Location  – mountain:

  • Shar Mountain – (southeast segment)

 

Starting point:

  • The village of Staro Selo

 

Description of the trail:

The trail starts from the information board at the upper part of Staro Selo, just below the church, near the village fountain. Spatially, the trail can be divided into four parts. The first part of the trail is a wide dirt road combined with a mountain path, which passes through a beech forest all the way to the mountain hut Ljuboten. The second part of the trail starts just above the hut and goes sharply upwards through a short uphill terrain, then moving south along the ridge of the Ljuboten Peak, it passes the biggest stone colluvium in Macedonia named Kozja Stena. The third part of the trail is on the Shar Mountain ridge itself, where the grandeur of Shar Mountain can be observed. The trail extends along the ridge, passing several times through the southeast and northwest side and before the assent towards Livadica peak begins, the trail leads northwest through the green pass and then descends slightly to the glacial lake Livadichko Ezero. From the lake up to the ski center Brezovica is the beginning of the fourth part of the trail. In this part the trail ascends to an altitude of 2,333 m and from this point the trail starts descending in a south-southwest direction towards the foothill of the peak Livadica, i.e. its northwest side. On the peak Meanche, at 2,133 m, is the beginning of a wide dirt road descending to the ski center Brezovica.

 

Technical and touristic information

Altitude of the starting point:  The village of Staro Selo – 900 m

Highest point:  Kule – 2,324 m

Altitude of the ending point:  ski center Brezovica – 1,735 m

Altitude difference:  1,425 m

Duration of the hiking tour:  8.00 – 10.00 hours

Length of the hiking trail:  24 km

Difficulty of the tour:  ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Required fitness level:  ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

 

Panoramas and landscapes:

  • On the first part of the trail, there is a prospect overlooking the falls of Vratnichka Reka and the Ljuboten Peak.
  • On the second part of the trail, after passing the stone colluvium, the Polog Valley can be seen, as well as the north peaks and the ridge of Shar Mountain, from where the view towards Kosovo opens up, more specifically towards the Sirinichka area in Kosovo (Brezovica and Shtrpce).

 

Access to the starting point:  

  • Highway Skopje – Tetovo, 43 km
  • Local road Tetovo – The village of Stare Selo, 25 km

In the village of Stare Selo there is a large parking space.

 

Access to the ending point:  

  • Highway Prishtina – Shtrpce, 62 km
  • Local road Shtrpce – ski center Brezovica, 25 km

In the ski center there is a large parking space.

 

Accommodation and food:

  • Mountain Hut “Ljuboten” – On the foothill of the Ljuboten Peak
    • (42°11’4.78″N 21° 7’38.71″E /  18466111, 21.12750000)
  • Villa “Ljuboten” – On the foothill of the Ljuboten Peak.
  • Motel Restaurant Bucan – Ski center Brezovica
  • Other accommodation and catering facilities may be found in Brezovica.