Fabulous, lost in the mountains and incredibly picturesque Macedonia is completely unfamiliar to our skiers . Preferring to ride in the good old Alps or on other spurs of the Balkan mountains, tourists from Russia somehow do not even think that the Macedonian slopes can give them a completely new the joy of skiing . First, in a spiritually Orthodox country whose population speaks the language intuitive to all Slavs . Secondly, prices in Macedonia are not just low, but indecently low, especially compared to some kind of nibble at the Swiss resort . And, finally, what can concern the masters of skiing, but we will rejoice them now: the slopes of this friendly country are in no way inferior in quality, and in many ways exceed their Balkan "colleagues" . It is no coincidence that it is on the tracks one of the most popular Macedonian resorts of Mavrovo every year arrange a stage of the European Cup on snowboarding, International slalom competitions and many other competitions .

So, Mavrovo is a well-known ski resort of Macedonia, located about 70 km from the capital Skopje dnozhiya Bistra Mountain. This, by the way, is also one of the most beautiful places in the country, after all Mavrovo is located in the national park with the same name near the purest Mavrovsky lake.

By the way, you can relax here not only in winter - in summer, in Mavrovo, at least (and even more) picturesquely, the doors of hotels are openly opened, and trout just caught from the lake in restaurants.

How to get there?

From Mavrovo it's easy to get as far as Aeropo that Skopje (80 km) and to the airport in Ohrid (about 55 km), both buses. In addition, you can get there by train - the nearest station is Taomiste located just 10 km from the resort.

Trails

There are 18 marked trails in Mavropo, which are handled by snowcatchers and snow cannons, and in general tracked for the suitability and quality of skiing. There are three yellow tracks for beginners, 5 green, 6 blue and 4 black tracks for the Aces. All this beauty can be reached with the help of 3 "chairlifts" and 11 drag lifts. I must say that the capacity of Mavrovo is impressive - more than 11 thousand people per hour.

There is also a ski center with equipment rental, instructors (including Russian speakers) and a full-fledged children's school. Fans of cross-country skiing will also not be bored: cross-country tracks are waiting for them.

Hotels

In Mavrovo you can stay in cozy guesthouses and apartments that are kept by smiling Macedonians, and in quality hotels, there is even a decent "quartet" - Hotel Alpina . Other popular hotels are Makpetrol 3 *, Bistra, Lorge or Sport Hotel. All of them are located directly on the slopes of the mountains, next to the ski lifts, so that skiing in Mavrovo begins almost "from the doorway."

Entertainment, excursions and sightseeing Mavro The main attraction of the

Mavrovo - this, of course, mountains. But if you want to rest from the planks, skis and sticks, it is necessary to visit the bright quiet monastery of the monastery of St. Jovanna Bigorsky that rises on the slope of Bystra 24 km from the resort. The local iconostasis, decorated with deep carvings, is the pearl of religious art.

Just 45-50 km from Mavrovo is Ohrid - "Balkan Jerusalem". Ancient city, located on the shore of the lake of the same name, is famous for its amazing old temples. In particular, it is worth to visit the 11th century St. Sophia basilica and the 13th-century St. Kliment Church, in which rare Byzantine frescos are preserved. In one of the monasteries of Ohrid Sv. Cyril and Methodius worked on the creation of our Slavic alphabet - the Cyrillic alphabet

National Park

Finally, it would be unforgivable not to mention the national park of the same name with the resort Mavrovo. This is one of the largest reserves in Macedonia, where about 600 endemic, endangered or rare plant species grow.

The fauna of the park is also diverse: 140 bird species (including the proud peregrine falcon, the gloomy eagle and the fast-moving golden eagle), 11 species amphibians, 12 species of reptiles and 38 species of mammals (of course, bear, beautiful lynx, fast-legged chamois and graceful forest cat). Walk in the reserve Mavrovo is best in the summer and in the company with a guide, or else you'll get lost in an hour of junk - the places here are amazingly beautiful, but wild.