recommended route
Stage 5
High Scardus Trail Stage 05 Gornje Ljubinje - Kobilica Hut/Vejce
High Scardus Trail Organization
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High Scardus Trail Stage 05 Gornje Lubinje - Vejce Hut: Descent to the HutPhoto: Matthew Nelson, CC BY-ND, High Scardus Trail Organization
>>>> ATTENTION: Detailled informations on how to plan your trip, safety instructions, regulations for border crossing etc. are provided by the official website www.high-scardus-trail.com <<<<
Author’s recommendation
Track types
Show elevation profileSafety information
Attention: The stage is currently not well marked in some places, which in combination with difficult to see sections of the trail and little detailed maps can lead to serious orientation problems in some places. Currently we strongly recommend to hike the trail only with a local guide. If you still want to hike on your own, great experience with GPS devices or the use of map apps (incl. the possibility of offline map storage; Outdooractive app recommended) is necessary!
Attention: For crossing the Kosovar-North Macedonian border (green border) a border permit is necessary!
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
You continue to follow the now rougher dirt road until once left at large markings a trail branches off. The trail leads you through a beautiful forest until you reach the tree line. Shortly after, the path splits: the right unmarked path leads to the unmanaged hut, the "Citadel" (former KFOR base). However, you follow the left climb further uphill over a ridge through a beautiful heath landscape. The ridge flattens out and the trail curves to the right, leading very pleasantly up to the saddle "Qafa e Kobilicës", which is already visible from afar and is 2,175 m high.
Here you cross the border from Kosovo to North Macedonia and it's all downhill: you follow the path down the slopes towards the already visible houses of Vejce. After a short time the path splits: the left eroded path is the marked one, but the other path joins the marked one further down. After some time you pass two wells and reach an overhanging and partly walled rock. Shortly after that, do not miss the path to the left (the path leading straight ahead is already part of stage 06 from the Kobilica hut to Veshala/Bozovce). A short time later you will see the Kobilica hut below you. The path passes 50 m to the east (left) of the hut and joins the road to the hut at the same level as the hut.
[If you don't want to stay at the Kobilica hut, but in Vejce instead, don't walk the last meters to the hut, but go down the dusty road/path towards the houses of Vejce. There are several trails here, but they all end in the village of Vejce. The official end point of the stage is at the lower end of the village by a bridge, while the guesthouse is a bit above in the middle of the village.]
By road
From Prizren, take the well-maintained pass road R115 east towards the Prevalla Pass until you reach the village of Rečane. Here you turn right and follow the small mountain road to the mountain village of Gornje Lubinje (be careful not to go to Donje Lubinje at a fork, but turn left to Gornje Lubinje). You follow the small roads through the village until you reach a kind of main square with cafes, snack bars and the school. At the east end of the square the stage begins.Parking
At appropriate places in the village (no designated parking).Coordinates
Equipment
General- Backpack approx. 30-40 liters with hip belt
- Rain cover for the backpack
- Telescopic poles
Clothing
- Trekking shoes at least category B (preferably ankle-high for the pathless passages)
- Flipflops or similar for the accommodations
- 2 pairs of hiking socks
- underwear
- hiking pants softshell or similar (wind- and water-repellent - the High Scardus Trail runs through alpine regions)
- Hiking pants spare (also for accommodation)
- Shorts
- T-shirt quick drying
- T-shirt fast drying spare (quantity depending on the length of the tour)
- Top long first layer (e.g. Transtex-Sleeve) + replacement
- Top long second layer (e.g. sleeve made of fleece or merino wool) + replacement
- Softshell jacket or similar
- Clothing for accommodation
- rain jacket (hardshell jacket waterproof and breathable)
- umbrella if necessary
- Rain pants (hardshell pants waterproof and breathable)
- Sun protection for the head (sun hat or cap)
- Hat (can get cold even in summer!)
Hygiene/medication/personal items
- small travel towel
- personal hygiene items personal medicines (important medicines in addition to personal medicines are e.g. Imodium, charcoal tablets, Bepanthen and a painkiller like Ibuprofen or Parkemed)
- Blister plaster
- Pocket knife, small scissors
- Sunglasses (tight-fitting with 100% UV protection and tint category 3)
- Sunscreen (SPF at least 30, water/sweat resistant, broad spectrum protection, not older than 1 year)
- Lip protection (SPF at least 20)
- Outdoor first aid kitpossibly spare glasses
- small LED headlamp
- bivy sack (at least a very light one)
- Handkerchiefspassport + copycredit card/cash (at many accommodations you can only pay with cash)
- Border Crossing Permit
- Small dictionaries
Orientation
- Travel documents printout
- Orientation App (e.g. Outdooractive with Pro-Account, so you can save the map sections offline)
- if necessary additional GPS-device
- Cell phone (smartphone for orientation app) + charger
- Powerbank for cell phone (not all accommodations have sockets)
- if necessary power socket adapter
Food and drinks
- Drinking bottles (depending on temperature and personal drinking needs 1,5-3 liters; the sources are shown in the map)
- Food for the day (the respective shopping possibilities can be seen in the map)
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Statistics
- 18 Waypoints
- 18 Waypoints
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