RV Roadtrip – Macedonia (or FYROM)

Our route.

After our overnight and morning visit to Rila Monastery we decided to head into Macedonia(currently called North Macedonia or FYROM) thinking it might be nice to hang out at Lake Ohrid for a bit. We had filled up our LPG, entered the GPS coordinates in Gabby and we were on our way.

Lake Ohrid was quite a ways from Rila (Just under 400 km) and we originally thought we might make an over night stop or two on our way down. After a few hours on the road we neared waypoint #1, a camper stop at a restaurant and petting zoo. We pulled off the highway and parked to survey our surroundings. While taking in the situation a friendly goat herder tried to convince me to spot him a drink or two at a pub down the road. Politely declining we also decided to move on as there was no shade available at this stop.

Our second potential stopover was an actual campground near Skopje. The reviews of the place were ok but with a big disclaimer about how crowded and rowdy the place could get on weekends and holidays and such. The camping was just off the highway and as we neared the exit we could see what looked like a kids carnival going on. We noped out of this place quickly, never even leaving the motorway!

And with that decision the die was cast, Lake Ohrid here we come! It was a very long day in the camping car, made longer by the insufferable road work and single lane roadways we ended up on. On the plus side, we did end up seeing a lot of lovely country side as we made our way south.

Road work turned it into a very long day on the road.

After what seemed like forever we finally pulled the rig into Camping Rino 1. Camping Rino is right on the shores of Lake Ohrid, almost directly across the lake from the ancient medieval town of Ohrid. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest and deepest lake in Europe and when we visited it was over 4 feet higher than usual. This was slightly problematic for the guys at Camping Rino as their beach was non-existent and the outside patio would flood when the wind whipped up the waves on the lake.

Sunset at Camping Rino.

Upon arrival, everyone is given an espresso and a shot of raki. Never was a shot of liquor more welcome than that raki after the long drive! Rino knows what he’s doing. Another perk of Camping Rino are the complementary daily espressos delivered each morning to the camping car. We loved it.

After two days at Camping Rino 1, which has the reception and restaurant and sometimes flooding patio we moved next door to Camping Rino 2. It’s the same guys but there is a lot more room for camping cars and we could have an unobstructed view of the lake.

Awesome lake views.

What was originally going to be a week at Lake Ohrid somehow turned into three! Each day we found it impossible to leave and we would happily go back. The guys at Camping Rino are amazing. They are super friendly and accommodating and we really enjoyed our frequent chats with them.

The camping is next to a very small village called Kalishta that has a few little markets but to properly resupply we had to head into Struga, about 4 km from the campsite. It was actually a very easy walk, mostly on a paved bike trail. I even broke out the bike and rode into town a couple of times as well.

Struga has a very nice lake and river area full of restaurants and outside patios, perfect for Sebastian. He even got to grrr at a giant swan that was cruising the river.

Kalishta is also home to a lovely monastery and church that we took a stroll to one day and then broke out the paddle boards and went by as well on another day. While at Rino we met a British couple and their three kids, also keen to bust out their paddle board on Lake Ohrid. And, like us, they ended up staying way longer than they originally planned.  One of the things we had Rino organize for us was a car ride over to Ohrid. This is a pretty common thing they do, even organizing buses for larger groups. While we were there several camper car groups showed up, sometimes with 20 or more vehicles and they would stay for a few days enjoying the restaurant and bar, taking a day trip over to Ohrid and then moving on. It’s an interesting way to travel and we could certainly see the appeal of going more far a field with a group of camping cars.

The port of Ohrid.

On the day we visited Ohrid the weather was absolutely perfect and we spent the day wandering the city’s compact old town, medieval churches, monasteries and open-air ruins. We also had an excellent lunch on an outside patio overlooking one of the churches.

Our lunch spot.

One of the dominating features of Ohrid are the massive walls of the centuries-old Samoil’s Fortress, at the top of the hill, overlooking the city.

Here are some pictures of Ohrid and the fortress –

After our three weeks camped up at Rino we decided it was time to move on. We were sad to leave the guys at Camping Rino, such great hosts! We highly recommend staying there if you get the chance. 

Stay tuned as we RV roadtrip from Ohrid back to Bansko in Bulgaria and then on to Romania and routes further north.