Guide to Matka Canyon in Skopje
- Skopje.IN
- Apr 12, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 13
If you spend several days in Skopje, one of the places you must visit is the beautiful Matka Canyon near Skopje. The clean lake surrounded by huge rocks and stunning nature is the choice of many tourists and locals for recreation, especially on weekends when the place is as busy as it gets.
Covering roughly 5.000 hectares, this canyon is one of the most popular outdoor destinations in Macedonia.
How to get there?
There are several ways to get to the canyon, which is about 20 kilometers from the center of Skopje.
One of them is the bus public transport. With line number 60, which departs from the Transportation Center, you can reach the final destination,
In the photo above you can see the usual timetable from the Transportation Center to Matka and vice versa, on the old website of JSP.
JSP has launched a new website, which includes a trip planner. Access the route from the Transportation Center to Matka on the trip planner HERE. You can also change the departure station and view details like departure times and other relevant information.
You can also select a stop on the website, then choose a line and see when the bus on that route is arriving/departing. An example of the route from the Transportation Center to Matka with line 60 can be seen here.
The bus ride from the Transportation Center to Matka takes about 40-50 minutes. From the last stop of bus line 60, it takes around 10 minutes to reach Matka on foot.
There is also another bus line, number 12 (departing from Skopski Saem, near East Gate Mall), which is much less frequent than line 60. From the second-to-last stop (Glumovo – toward Matka), it’s about 3.8 km to Matka.
You can reach the canyon by car in about 30 minutes and park nearby. The road is narrow in some places, with ups and downs and numerous potholes in certain sections.
The parking lot and the entrance to Matka are free.
For more options check our Rent page
Moving around
At the very beginning, there is the Matka hydropower station, which is part of the Skopsko Pole hydro system. Keep in mind that the hydropower station is a protected location, and it is not allowed to take a photo of that facility.
The movement across the entire canyon is accompanied by a path that moves along the sides of the rocks. The view of the rocks and the lake, which you will be distracted from time to time by the boats sailing through the lake and the kayaks, is breathtaking.
Exploring the canyon, along the trail, you will come across people selling accessories, services that offer boat trips or kayak rentals, and quite a few visitors, especially if you are there on the weekend.
Some of the services offered are boat trips along the lake, for 200 denars per person, kayaking for 150 denars for half an hour or 300 denars for 1 hour, as well as bicycle rides on water, starting from 200 denars for 30 minutes.
Moving along the path, you will notice the Monastery of Saint Andrew, founded in the XIV century. It is very well preserved and has the status of cultural heritage protected by the state with special importance.
Right next to the monastery, you will find the Canyon Matka Hotel and Restaurant, where you can grab a drink, have some coffee, enjoy a meal, or stay overnight.
The gate on the path leading to the monastery and the hotel closes around 9-9:30 PM and reopens at 7 AM.
Vrelo Cave
Deeper in the canyon, further from Matka Lake is Vrelo Cave. The cave is a system of two caves - an underwater one and an above water one, with a depth of 230 meters discovered so far, which currently makes it the deepest underwater cave in the Balkans and the second deepest in Europe.
The Vrelo Caves, together with Lake Ohrid, were candidates for selection for the new 7 natural wonders of the world.
By boat, you can also visit the Vrelo Cave every day from 8 am to 6 pm. The tour lasts about an hour and costs 400 Denars (6.5 Euros) per person.
Matka Exhibition Center
At the beginning of the canyon, before the uphill to the Matka Lake and the dam, the Matka Exhibition Center of EVN Macedonia is located.
In the exhibition center setting can be seen original old objects, archival materials, films, photographs, interviews, real power system components as well as unique educational exhibits made especially for the center and intended for learning through interaction.
Keep in mind that if you want to visit the center, you need to make an appointment at matka.com.mk or +38972935105.
- * Please have in mind that the prices mentioned in this post may have changed and could be outdated.
