This hike goes from the sheep farm “Labunishki Bacila” near the village Labunishta via the Strizak peak (2233 m) to two small lakes. It is about 9 km long with 650 m ascent.
Note that the first 2 km are very steep climbing uphill with a grade between 30-40%, and without a very clear hiking trail.
Nowadays the asphalt road from the village Labunishta leads all the way up to the sheepfarm. A few years ago the asphalt road stopped at the big open field with weekend houses. Since the road from Labunishta to the sheep farm “Labunishki Bacila” may not be on all navigation systems including Google Maps, you can find the GPS track to get to the open field here.
We parked 100 m below the sheepfarm to avoid potential shepherd dogs while we were putting on our hiking gear. When we started walking a whole herd of sheep including dogs came down the asphalt road. The dogs ignored us for a welcome change.
As mentioned above, the first two km are very demanding. It was a bit foggy when we were approaching the Strizak peak. Nevertheless, there were great views from the top. You can see Lake Ohrid in the distance.
The original plan was to include a lake on the Albanian side of the border but the steep ascent had worn us out and we decided to skip that part because it would mean additional climbing. See here for the extended version.
On the way back you pass two lakes, the Big (Golemo) and Small (Malo) Labunicko Lakes. We visited the lakes before during a previous hike. After the second lake we abandoned the 4×4 road and went a bit freestyle. It’s also possible to walk back to the 4×4 road and follow it downhill.
There are also some rocks with an interesting geological phenomenon.
This was a good hike with great views. It gets 4 points out of 5.
You can view and download the GPS track of this hike here: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/labunishta-strizak-peak-and-two-lakes-on-jablanica-mountain-189852180
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