The route starts in the highest village in this region, the village of Bitushe. The trail is mild at the beginning and continues along thick beech woodland until it reaches Lake Lokuv. From here, the route passes by a mount small dairy and in the northwest, continuing to pastures. Along the route, over the woodland there are another two smaller lakes. From
here the route becomes steeper up to the ridge between the Republic of Macedonia and Albania, northbound to Peak Velivar. The way back is along the same route, or it can be in combination with the described route from this guidebook (BHA M14).
Panoramas and landscapes:
• When you get past the woodland you can see the beautiful scenery of Mount Bistra, with St. Jovan Bigorski Monastery and the canyon of the River Radika in its foothills.
• From the ridge, i.e. the borderline with Albania, you can see the city of Peshkopi from the Albanian side, and many of the Albanian villages.
• You can see the villages of Rostushe, Velebrdo, Trebishte, Selce, and others from the peak, and if the weather is good, you can even see the mountain massif Prokletije.
Biodiversity pinpoints:
The dominant vegetation along the lower half of the trail is the beech wood, similar to the case of the BHA M14 trail. Near the clearings in the forest, slightly below Lokuf, the wonder violet (Viola mirabilis) grows, and this is the only site of this Eurasian violet species in Macedonia (this finding has not been scientifically verified yet).
Cultural and historical / characteristic sites:
The village of Bitushe is a village of many stories. The village is densely populated, and the steep terrain and limited space for building, allowed the construction masters of this village to express their creativity to the maximum in the use and shaping of the space, using stone as the main construction material. The houses in Bitushe have been built with two or three floors, and only three houses in the village have four floors. There is a lot more to say about history and tradition, so we recommend you visit the village, talk
to the locals.
Accommodation and food:
• Hotel “Tutto” – The village of Janche.
• Mountain hut and camping Govedarica – The village of Zirovnica.
• Rooms at Fuad – The village of Rostushe. Access to starting and ending points:
• Regional road Skopje – Mavrovi anovi, 88 km.
• Local road Mavrovi anovi – The village of Bitushe, 30 km.
