Between two lakes: the Galičica ridge in October
The ridge between Ohrid and Prespa is one of those walks where you keep stopping, not because you are tired, but because the view changed again.
We left Ohrid before sunrise and drove the switchbacks up into the national park while the lake below was still the colour of slate. By the time we parked near the pass the first light had found the far shore, and Prespa, on the other side, was a sheet of pale silver under a thin band of fog.
The path itself is not difficult. It follows the grassy spine of the ridge, rising and dipping over a series of rounded tops. There is very little shade, so in summer it is a walk for early mornings only. In October it is perfect: cool wind, dry ground, and almost nobody else on the trail.
What surprised me
I expected the lakes. I did not expect how different they would feel. Ohrid is deep, clear and blue-black; Prespa is shallower, softer, almost green in places. Standing on the ridge you can turn your head and see both, and for a while it feels like being on the edge of two separate countries rather than two valleys.
Practical notes
- Bring all your water. We did not see a single reliable spring on the ridge.
- The wind on the tops can be strong even on a calm day in town. A light shell is worth the weight.
- Markings are decent but fade on the grassy sections. A downloaded offline map saved us one wrong turn.
We walked for about five hours with long breaks and came down tired, sunburnt on one side only, and already planning to come back in May when the meadows are supposed to be full of flowers.
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