On rare occasions I do have company on my travels and adventurers. When I planned a trip to Matka, I thought damn wouldn't it be cool to visit this place with somebody. And the universe listened to me.
I've met Sean an Irishman. He arrived from Albania thinking he will make his way to Bulgaria and than further. I changed his plan literary in few minutes. Being an expert on travel restrictions (not that I would want to but out of sheer survival I had to become one), I have talked him from going to BG and saved him one PCR brain massage...
Sean had no fixed travel schedule anyways and was happy to join me for a day in Matka canyon. This man made damm is generating electricity for Skopje occasionally and is even quite popular tourist destination. Not to forget locals which do come here to cool down after work in hot as f*ck Skopje. Our plan was simple, let's just go there and find a spot to camp overnight. Not really asking anybody how it is legally and physically possible. My buddy Sean is to be seen overly excited about the trip on the picture below...
The local bus line number 60 takes us an a 40 minutes ride up into the hills and the lake presents itself to us at it's best. I mean it is not the best lake in the world, heck it is not even a lake. But for the fact that there is nothing similar around Skopje it is awesome.
The path to our destination of choice is semi secure rocky way following the damm. It used to be just river and the river banks are quite steep for that matter. After the construction of the damm itself the water level rised and the river just got a bit bigger. I wouldn't really call it a lake. But it is what it is and the views presented to us are more than enough. After some six kilometers we arrive to the end of the "safe" path. It becomes almost impossible to continue without a machete and some minimal climbing gear or protection. So we put down our bags and try to go a little further in search for a camping place for the night.
In the last picture Sean is to be seen swimming in ass-cold waters of Matka canyon. I wasn't so brave. It took me one or two minutes and I was out of there. It was so cold that I felt like little needles were poking me all around my body. Nothing pleasant really. But getting out and starting a fire to cook some food felt like heaven after such experience.
We've made some delicious soup and drank a bottle of amazingly cheap and tasty Macedonian red wine. Around midnight I was laying in my hamack trying to fall asleep. But than I've heard the fire leftovers being put down by water. What the hell? The water level stared rising and I was hanging just above the only tiny little beach out there. Every ten minutes I checked on the fire again flashing with my headlamp. It wasn't stopping. After my hamack was hanging just a feet or so above the water level I've had enough and had to move it. Which wasn't easy due to very limited space in the canyon. But with a little luck I've found two other suitable trees and finished my night safely. To Sean's big surprise I wasn't hanging there in the morning when he woke up, and he thought I left. Funny moments indeed.
So I don't necessarily recommend camping in Matka canyon, I do highly recommend visiting. One can rent a kayak or go on guided cave expedition. Have a picknick or eat some fish in a restaurant. But for the adventure minder, sure go and sleep on the very same beach like we did. Just don't hang your hamack too close to the water.
All the best,
Global Local