Of all the bucket-list items to do in Skopje, Matka Canyon and the Millennium Cross are the most prominent two. This post goes over all of our Day 2 shenanigans in Skopje, as well as tips and info about both sites!
Matka canyon & The Millennium Cross: Day 2 in Skopje
Jetlag has been a BEAST, and I’m becoming quite nocturnal. Once I get over my 11pm slump…I don’t feel tired again until around 2-3. Not the greatest sleeping schedule, but we’re working it.
We are so incredibly lucky to have the best hosts in all of Macedonia. Despite their busyness with wedding planning, they took most of the day to spend with us at Matka Canyon.
Not only that, but they covered cabs, tickets, and drinks for all of us international friends…needless to say, Macedonian hospitality is a pretty amazing thing!
Our second morning here, we stayed in and enjoyed some of the snacks we’d been gifted yesterday. My partner went out while I was touching up my Day 1 post and grabbed a bunch of groceries for us.
We ended up just boiling pasta to eat along with the sauces we were given. Maybe scooping sauce onto a fork full of pasta wasn’t the right way to eat it, but we found it extremely tasty.
Heading to Matka Canyon
We had the best taxi driver in the world, a gentleman named Goran. He navigated easily through all sorts of traffic. You’d think that living in China would mean you’d “seen it all” on the roads…nope!
Some of the roads heading towards Matka Canyon were extremely narrow. All kinds of people and vehicles were making their ways along these roads. Driving in the Balkans is certainly an adventure!
Goran’s English is pretty wonderful, so when I dubbed him “Goran the Great”, he had a good laugh about it.
The roads to Matka Canyon are very unsuspecting. You can’t tell from the drive exactly what you’re in for. But once you arrive (and find parking…another amazing feat), you’re in another world.
We met up with our friends from Macedonia (whose wedding is TOMORROW!), our Romanian friend, our Boston buddy, a Serbian colleague, and another Macedonian gentleman and his wife from Pittsburg. Quite the crew!
As I mentioned yesterday, Macedonia has drinking water everywhere. And Matka Canyon is where you get an even better glimpse of the abundance of water.
With the sun shining on them, the waters looked crystalline blue. My partner remarked that they looked almost as beautiful as the legendary Enshi Turquoise rivers we’d seen this spring.
The walk was fairly easy, with minimal inclines, and the ladies in our group managed just fine in sandals.
When we arrived at the boat dock, our friends rented the largest type of boat to take all of us. It could carry 12-15 people easily. We hopped onboard (no lifejackets needed) and went towards the caves.
The boat ride was one of the most relaxing parts of the entire experience. The air in Matka Canyon is super refreshing, and the spring-fed river is clean and calming to sail down.
Into the Caves of Matka Canyon
After about 20-25 minutes, we arrived at the caves. We disembarked and headed down into the dark. The steps were pretty slippery, so it was slow going. But it only took about five minutes to reach the lower viewing area.
Inside the cave are waterways which people come from around the world to scuba dive in. I was told by one of our Macedonian friends that the river runs under the mountain for about 4.5 miles (6km).
It was super chilly inside the cave, and sleeping bats were visible in the upper parts of the rock ceiling (which is quite high). The temperature change was very welcome as the past few days in Skopje have been scorchers!
We spent about 15 minutes in the caves before heading back to the boat, and sailing back to the dock. I would say that a trip to Matka Canyon would be incomplete without the boat ride and cave exploration!
Not only can you get a guided boat tour, but it’s also possible to rent kayaks. The prices are quite cheap, with kayak rentals starting at $4.5 USD for 30 minutes. The boat tour that we did cost $4.5 USD per person, as well.
We may have paid more, as our friends chose to rent the nicest boar out for us. But either way, you can get a glimpse of the pricing for yourself!
Relaxing in Matka Canyon
After the boat tour, we walked just a few more minutes to a cafe where we ordered cocktails and coffees. Behind the cafe was a small cliff (about 15 feet) where people were jumping into the water.
The cocktails at this cafe were not only gorgeous, but our friends all said they were delicious. The coffee was wonderful, but the environment was the absolute best part. Prices for drinks ranges from $4-7 USD.
We could have sat for hours, but we stayed for only about one while we just enjoyed the scenery, our drinks, and the conversation.
When visiting the canyons, one could spend the whole day exploring. There was much more walking to do, and we barely scratched the surface. However, at this point we left to go onto our second destination: the Millennium Cross.
The Millennium Cross in Skopje
About 30-40 minutes drive from Matka Canyon, Goron navigated us expertly through one of the mountain roads leading to the Millennium cross.
It was about 7pm when we arrived, and although we managed to get tickets for the cable car, we were told that it would stop accepting riders at 7:20pm, and shut down at 7:30. If we missed it, we’d have to walk down.
Myself and my three traveling buddies grabbed tickets ($2 per person) and headed up.
It took about 6 minutes to get to the top. From down in the valley, the Millennium Cross had looked pretty underwhelming. But up close, it was really something to see!
The cross is 217 feet (66 meters) tall, and up close, it’s much more beautiful to behold! At the top of the mountain, we spent our precious few minutes walking around, taking photos, and taking everything in.
We were among some of the last tourists to make our way back to the cable car. Six minutes later, we were back at the tourist area we’d arrived to.
Goran was waiting to take us back downtown, so we hopped in his car and made our way back to Skopje. On our way, we were able to see the stunning sunset over the valley which Skopje is nestled in.
An Evening In Skopje
We had every intention to get to bed early, since the wedding is going to be quite an event. But we couldn’t resist spending some time downtown.
We ended up walking around the main square, and eventually grabbing a late dinner at a restaurant called Dion’s. The restaurant was located along the river and right beside the main square.
It was here that we got the chance to try “sharshka”, which is like a cheeseburger but the cheese is INSIDE the burger. It was as amazing as it sounds.
I got a greek salad, and one of our friends got the beef stew that Macedonia is so into. Everything was super nice, and the bill came out to about $36 USD for 3 people, including beverages.
After dinner, we walked to the Old Bazaar with our friends to hunt down some baklava. I grabbed a lemon gelato cone, and despite doing so, got talked into a Turkish ice cream.
Turkish ice cream is basically ice cream served in a cone on a large stick. But you get absolutely humiliated by the ice cream man who plays all kinds of tricks with the stick and the cone.
I laughed like an idiot the whole time. If you don’t get what I’m talking about, just search “Turkish Ice Cream Guy” on Youtube.
Summary of our Day
Both sites which we visited today are essential Skopje tourist spots, and I’m so glad we got to see them. Matka Canyon especially is such a lovely place, whether you love hiking or just chilling outdoors.
Even though the day was packed, I’m not too tired. But I definitely will be after this wedding tomorrow!
Today’s Spending:
Airbnb: $65 USD
Groceries: $7 USD
Boat & Drinks at Matka covered by our friends
Cable Car: $4 USD for 2 people
Dinner: $13 USD for 2 people
Gelato: $1 USD for 1 cone
I hope you enjoyed reading about Matka Canyon, as well as our other stops throughout the day! Be sure to check back to read about the Macedonian wedding we’re hitting up tomorrow!
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Skopje Airport and Beyond! Macedonia Day 1 Travel Blog
Macedonian Currency: What to Know Before You Go
Skopje Hotels: A Quick Guide for Tourists