 ha with a maximum length of 226 m, width of 175 m and depth of 17.2 m. Enjoying magnificent scenery, it's one of the main attractions of Pelister National Park. Together with the Small Pelister Lake (Malo Ezero/Мало Езеро), it is said to form "the eyes of Pelister". The Great Lake is accessible via two trails: one 6 km (approx. 3h30 walk) from the village of Nižepole, 1,170 m above sea level, the other 9 km (approx. 4h walk) from the Nižepole ski resort, 1,360 m above sea level. On arrival, right by the lake, you'll find the Golemo Ezero hut, which sleeps 30 (+389 75 45 87 82, [email protected]). This is an essential stopover if you want to continue your hike to Mount Pelister (2,601 m altitude) via Petit Lac. The latter extends over 0.7 ha in a small mountain cirque, at 2,190 m altitude, and below Partizanski Peak (2,349 m). The trail between the Great Lake and Mount Pelister (6.5 km, approx. 2.5 hrs walk) is fairly easy. It offers grandiose views of Bitola and the Pelagonian plain to the east, Lake Prespa and Mount Galičica to the west, and various mountains in Greece and Albania to the south and southwest. From Mount Pelister, a more challenging 8 km trail descends to Hotel Molika, at 1,420 m altitude (approx. 4.5 hrs walk).

The "Bear Rock" site (Мечкин Камен) is a national historical landmark and an important base for paragliding jumps. It lies on the Birinska plateau, at an altitude of 1,443 m, and enjoys a grandiose panorama over the Pelagonian plain. It can be reached by following the R 1306 towards Demir Hisar and Bitola, then taking the first road on the left after the Makpetrol petrol station. This is where the Battle of Mečkin Kamen took place on August 12, 1903, ten days after the start of the Ilinden Uprising. The last 300 Kruševo insurgents fought to the death against the surrounding Ottoman troops. Since 1983, the site has been adorned with an 8 m-high statue. It depicts one of the insurgents, the Aromanian hero Pitu Guli (1865-1903), frozen in mid-exertion, throwing a huge rock. The plinth bears the words "freedom or death" (Слобода или Смрт), the slogan of all anti-Ottoman insurrections in the Balkans. This was the last major statue by Dimo Todorovski (1910-1983), whose works can be found mainly in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje. Mečkin Kamen hosts a Republic Day national holiday ceremony every August 2. The place owes its name to a legend according to which farmers managed to kill a huge bear living here in a fierce battle. From now on, no more risk. Mečkin Kamen is renowned for its views, picnic spots and is one of the best paragliding sites in the world.

This 32 km-long river (Драгор) crosses Bitola from west to east. Between the Charchia district and the northern part of Širok-Sokak, it was canalized in 1896. Here, the river's paved banks are ideal for a stroll. The river rises on Mount Baba in the Pelister National Park and joins the Crna some 10 km to the east, near the village of Novaci. Its naturally variable water level has been controlled since 1983 by a canal that feeds Lake Streževsko (7.5 ^km2), 24 km northwest of Bitola.