7 Stops That Need to Be on Your Balkans Roadtrip Itinerary

If you’re looking for an incredible nature-focused roadtrip through the Balkans, here are seven places you can’t miss:

1: Mount Jason Observatory, North Macedonia

With stunning view of Kozjak Lake and a few easy hiking trails, this viewpoint is one of the best in North Macedonia.

DSC_0665.jpg

2: Hotel Sharri, Kosovo

Stay at this hotel for its location, price, and gorgeous pool with tall glass walls overlooking the mountains.

3: Kotor’s City Walls, Montenegro

An early morning walk up these steps is well worth the views.

4. Trnovačko Lake, Bosnia and Herzegovina / Montenegro

A heart shaped lake…need I say more?

5. Uvac River Meanders, Serbia

Though somewhat difficult to find, the Uvac River Meanders is one of the most interesting natural landscapes I’ve ever seen. A blog post on how to visit this spectacular location is here.

img_0012fullsizerender

6. Drina River House, Serbia

Famous after its appearance in National Geographic, this solitary house in the middle of the Drina River was built by a group of swimmers in 1968 and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since.

7. Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria

The trail is located in Rila National Park. Take a lift or Jeep for 20 lev to get to the trailhead. It’s still pretty snowy in early summer, so I recommend going in mid to late summer.

How to Get the Best View of Kozjak Lake from Mount Jasen Observatory

Mount Jasen Observatory offers a great view of Kozjak Lake with no hiking required, but you can hike around if you want to! It’s about an hour car ride from Skopje, and well worth the drive.

Google Maps and Waze both have the location as “Kozjak Lake Observation Point. There is cell phone service most of the way, including at the top. We only lost service for a few minutes right before the top.

There are several pull outs on the road, and I recommend stopping at a few to get different views. I also highly recommend hiking around a bit if you’re up for it.

A few of my favorite photos are below:

DSC_0665DSC_0505DSC_0701.jpg