North Macedonia · Polog

Golemokorapsko Ezero

Directions

Големокорапско Езеро

Golemokorapsko Ezero, the “Big Lake”, is one of the glacial lakes of the Korab massif in Mavrovo National Park, on the Macedonian side of the range, with the peak of Mal Korab above it. Golem Korab, on the border with Albania, is the highest point in North Macedonia.

Nature

Korab has snowy, jagged peaks above broad grassy plateaus. Bears, deer, wolves and eagles live in the national park, one of the last homes of the Balkan lynx.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

The lake is seen on the way down from the summit of Golem Korab. One approach starts from Lake Mavrovo: about 13 km of slow, dusty track along the Štirovica leads to a police station by the road, and a marked walk of about 16 km and 1,300 m of climbing then takes around seven hours there and back.

Snowfields cover much of the upper route even at the end of June, and bears have been seen on the way. Start early. Below Mal Korab, the Korab waterfall runs on snowmelt and is at its strongest in late May and early June, but its trails are poorly marked and overgrown, with unsecured river crossings.