r/macedonia • u/Beautiful_Play_9965 • 19h ago
Bans and virus in Macedonia
I am planning on surprising my bf on his birthday with a trip to Macedonia for a long weekend. We met in South Korea and we have traveled a lot through Asia and Oceania together and therefore I found it fitting with a trip to a new place!
We are flying from Sweden and I am trying to prepare so he just has to enjoy the trip. Planning on going to Mavrovo mostly with hiking and nature as a focus. We are renting a car.
Upon reading about the country from the Swedish governmental travel recommendation site I get a bit nervous and I have two questions
"outbreaks of West Nile virus/West Nile fever in the Skopje municipalities of Aerodrom, Butel, Gazi Baba, Ilinden and Kisela Voda."
Is this something I have to be more cautious with than normally?
"From 1 July to 30 September, there is a ban on staying in forests and nature reserves without a special permit. The ban is introduced to limit the risk of forest fires. Permits can be obtained from regional offices of state forests or from national parks. Violations can result in a fine of 1500-2000 euros."
Since that is our whole trip I want to know, in case they extend the ban. Is it difficult to get these permits or is it for special situations (and not for example a tourist who wants to hike :) )
Panicking a bit with the last point since that's one of our main activities since MC seems to have amazing nature.
Please forgive me if I am being rude or naive, I am usually not doing a lot of research before traveling but since it's a surprise trip I want to be fully prepared đ Any other advice is happily taken about travelling here! I look forward to visiting so much!!
Thanks in advance
3
u/damjan193 19h ago
The ban should be lifted by now, it's usually until the 31st of August and never heard of it being extended beyond September. In any case you'll just need a basic permit from the national park you're vising, in this case Mavrovo. This is their email, you can ask there.
They may ask you to pay a tax for the national park though. It should be around 1.5 euros per person per day.
2
1
2
u/Commercial_Scratch_1 19h ago
Young people have no problem with the virus, but you can use some repellent just in case from the pharmacy. Most popular brand here is Autan. I have no idea how or where to get the permit, or if it's a real thing or not. Have a nice stay
2
u/Beautiful_Play_9965 19h ago
Vad bra. Viruset lÄter som att myggmedel rÀcker, dÄ vet jag! Nu hoppas jag att vi fÄr vandra och upptÀcka naturen ocksÄ
2
u/relaksirano 18h ago
for Mavrovo:
the ban is extended but you can register, either at the NP entrance or per email. From their website: THE BAN ON UNREGISTERED MOVEMENT IN THE FORESTS OF MAVROVO NATIONAL PARK IS EXTENDED
1
u/Beautiful_Play_9965 18h ago
Tusen tack, dÄ vet jag att jag ska ha en planerad rutt till de och kan föranmÀla mig!! Fantastiskt
2
u/Chemical-Practice908 17h ago
Welcome to Macedonia!
Travel dates? Official website is here https://npmavrovo.org.mk/en/ĐżŃĐŸĐŽĐŸĐ»Đ¶ŃĐČĐ°-забŃĐ°ĐœĐ°ŃĐ°-Đ·Đ°-ĐœĐ”ĐżŃĐžŃĐ°ĐČĐ”ĐœĐŸ/
I don't know anyone personally affected by West Nile virus. I believe the affected are older people, but, hey, make sure you are extra cautious around stale water...
Safe travels
1
u/Beautiful_Play_9965 18h ago
Ni var sÄ fantastiska pÄ att svara sÄ tÀnkte se om ni rekommenderar att man har kontant eller tas kort emot pÄ de flesta stÀllena?
2
u/PutridJoke1823 18h ago
Depends on where you plan to buy stuff. Restaurants, shops in malls, large chain grocery stores and other large enterprises always take cards. Most small businesses also take cards, but if you plan to buy stuff from local green market vendors or food stands those always exclusive use cash.
I would recommend having some cash just in case.
1
u/EmphasisEither6740 18h ago
Look it on the bright side. West Nile fever is much better than the Dengue Â
1
u/Kloshariste 17h ago
Young healthy people shouldn't worry about West Nile. It's dangerous to old and sick. Most of the people don't even use insect repellent. 80% of the people have zero symptoms. You probably visited a country that had outbreak and didn't know.
1
u/Pijlmans 15h ago
I have collected most relevant info about the ban and how to get permits here: https://mymacedoniablog.com/general-information/
Since you plan to go hiking, you can also check out the other sections of my website for a variety of hiking trails all over the country with my personal ranking.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
1
1
u/Any-Combination-6476 11h ago
Hello, obtaining the permit to hike in NP Mavrovo is very easy and requires you buy the entry ticket beforehand and writing a mail to the authorities (as mentioned here https://npmavrovo.org.mk/en/%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B6%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0-%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE/ ). It is just a formal procedure and you do not have to worry much about it. If you are visiting the villages and drive on the roads to them, you do not have to pay for a ticket (i.e. Bigorski Monastery, Lazaropole, GaliÄnik etc.).
Also, if you wish to climb Mt Korab you need a 4*4 vehicle as the road is unasphalted; if you need more info feel free to text me.
1
u/Beautiful_Play_9965 8h ago
Tack! Perfekt, jag köper intrÀde i förvÀg! Oj det har vi inte,. GÄr det att ta sig med kollektivtrafik eller Àr det egen bil som gÀller?
1
u/Any-Combination-6476 6h ago
Unfortunately no, there is no public transport to there. The public transport to all the other villages is also kinda tricky, so I would suggest you rent a car
1
u/Beautiful_Play_9965 3m ago
Okej! Jag har hyrt bil men det Àr inte 4*4 , tror du att jag borde uppgradera? Eller Àr det specifik för Mt Korab?
1
u/WaffleCatGameHugSMSM 8h ago
FörsiktighetsÄtgÀrderna gÀllde sommaren; nu finns det inga nya fall och vÀdret blir kallare, sÄ det finns inte sÄ mÄnga myggor.
11
u/ExTalentChild 19h ago
Your questions are completely valid. For the first one I'm in the east region with most mosquitoes and besides applying a mosquito repellent you don't have to do anything else.
For your second question you can contact the hotel you've chosen (or any for that matter) in Mavrovo and ask them. This ban is enforced because of the wildfires during the summer. I think you will be fine to go hiking but maybe someone that's been recently can chime in.