Smolare Falls

The Smolare falls drop around forty metres over a rock face on the northern slopes of Belasica near Strumica, which makes them the highest in the country. A stepped path of several hundred steps climbs from the village through chestnut and beech woodland to a viewing platform at the base, taking around half an hour. Flow is strongest in spring after snowmelt and thins considerably by late summer. Belasica rises to over two thousand metres along the border here, and both the Smolare and Kolesino streams come off its northern side through the chestnut woods that cover the slope.

Background

Smolare Falls, Smolarski Vodopad in Macedonian, lie above Smolare village in Novo Selo municipality, in the southeast of North Macedonia. The fall belongs to the Lomnica River and lies within the Belasica massif at 630 metres above sea level, where the water pours over a smooth black rock face ringed by beech trees around a century old. A nature trail with 300 stone steps leads up to it, and it draws visitors in every season.

Source: Wikipedia, "Smolare Falls"

The landscape

• The fall - a drop of around forty metres, the highest in the country.
• The stepped path - several hundred steps climbing through the woodland.
• The chestnut forest - the woodland the path passes through.
• The viewing platform - the built vantage at the base of the fall.

When to go

April to June after snowmelt gives the strongest flow. Late summer reduces it considerably. Autumn colour in the chestnut woods is good.

Before you go

Flow drops a great deal by late summer. The climb is several hundred steps and is steep. Facilities amount to a car park and a snack bar.

Nearby

Kolesino Falls are west, and Strumica is north-west.

Key facts