The Osogovo Mountains Make Me a Happy Person

May is coming — one of the most beautiful months of the year for us. Considering the warm weather and the chance to get our muscles moving, we’ve decided to focus most of our travel stories on active tourism, aiming to inspire more people to get out into nature.

Today, we introduce you to Katerina Stanković, a girl who loves staying active in the Macedonian mountains. She is constantly exploring and discovering nature. She tells us that active tourism has a positive impact on both her physical and spiritual well-being. For her, people who travel are happier.

“Macedonia is an ideal country for hiking, where numerous high mountains, plateaus, springs, rivers, waterfalls, valleys, lakes, caves, as well as lesser-known hidden natural beauties intertwine,” says Katerina.

For her, an actively spent day is a mental rest, and she is confident that this hobby strengthens her immune system.

A frequently visited destination is the Osogovo Mountains. They feature clean rivers, small lakes, and a rich variety of plant and animal life. These mountains form a large, towering massif covering a vast area, with deep river valleys, volcanic craters, and mounds. The favorable climate supports lush vegetation, dense beech and oak forests, as well as diverse grassland vegetation, all contributing to the development of both summer and winter tourism.

She says there is an initiative for this part of Osogovo to become the first UNESCO-protected Geopark in Macedonia. Several natural phenomena are included in the study, such as: the Valley of Kratovska River from Kratovo to the village of Gorno Kratovo, Fossil Lava – Kamena Klisura, Lithothelmes in the village of Stracin, Stone Dolls (Kameni Kukli), Babakarini Waterfalls, Zdravchi Stone, Uvo – Bukovec Peak, Crn Vrv, Volcanic Bombs – Latishnica, Zletovska Gorge, Volcanic Area – Lesnovo, Zletovska Waterfalls, Skala Waterfalls, Kundinsko Lake, and Karpi Mounds – Zelen Grad.

Katerina says her love for the mountains began at an early age, when her parents used to take her to the mountain of Ostri Vrv. Over time, this became a tradition for her.

“When I climb the mountains, I feel peace and breathe in the fresh air. I always follow my mountain path, though I don’t always know where it leads. It’s the journey into the unknown that inspires me to keep moving,” says Katerina.

On the other hand, she is also in love with mountain villages, which abound in stunning natural beauty.

She highlights several beautiful villages worth visiting: Gorno Kratovo, Lukovo, Nežilovo, Mushkovo, Kavrak, and Kneževo — all nestled in the foothills of the Osogovo Mountains around Kratovo. With clean mountain air, clear spring waters, and peaceful surroundings, these villages were once lively and full of life but today are largely forgotten and left to the mercy of the elements.

According to her, rural tourism has the potential to save these mountain villages — or at least to bring life back to them, even if only temporarily.

Some of our mountain villages are completely deserted. The locals Katerina meets while hiking are mostly elderly people who engage in livestock farming and agriculture.

“Their joy is immense when they get to exchange a few words with us,” she says. “They talk about the good old days, about the people who once lived there, about the students in the village school, and they offer hikers advice on which direction to take next.”

Katerina says she wants to continue hiking in the future. For her, this is more than just a sport or a hobby — it’s a way of life.