May is coming, one of the most beautiful months of the year. The nice and warm weather will allow us to activate our muscles, to focus on active tourism and to enjoy in the nature.
Today’s story is exactly about Katerina Stanojkovic, the girl who loves to be part of the Macedonian mountains and is constantly exploring and discovering nature. She decided on active tourism, i.e. primarily mountaineering, because it has a positive effect on her both physically and spiritually; according to her people who travel are happier.
Macedonia is an ideal country for mountaineering in which a number of high mountains, plateaus, springs, rivers, waterfalls, valleys, lakes, caves and lesser known hidden attractive beauties are intertwined, says Katerina.
The actively used day is like a mental rest for a happy mood, and Katerina believes that it also strengthens the immunity. Motivation often comes with the temporal change of nature and the environment.
In the spring we admire the beautiful landscapes, the discovery of interesting natural rarities, the irreplaceable taste of the berries, then the communication with the people we met in the sparsely populated areas.
A frequently visited destination is the Osogovo Mountains. They abound with clean rivers, small lakes, rich flora and fauna. These mountains are a high massive massif that covers a large area, with deep river valleys, volcanic craters and cones.
The favorable climate provides lush vegetation, dense beech and oak forest as well as diverse grass vegetation, which contributes to the development of summer and winter tourism.
She says that there is an initiative for this part of Osogovo to become the first GEO PARK in Macedonia protected by UNESCO.
These include several natural phenomena mapped in the study: Kratovska River Valley from Kratovo to the village of Gorno Kratovo, Fossilna lava – gorge Kamena, Litotelmi in the village of Stracin, Stone dolls ( Kameni Kukli), Babakarini waterfalls, Zdravci Stone (Zdravci Kamen), Peak Uvo – Bukovec, Peak Black (Peak Crn ),Vulkanski bombi – Latishnica, gorge Zletovska, Vulcan area – Lesnovo, Zletovska waterfalls, Skala waterfalls, Kundinsko lake, Sea of rocks – Green city.
She loves the mountains since she was a child when her parents took her to the mountain Ostri Vrv, which becomes a tradition for her.
“When I climb the mountains I feel peace and enjoy the fresh air. I always follow my mountain path, but I do not always know where it leads.
Going into the unknown is what inspires me to move,” says Katerina.
She also loves the mountain villages that abound in beautiful nature. She points out Gorno Kratovo, Lukovo, Nezhilovo, Mushkovo, Kavrak, Knezevo as beautiful villages worth visiting and they are all located on the slopes of the Osogovo mountains around Kratovo.
Clean mountain air, clear spring waters, quiet and peaceful, these villages once were inhabited and filled with life, today are forgotten by people. According to her, rural tourism can save these mountain villages or bring life there.
Some of our mountain villages are completely empty. The locals she meets while hiking are mostly older people, who are engaged in animal husbandry and agriculture.
“Their joy is too great when they exchange a word with us, they tell about the beautiful time there many years ago, about the people who lived there, about the students at the school and give advice to the mountaineers on which direction to keep moving.”
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