Village Nezhilovo – Mountain Hut Cheples – Peak Solunska Glava

Here we are: Jakupica Mountain and Peak Solunska Glava – places that have turned our minds. A mountain that is not from this planet … And another unbelievable fact – that you are in Macedonia.

Unfortunately, a rather inaccessible area: you need at least two days for the simplest tours. That means you have to plan where to spend the night. And when you add two kids to it all, things get interesting. If you do not have experience with tours that last more than a day, we highly recommend that you master a few other simple ones, then go back to this post. What would Uncle Buran say: “you still have a long way to go”.

The trail starts right from the fish restaurant in the village Nezhilovo. The road to the fish restaurant is paved and in good condition. If you come by car, park a little further from the fish restaurant, as it is a popular place and quite visited on weekends.

Tour 1: Village Nezhilovo – Mountain Hut Cheples

We leave the reastaurant chatter in the background and move forward on a dirt road. The sounds of the Babuna River can be heard in the distance. There are two options: a direct hiking trail that is shorter (5 km) or a dirt road that is longer (11 km) and leads you along the springs of the Babuna River. We are moving on the dirt road for Mountain Hut Cheples because we decided to cross this part by bicycles. On the trail itself there is a sign “Springs of the Babuna River” (worth a visit). Take care of your GPS because loggers have opened up a few new paths that can lead you in the wrong direction (and it happened to us – we didn’t have Garmin back then). Water literally springs from several rocks along the road. Because we made a mistake on the road, it soon started to get dark and while mom and dad were “arguing” whether to continue or not, the quarrel was heard by the hunters called “Babuna Lynxes” – the saviours of our two-day tour !! We could not believe it when they told us with a smile that it would not be strange to run into a bear as soon as it got dark, because just the other day in the morning, Grandma Bear woke them up looking for food in their small hunting cottage. We came just during their lunch (guess what they were roasting under a peer? Normally, what they caught – a wild boar :)) After the feast, we climbed up in a off-road vehicle in the night and they took us to the Mountain Hut Cheples. We are grateful to them!

Tour 2: Mountain Hut Cheples – Peak Solunska Glava

On the second day we take a break at Cheples. You have two options for overnight stay: a classic in a room with many mountaineers, but also a separate apartment with its own toilet – luxury on the mountain. The home is in a great location, there are wooden tables and benches outside and we were super happy when we used the shared kitchen. On the third day we get up early and leave for Solunska Glava. When you have a mission – climbing on a peak higher than 2000 meters above sea level, the departure must be in the early morning, to “conquer” the peak around 12 o’clock at the latest, and then go back, in order to avoid moving on the mountain when it gets dark or a sudden change of weather , which is quite normal at that height. At the beginning, we pass the part that is overgrown with ferns and enter perhaps the only Macedonian rainforest. The beauty of this forest is unique: beech, grandiose tall trees hugging each other whisper to each other … Here the path is divided into summer and winter option due to the danger of avalanches on the top Babina Dupka in winter. At the end of the forest we use the spring to top our water supplies and this is where the real climb to Solunska Glava begins. We pass along the peak Dolna Babina Dupka (1,680 m), the upper peak Gorna Babina Dupka (2,100 m) and move along the ridge from where the top Solunska Glava can be seen. The scenes are magical – really a person runs out of words. At the very top of the peak Solunska Glava there is a government installation (police, army, secret services) and you have to move carefully along the fence. If the weather is nice they will identify you from the secret services: we think they are not yet aware of the existence of satellite communication – do not tell them :)

So, put this piece of nature on your bucket list somewhere on the top!