High Scardus Trail Stage 02 Mountain Hut Ljuboten - Brezovica

The trail towards Brezovica starts on the right, past the hut and up the slope towards Ljuboten. At the first fork in the path just above the hut, follow the path uphill towards "Ljuboten Peak" and "Livachko ezero" (in Albanian Liqeni I Livadheve). Follow the marked trail in serpentines through a heath landscape towards the peak of Ljuboten until, after about an hour, you reach a fork and take the left path towards Livachko ezero (the right path leads to the peak of Ljuboten). Traces of path over a gently rising ridge lead to the left and you suddenly reach a large basin. The trail leads through the gravel fields of this basin, slightly ascending to a wide grassy saddle on the west side of Ljuboten - you are now standing directly on the Macedonian-Kosovar border.

Here you keep to the left (west) and do not choose the right (somewhat more obvious) path, but rather the left inconspicuous path, which first leads very slightly downwards through meadows and then crosses the first ridge at a constant height. You follow the path for a few minutes until markings on the right lead away from the path through meadows (easy to miss!) You follow the markings into a meadow basin and then for the first time clearly climb back up to the border ridge (note: the upper path from the saddle also leads here, but is significantly more unpleasant to walk).

Now you hike along the ridge to the left (west) with a beautiful view, you can avoid a somewhat unpleasant exposed spot directly over the ridge and reach a fork in the path. Take the right path, which skirts the summit of Kule to the north in the grassy flank, and reach the ridge again and another fork at the saddle "Qafa e Livadheve". Follow the sign towards "Liqeni i Livedheve" and "Qendra Skitare Brezovicë" and descend along a narrow path through partly steep meadows to the lake "Liqeni i Livadheve".

This magnificent mountain lake invites you to take a rest in any case, before the path to Brezovica leads you to the north shore along the right side of the lake to its western end. Now turn left uphill, following the markings on to the right at a fork in the path until you reach a small saddle. On the other side of the saddle, follow the path slightly downwards or at the same altitude westwards through the large mountain basin, climb briefly to a ridge and continue in the same direction slightly downwards along the path until you reach a ridge with a signpost, from where you can already see the ski area and the houses of Brezovica.

A very rough alpine road begins here, which you follow down to Brezovica. The end of the stage is at the junction with the asphalt road just below the highest hotel in Brezovica (Hotel Molika, closed in summer).