It departs from the central bus station, the one under the railway bridge. To get from Skopje to Matka Canyon you need to take the bus no 60. I did it twice and although everything went fine there was a bit of uncertainty. If you want to use public transport it is doable, however a bit challenging.
The parking is free but it might be packed, you can also park the car along the way, many cars do it. To get to Matka Canyon from Skopje you need to drive towards Tetovo and eventually turn left, following signs to the canyon. The ride is short, although the closer you get to the canyon, the more narrow and windy the road gets.
You can also find some old monasteries in the area.īut the main reason to visit Matka Canyon is to see how big wonder of nature it is.Įven if Matka Canyon is so close to Skopje, getting there isn’t always easy, especially if you rely on public transport. You can do here numerous activities, like hiking, fishing or kayaking. This is one of the most popular recreational areas near Skopje, attracting both locals and visitors all year long. If the exceptional beauty of Matka Canyon is not enough for you there are a few more reasons to visit the place. It was even included on the list of top 77 natural sites of the world in the New 7 Wonders of the World project.
There are also ten caves at Matka Canyon, the most popular one being Vrelo Cave. You can also see 77 kinds of butterflies in the area! 20% of the plant species you can see here are endemic, meaning they can’t be found anywhere else. The Matka Canyon covers the area of around 5,000 hectares. In 1938 the dam was built on river Treska, creating the artificial lake surrounded by high mountains, the oldest lake of that kind in North Macedonia. This spectacular place was actually not made by nature. Matka Canyon is located in North Macedonia, only 17 km away from central Skopje, in the south-west direction.