The trail starts from the center of Gostivar. The first part of the trail, at its start, passes across a small rocky terrain, then through a pasture. From the hut it continues to a place called “Dzhandarska Buka”, from which the trail leads to the foot of the peak of Ljuboten. Crossing the River Ljubotenska the trail continues to the section of Livadica. This section traverses a height from 1.600 to 1.700 meters.
The second part of the trail is the descent to village of Vratnica. The descending path passes through a beech forest and the picnic area Senokos. In this area, in the forest we can find the mountain lake “Senokos”. From this point, the trail leads to the village of Vratnica, and from there, by following the rural road we reach the village of Belovishte.
Panoramas and landscapes:
Biodiversity pinpoints:
The upper portion of the trail passes through an area of high mountain pastures on a silicate ground, where some endemic plants that bear the name of Shar Mountain (Scardus, in Latin) can be met, such as the Shar Mountain pink (Dianthus scardicus). The lower portions of the trail traverse vast forest complexes, with beech woods in the upper belt and oak and chestnut woods in the lower belt. Here, mostly in the clearings of the oak woods, one may find the Shar Mountain woundwort (Stachys scardica).
Cultural and historical / characteristic sites:
A typical site on this pathway is the mountain hut “Ljuboten”. This facility is the oldest mountain building, which was built in 1931 as the first mountain hut in Macedonia. According to its position, architecture and ambiance, this building is a historic monument of mountaineering in Macedonia.
