Lavci to Neolica Peak in Pelister National Park

See https://mymacedoniablog.wordpress.com/ for more info about sightseeing and hiking in Macedonia

This hike of 14 km with 1150 m ascent starts in the village Lavci, just 3 km south of Bitola. It takes you to the Neolica Peak (1885 m) and on the way back to Lavci you will pass the Neolica Mountain Hut. With over 1000 m climbing, this was a bit of a demanding hike.

At the start of the hike there is a Second World War Memorial with a fountain. Close to the start there is also the Church of St Nikola, which we visited after the hike.

After about 1.5 km there is a memorial for somebody and a sign saying “You left us suddenly Stefce, we’ll remember you”.

Soon after that the trail splits, right is to the Neolica Peak and left is towards the Mountain Hut with the same name. 1 km further you’ll cross a forest road and go straight on. Here we had to walk around a field with ferns because it was too dense to pass through.

The trail goes steadily uphill through forest until you reach a large metal radio reflector /repeater. You’re out of the forest and after a bit more of climbing you can follow the ridge towards the Neolica Peak. The grass was high in July 2023 and made the climbing a bit tough now and then.

From the Neolica peak it’s easy going downhill until you reach the Mountain Hut Neolica (1440 m). Some people were sitting outside and we were invited for coffee and we shared some of our Dutch stroopwafels (cookies). You can stay in the hut, but it is very basic.

Some 600 m after the hut there is a small sign pointing to a memorial of the Second World War. The memorial says “On this place on May 3rd 1942 in an uneven fight against the Bulgarian fascist army and police, the legendary fighters of the first Bitola partisan group Pelister lost their lives”.

When we arrived back in Lavci we visited the Church of St Nikola, which was closed. The church was built in 1939 and was consecrated only in 1961.

It was a good hike with some decent but not super special views. There are some nice views of Bitola, but on the other hand the vicinity of the large city takes away some of the natural beauty. It gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.