Canyon Matka tour

General information

Destination	Category
Skopje, Macedonia	Sightseeing Tours

Program details

The tour starts with a visit to the Monastery of Matka dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, a religious festival celebrated on 28th August every year. The monastery is located on the left bank of the River Treska and was built around 1337. Then we continue to walk along the bank of the River Treska – which is famous for the competitions in kayaking that take place on it. We follow the path that goes by the dam and the man-made lake Matka and we reach the Monastery of St. Andrew. After this we go on a boat ride on the canyon Matka (8km long) and we enjoy the magnificent surroundings, the scents of the flora and the songs of the numerous birds that live here. If we are lucky, we will be able to see some wild animals like ducklings swimming in the lake, or a wild boar, a hare, or the like. On our return, we stop on the other side of the lake, just opposite the Monastery of St Andrew, and we start climbing up the path on a forested hill that leads up to the Monastery of St. Nikola at the top. It will take us about 30 minutes to get to the top where on a small plateau, the monastery built in 1345 is revealed in front of us in all its glorious beauty. There we are welcomed by the hospitable church-keeper who is a local and has built the mountain huts around the church himself. He will surely make your visit to this monastery more enjoyable and worth remembering. Afterwards we go down the hill, cross the lake by boat and end our tour of Matka.