Matka Canyon offers a wonderful nature escapade from the Macedonian capital. It is cheap and easy to get to at just 20km away from the city. Keep reading to discover hidden start to my favorite Matka Canyon trail, tips and other things to see during your visit in Matka Canyon.
How to get to Matka Canyon
As you may possibly know, public transport in Macedonia is not that reliable and information on public buses is hard to come by. However there is a bus on weekends only from the central bus station that takes you directly to Matka Canyon. Catch Bus number 60 from the transportation center and it takes around 40 minutes to reach the canyon. You can find the timetable here.
The best option to reach the canyon is to catch a taxi or alternatively you can reach it by rental car if you decided to explore Macedonia beyond its unique capital.
A taxi costs around €15 and is definitely the most convenient option especially if you aren’t traveling solo so you can split the costs. You can either ask the reception at the hotel to book a taxi or more recently there is a ride sharing app similair to Uber called Wizi. I visited Skopje in 2023 and this company wasn’t in operation at the time so I can’t give any reviws on it. On the way back there are plenty of local taxis once you exit the canyon.
If you have rented a car, there isn’t a lot of parking space so I would recommend to start your day nice and early especially in peak season. There is a car park right next to the Matka Canyon or another one 10 minute walk away where one of the two trails to St Nicholas Monastery starts. (Jump to Matka Canyon Trail – St Nicholas Monastery section for more)
Things to do in Matka Canyon
Matka Canyon offers a lot of things to do for nature lovers especially. First of all you need to soak in the beauty that this canyon offers just 30 minutes out of a major city. You can continue following the trail straight on and traverse Matka Canyon. The trail is out and back, it is not circular so the more you walk in, the more you have to walk back. The hike stretches around 10km to reach the end and come back. I wouldn’t recommend going that far in past the 2km mark, the path gets overgrown and not very safe.
The best way to admire the views and get the complete experience of the canyon is to rent a kayak and enjoy the peaceful bliss of the Matka Lake with breathtaking views of the towering cliffs on either side. Kayak prices range from €3 – €10 depending if it is a single or double and the time you want to rent it for.
Vrelo Cave
One must visit attraction in Matka Canyon is definitely the Vrelo Cave. It is often referred to as one of the deepest underwater caves in the world. Once inside, you notice 2 chambers, the dry chamber which is open to exploration and a submerged section which is still being explored to this day to determine the full depth of Vrelo Cave.
To reach Vrelo Cave one needs to catch a boat tour which takes you on a scenic ride down the river, an attraction in of itself. The tour lasts around 45 minutes with a stop inside the cave for exploration. The tour costs around €6.50 and there are frequent departures.
Matka Canyon Trail – St Nicholas Monastery
The start of this trail is definitely the most unconventional of all the trails I have been on and not well known at all. It is not advertised anywhere but this is definitely the way to go to reach the start of the St Nicholas Monastery trail. If walking alongside the face of the canyon wasn’t enough, the avid hiker can climb up and enjoy the breathtaking views of the canyon from up above.
There are two ways to reach St Nicholas Monastery, the conventional and longer hike starting from the first parking lot. This route takes around 1.5 hours to reach the monastery. On the other hand there is a hidden path to make your way up to the top, and that is…. by boat!
Right across the lake from where you catch the organized tours to Vrelo Cave lies your start to a steep but rewarding hike. Although this path is steeper and the terrain is a bit uneven, it shaves a lot of time as it only takes you 20-30 minutes to reach the top depending on your fitness levels. You might need to pay around €1 for the boat ride across the river and to come pick you up, but it is definitely worth it.
Once up top you can enjoy the most amazing views of the canyon and check up on the St Nicholas Monastery as well. There are three gazebos overlooking the canyon where you can snap some photos and relax have something to eat or drink before making your way back down to the canyon. If you decide to make your way straight down to the canyon, you might wonder how am I going to cross back to the other side?
Well… I didn’t believe this either when I first encountered this online but you just ring a bell. At the end of the trail there is a bell, you just play it a few times and eventually someone will come pick you up. One of the funnier stories, is that while we were making our way down, someone who didn’t come up this way initially, started climbing up again as they were confused on how to cross the lake!
If you opt to cross the bridge from the first parking spot to get up to the monastery then you can also continue up your way to Mount Vodno. I would not recommend this option, as the path is not well marked, can easily get lost and there is not enough resources online for me to be confident enough to recommend it to other people.
If you do however want to make your way to Mount Vodno make sure to check out my post on how to get to Mount Vodno and visit the Millennium Cross. You can also check out other related posts down here.
