This walk is 7 km long with 340 m ascent and takes you to the two streams that feed the Duf waterfall. Note that you will not see the Duf waterfall itself during this walk!
We did this walk in June 2019 after we had arrived from Ohrid at our accommodation in Motel Topila in Gari, and we only had limited time to do some walking. And we had seen the Duf waterfall previously.
The start is in the village Rostusa (Rostusha, Rostushe). We parked on the small square opposite to the school in the middle of the village. If I remember correctly you are not allowed to park here on weekdays and it may also be smart not to park close to the basket because the kids like to play basketball there. There are two little grocery shops near the school as well.
The trail goes uphill on the asphalt road through the village until a yellow bridge before which you make a left turn. It seems there had been a recent landslide and we had to search a bit to find the best and safest way to continue.
You’ll get some good views of the neighboring village Velebrdo and the famous Monastery of St Jovan Bigorski.
Subsequently, you pass a viewpoint that gives you a good view of the valley and you reach the first stream after about 3 km from the start. If you cross the stream using the make-shift bridge, you’ll find a second river after 700 m walking and 70 m uphill. Then you return to Rostusa the same way.
This walk is rather uneventful, besides the occasional nice view. The streams are also not very spectacular. In addition you have to walk back along the same trail, something I usually try to avoid. It gets 2.5 out of 5 stars from us. You will not be able to see the Duf waterfall during this hike, and you better skip this walk unless you have oceans of time. You will have a lot more fun visiting the Duf waterfall itself!
For hiking in Mavrovo NP you need to register and buy a ticket. Tickets can be obtained online (https://npmavrovo.mk/tickets) or at the information center just outside of Mavrovi Anovi.
You can view and download the GPS track here: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/above-duf-waterfall-near-rostusa-39321860
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