National Park Galicica
National Park Galicica
National Park Galicica
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience National Park Galicica
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
27 within 3 miles
Attractions
10 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
383 reviews
Excellent
281
Very good
85
Average
13
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Jim H
Europe3,947 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
From the Southeast corner of the lake to the mountain peak is a 16 kilometer walk. There are a couple observation decks on the way with view of the lake, city and sunsets. You'll come across a lot of wildlife: snakes, tortoises and lizards. There is a possibility you could see a Brown bear, wolves, wild boars or the Balkan lynx. Also, many species of birds and plants. When reaching the peak, everything is amazing and beautiful. Having a snake hook is a plus.
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jayne S
Ohrid, Republic of North Macedonia48 contributions
Feb 2020
The park itself is great with stunning views of the lake, mountains & Albania across the lake. There are notice boards at all the viewpoints & in several of the nearby settlements giving general information & a comprehensive guide to the hiking trails. However, with one exception, these notices are so faded that you can no longer see any writing on them & some have been defaced by graffiti. I would suggest 2 improvements; Firstly, when new notices are put on the boards, cover them with a perspex sheet which will slow the fading & make them easy to clean. Secondly, there is no "you are here" icon so it's not easy to see where the trails are in relation to your position & as there is little or no signal it is not often possible to use GPS.. Perhaps paper maps could be sold when you enter the park?
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrakiWorldTraveler
Belgrade, Serbia19,450 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
The Galicica NP is a mountain range standing between two major lakes in North Macedonia - Ohrid Lake and Prespa Lake.
It's a popular hiking and biking place with many paths, but we used it as a shortcut on our drive to Greece. There's an entry fee of around 5 Euros to enter it.
Hair pin curves and several places to stop high up to admire both lakes. Road pretty good, though with some potholes.
It's a popular hiking and biking place with many paths, but we used it as a shortcut on our drive to Greece. There's an entry fee of around 5 Euros to enter it.
Hair pin curves and several places to stop high up to admire both lakes. Road pretty good, though with some potholes.
Written 8 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Soccca
Tolmin, Slovenia1,809 contributions
Sept 2023 • Friends
We visited Galičica on our way from Lake Prespa to Lake Ohrid. From the top of the pass there is a very nice view of both lakes. Since the weather was nice and sunny, we took a short walk in nature and enjoyed the beautiful views.
Written 24 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim H
Europe3,947 contributions
Jun 2023
National Park Galicica is between Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. Absolutely, mesmerizing views of both lakes and mountains. Extremely peaceful. There is a fresh water spring to drink from and an area to rest. There are many trails to hike and enjoy nature and wildlife.
Written 17 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Milan S
Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia192 contributions
Jul 2020
Beautiful country, amd mountain. Still untouched by modern life. The ATV tour is great and not too demanding. You can choose from 2, 4 and 6 hours tours. The problem is that this is not ECO tourism. The vehicles are noisy and polluting the environment.
Written 21 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ana F
Melbourne, Australia13 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
We visited Ohrid coincidentally on Orthidox Easter so it was packed. We were concerned that Galicica would be the same but on our day trip we were the only people around! I was surprised to find very little info here on how to get there and the hiking trails so here is our experience:
Got the bus from Ohrid at about 8:30 from Boulevard Touristichka (there are several stops) to Elshani (cost 50 denares pp each way). The journey is about 30km and 20 min. there are about 8 buses daily (less on weekends see attached timetable, calculate the bus returns times about 20min after the scheduled departure from Ohrid).
The hike starts were the last bus stop of Elshani is. We did T5 (4.8 km climbing 730m), then G5 to the right (the left goes to Velestovo) and along the ridge (10.6 km up to 2,000m), because of snow we started but did not finish G6 (5.6 km loop of the highest peaks).
The saddle is along G5 where you can see both Lakes Ohrid and Petra (this is a great place for lunch!
The way is marked by a red and white stripe on rocks or trees. THESE ARE OFTEN VERY HARD TO FIND!! I cannot stress this enough. if you go more than 50m without seeing a mark you are lost. the marks are there but you have to look very carefully. we got lost many times (only a very short way before having to turn back). the path is not marked on the ground so you must look for the marks. also, you must carry food and water as there is none on the mountain (2 water points in Elshani). I would classify the hike as moderately difficult but potentially very dangerous if it was been raining as a lot of it is climbing on the ridges on rocks.
Good luck and enjoy the beautiful Macedonian landscape!!
PS. we also walked to Velestovo from Ohrid and beyond the cross. this is also part of Galicica closest to Ohrid and has beautiful views of the town and the lake. we walked about 20km in 4 hours but you dont have to do that much and some people go up to Velestovo with their car. its worth it for the view. go down Boulevard Touristichka until you get to the crazy petro station you will see the Galicica map and climb the stairs next to it. keep going on the paved road all the way up!
Got the bus from Ohrid at about 8:30 from Boulevard Touristichka (there are several stops) to Elshani (cost 50 denares pp each way). The journey is about 30km and 20 min. there are about 8 buses daily (less on weekends see attached timetable, calculate the bus returns times about 20min after the scheduled departure from Ohrid).
The hike starts were the last bus stop of Elshani is. We did T5 (4.8 km climbing 730m), then G5 to the right (the left goes to Velestovo) and along the ridge (10.6 km up to 2,000m), because of snow we started but did not finish G6 (5.6 km loop of the highest peaks).
The saddle is along G5 where you can see both Lakes Ohrid and Petra (this is a great place for lunch!
The way is marked by a red and white stripe on rocks or trees. THESE ARE OFTEN VERY HARD TO FIND!! I cannot stress this enough. if you go more than 50m without seeing a mark you are lost. the marks are there but you have to look very carefully. we got lost many times (only a very short way before having to turn back). the path is not marked on the ground so you must look for the marks. also, you must carry food and water as there is none on the mountain (2 water points in Elshani). I would classify the hike as moderately difficult but potentially very dangerous if it was been raining as a lot of it is climbing on the ridges on rocks.
Good luck and enjoy the beautiful Macedonian landscape!!
PS. we also walked to Velestovo from Ohrid and beyond the cross. this is also part of Galicica closest to Ohrid and has beautiful views of the town and the lake. we walked about 20km in 4 hours but you dont have to do that much and some people go up to Velestovo with their car. its worth it for the view. go down Boulevard Touristichka until you get to the crazy petro station you will see the Galicica map and climb the stairs next to it. keep going on the paved road all the way up!
Written 7 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bepieters
Ghent, Belgium12 contributions
Jun 2012 • Couples
We found a tourist map of the National Park Galicica with the most essential information: hiking trails, bicycle trails, where the picnic grounds are...
In Ohrid town, we found some agencies who wanted to accompany us for a hike in the mountains. But we decided to do it all by ourself, because the tourist map gave a lot of information and we heard that most of the walks were marked very well.
And indeed: the paths are marked (white and red paint). And where two different trails come together, there are arrows to point you in the right direction. And on some points there are information boards.
But not all the time it is marked very well. In some parts of the National Park it seemed that we were the first visitors in decades: most of the marks were hidden and some of the pathways had disappeared under big plants.
We walked from the camp site Eleshec via Elshani, the Samotska Dupka Cave, over the Tri Mazi to Velestovo. In one day. It was quite a long hike, but definitely worth every step of it. We had magnificient views over Ohrid Lake and saw wonderful fauna and flora.
Important: you need very good hiking shoes (paths are very rocky and unstable), a lot of water (not that much springs) and a lot of sunscreen (not that much shadow in the higher parts).
Note: most of the photos for this item show the (very beautiful) lake near St. Naum monsatery. The national park is much more than that.
In Ohrid town, we found some agencies who wanted to accompany us for a hike in the mountains. But we decided to do it all by ourself, because the tourist map gave a lot of information and we heard that most of the walks were marked very well.
And indeed: the paths are marked (white and red paint). And where two different trails come together, there are arrows to point you in the right direction. And on some points there are information boards.
But not all the time it is marked very well. In some parts of the National Park it seemed that we were the first visitors in decades: most of the marks were hidden and some of the pathways had disappeared under big plants.
We walked from the camp site Eleshec via Elshani, the Samotska Dupka Cave, over the Tri Mazi to Velestovo. In one day. It was quite a long hike, but definitely worth every step of it. We had magnificient views over Ohrid Lake and saw wonderful fauna and flora.
Important: you need very good hiking shoes (paths are very rocky and unstable), a lot of water (not that much springs) and a lot of sunscreen (not that much shadow in the higher parts).
Note: most of the photos for this item show the (very beautiful) lake near St. Naum monsatery. The national park is much more than that.
Written 29 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pijlmans
Amsterdam, The Netherlands1,921 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
Galicica National Park offers great opportunities for hiking. The Galicica National Park is located next to the city Ohrid, between Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa in the south of the Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
The Galicica National Park office is located along the mountain road between Ohrid and the mountain village Velestovo. In my experience they are usually not of great help!
Most hikes in the park offer excellent views of Lake Ohrid, and at some places in the park it is possible to see both Lake Prespa and Lake Ohrid from the same location.
We have done several hikes in Galicica National Park, for instance:
- A hike from Ohrid to Velgosti via Ramne, along several churches and monasteries (16 km)
- Climbing the Magaro Peak in the south of the National Park (8.5 km, you can combine this beautiful hike with a visit to the Monastery of St Naum in the south of Lake Ohrid)
- A 16 km round-trip through Galicica, between the villages Elshani and Konjsko
- Another 16 km round-trip starting and finishing in the village Velestovo
At least two hiking maps are available, one from the company Trimaks and one of the park itself.
There are a lot of hiking trails in the park, but they are not marked very well most of the time, although the situation has slightly improved over the last years. The marking is with the international "red/white" marking, and with some wooden signposts here and there to point you into the right direction.
In my opinion, the best way to go hiking in the mountains of Macedonia is to use an outdoor GPS and download tracks from the internet.
On Tripadvisor's daughter website VirtualTourist I have written detailed information about these and other hikes in Macedonia, see http://members.virtualtourist.com/pijlmans
The GPS files you can download for free from GPSies.com if you follow the links on my VirtualTourist pages.
The Galicica National Park office is located along the mountain road between Ohrid and the mountain village Velestovo. In my experience they are usually not of great help!
Most hikes in the park offer excellent views of Lake Ohrid, and at some places in the park it is possible to see both Lake Prespa and Lake Ohrid from the same location.
We have done several hikes in Galicica National Park, for instance:
- A hike from Ohrid to Velgosti via Ramne, along several churches and monasteries (16 km)
- Climbing the Magaro Peak in the south of the National Park (8.5 km, you can combine this beautiful hike with a visit to the Monastery of St Naum in the south of Lake Ohrid)
- A 16 km round-trip through Galicica, between the villages Elshani and Konjsko
- Another 16 km round-trip starting and finishing in the village Velestovo
At least two hiking maps are available, one from the company Trimaks and one of the park itself.
There are a lot of hiking trails in the park, but they are not marked very well most of the time, although the situation has slightly improved over the last years. The marking is with the international "red/white" marking, and with some wooden signposts here and there to point you into the right direction.
In my opinion, the best way to go hiking in the mountains of Macedonia is to use an outdoor GPS and download tracks from the internet.
On Tripadvisor's daughter website VirtualTourist I have written detailed information about these and other hikes in Macedonia, see http://members.virtualtourist.com/pijlmans
The GPS files you can download for free from GPSies.com if you follow the links on my VirtualTourist pages.
Written 16 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cogitoergosum222
Slavonia, Croatia171 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
We, a group of five friends, decided to spend one day of our stay in the Ohrid area for a visit to the National Park Galičica, that is to climb to its highest peak Magaro (2255 m).
I'll give you a brief description of our experience ... We hired a taxi to bring us from Ohrid to Lipova, a pass that is 1550 m above sea level, from which our climb begins. At the entrance to the national park, you have to pay 50 denars per vehicle and 30 denars per person. There is still a fee for just 200 denars per person for whom we did not pay because we said we would go over the pass to the Prespa Lake, not the hiking. The trail is well marked throughout, and the only drawback is that the text on some signposts faded. But it is not difficult if you follow the red and white markings on trees and rocks. The first part of the trail runs through a beautiful forest and lasts about 35 minutes. 300 m after leaving the forest you came across the crossing where we chose the right direction because it is full of nice sights, although it is a little harder to climb that way. Next, our course led across the curbs and ridges, near a huge metal plate (I have no idea what it is), all the way to the very top that is clearly marked. We came back the other way we would go if we turned left on that crossing. The whole journey lasted about 4 hours and 15 minutes with a shorter vacation. We came back with a taxi that cost us all 8 eur per person (in both directions together). This does not seem very much because the distance from Ohrid to Lipova's head is almost 40 km. Nature is interesting and untouched, and the most beautiful part of it is great views. This can be seen in the photos below.
I'll give you a brief description of our experience ... We hired a taxi to bring us from Ohrid to Lipova, a pass that is 1550 m above sea level, from which our climb begins. At the entrance to the national park, you have to pay 50 denars per vehicle and 30 denars per person. There is still a fee for just 200 denars per person for whom we did not pay because we said we would go over the pass to the Prespa Lake, not the hiking. The trail is well marked throughout, and the only drawback is that the text on some signposts faded. But it is not difficult if you follow the red and white markings on trees and rocks. The first part of the trail runs through a beautiful forest and lasts about 35 minutes. 300 m after leaving the forest you came across the crossing where we chose the right direction because it is full of nice sights, although it is a little harder to climb that way. Next, our course led across the curbs and ridges, near a huge metal plate (I have no idea what it is), all the way to the very top that is clearly marked. We came back the other way we would go if we turned left on that crossing. The whole journey lasted about 4 hours and 15 minutes with a shorter vacation. We came back with a taxi that cost us all 8 eur per person (in both directions together). This does not seem very much because the distance from Ohrid to Lipova's head is almost 40 km. Nature is interesting and untouched, and the most beautiful part of it is great views. This can be seen in the photos below.
Written 11 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi. How i can reach to Nizhepole from Bitola? Is there is a bus? What about schedule? Thanks.
Written 5 May 2022
Flory M
Tel Aviv, Israel
אשמח לקבל מסלול ואטרקציות ב National Park Galicica ובסביבה
תודה רבה
פלורי
Written 6 August 2019
Zijn er excursies in het Nederlands in Ohrid naar Naun, Bitola, de natuurparken of naar Shopje en de Masca kloof?
Written 13 July 2019
Wat is de beste manier om naar het natuurpark te gaan? Is het gemakkelijk om dit via een taxi te doen? Wij kunnen helaas geen auto huren. En hoe is de temperatuur op deze berg? Wij gaan midden juni tot begin juli naar Orhid.
Written 19 May 2019
Per auto of een excursie met Lale Tours in Ohrid
Written 20 May 2019
I'm thinking of doing the Magaro trail tomorrow.Does anyone perhaps know the approximate cost of a taxi from Ohrid up to Lipova(starting point of trail?) I'm reluctant to rely on catching a lift with someone from the main road up to Lipova,would rather chance my luck on the way back.Thanks.
Written 16 May 2019
Καλησπέρα, ετοιμάζομαι με παρέα φίλων να κάνουμε ταξίδι προς την Οχρίδα και αυτό που θα θέλαμε να δούμε είναι το κατά πόσο είναι εφικτό να διανύσουμε την εναλλακτική διαδρομή από το Πάρκο Γκαλιτσίτσα προς την Ελλάδα. Θα μπορούσατε να μου δώσετε περαιτέρω πληροφορίες για τις συνθήκες; Ο δρόμος είναι ασφαλτοστρωμένος; Μπορεί να διανυθεί με ευκολία έχοντας ένα απλό Ι.Χ.; Ή υπάρχουν γενικά δυσκολίες; Ευχαριστώ πολύ!
Written 4 February 2019
Hi. Will be in Ohrid at the end of March. Interested in visiting St Naum as well as Park Galicica. Are boat rides in the springs near St Naum available in March? thanks
Written 1 February 2019
Check with Restaurant Ostrovo in Sv. Naum directly. The boats depart from their premises. They would know.
Written 3 February 2019
I am interesting in going hiking to Magaro. I have read that some of hikers used local guides to go there. Can you recommend any of them? Were you satisfied with that guiding and what was the total (and particural) cost of that tour?
Thanks for answering.
Written 4 October 2018
As a group we hired Dimitri as a walking guide, twice during our recent trip to Ohrid and I would definitely recommend him. Dimitri will be able to help you plan a walk to meet your needs. Whilst he is based near Ohrid I know he does travel with his work and he discussed walking in other parts of Macedonia with us.
I am unable to include his contact details in this response, but if you search for Hiking Guide Ohrid you should find these.
Written 4 October 2018
Showing results 1-10 of 14
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing