Matka Canyonvisitor guide

Lake Matka: the dam, boats and kayaks

Lake Matka is the reservoir of the Matka hydropower plant: a ribbon of green water that fills the gorge of the Treska above a concrete arch dam of 1938, used by boats to Vrelo cave, kayakers and climbers on the cliffs above it.

Distances, fees and facts checked November 2026.

The lake in numbers

Damconcrete arch, 29 m high, crest at 317.5 m
Built1935-1938
Power plantrebuilt 2008, 9.6 MW, about 30 GWh a year
Lakeabout 5 km of the gorge, to the Sveta Petka dam
Landing to Vrelo cave3.1 km along the lake
Exhibition centreApril-October, daily except Monday, 10:00-15:00

Dam and power figures are the power company’s; the lake length and the boat distance are measured on the map along the middle of the lake.

Map of Lake Matka: the Matka dam of 1938, the exhibition centre and the landing for boats and kayaks by St Andrew, Vrelo cave, and the Sveta Petka dam at the upper end of the lake
Lake Matka from the Matka dam, the exhibition centre and the landing up to Vrelo cave and the Sveta Petka dam.

The dam and the power plant

The hydropower plant sits where the Treska leaves the gorge, near the village of Matka. Work on the dam began in 1935 and the plant started in 1938 with 4.8 MW. The dam is a concrete arch 29 m high, built of ten independent rings, with its crest at 317.5 m above sea level; excess water spills over its side. The water intake lies 130 m from the dam, and a tunnel takes the water to the machine room. In 2008 the intake tunnel was reconstructed and a completely new power plant built, with two Kaplan turbines and 9.6 MW installed; it produces about 30 GWh in an average year. The plant belongs to the power company EVN Macedonia Elektrani.

The lake is the oldest artificial lake in the country. Its water drives the turbines and irrigates the villages around it.

The exhibition centre

When the new plant opened, the old machine room was turned into an educational and exhibition centre on electricity, opened in 2016. It stands below the dam, 0.6 km on foot from the bus 60 terminus. Its own site gives the opening hours as April to October, every day except Monday, from 10:00 to 15:00. See matka.com.mk.

Boats

Boats for Vrelo cave leave from the landing below the church of St Andrew, beside the hotel and restaurant at the dam, and cross 3.1 km of the lake to the cave. Those who run the boats set the times and the price, and no public body publishes either; ask at the landing and agree whether the cave visit and the return are included. See Vrelo cave by boat.

Kayaks

Kayaks are hired at the same landing. On the flat water of the lake, the obvious trip is upstream between the cliffs towards Vrelo and back. The rental sets the price, the time allowed and the safety kit; wear the buoyancy vest you are given, stay clear of the boats’ route near the landings, and keep away from the dam and its intake. Below the dam, the Treska runs on past the Matka monastery, where kayakers also train on the river.

Illustration: two people in a red double kayak paddling on still green water between high grey limestone cliffs, wearing buoyancy vests
Illustration. Kayaking upstream on Lake Matka.

Swimming

No public body publishes a bathing area or bathing rules for Lake Matka. The lake is narrow, boats and kayaks use it, and its banks are mostly steep rock with few places to climb out. Do not swim from the shore or the landing.

Climbing

The cliffs on both sides of the lake are a sport-climbing area, with bolted routes on the walls across the water from St Andrew. Climbing here is for experienced climbers with their own equipment.

Before you go

  • Getting there: bus 60 to its last stop, then 1.1 km on foot; see Skopje to Matka Canyon.
  • Walking the shore: the lakeside trail upstream from St Andrew has been closed since 26 February 2026 for falling rock, until further notice; the lake is seen from a boat or a kayak instead.
  • The churches: St Andrew stands by the landing; see St Andrew and the monasteries.

Questions visitors ask

How big is Lake Matka?
It fills about 5 km of the Treska gorge between the Matka dam and the Sveta Petka dam upstream, measured on the map, and is a narrow lake between cliffs. The Matka dam is a concrete arch 29 m high with its crest at 317.5 m above sea level.
When was the Matka dam built?
Work began in 1935 and the hydropower plant started in 1938. The lake behind it is the oldest artificial lake in North Macedonia. A completely new power plant was built in 2008, and the old machine room became an exhibition centre in 2016.
Can you rent a kayak on Lake Matka?
Yes. Kayaks are hired at the landing below the church of St Andrew, by the dam. The people who rent them set the price and hours, and no public body publishes them; agree the time and the price before you take one out, and wear the buoyancy vest.
Can you swim in Lake Matka?
No public body publishes a bathing area or bathing rules for the lake. Boats and kayaks use the narrow water, and the banks are mostly steep rock with few places to climb out, so swimming from the shore is not a good idea.
Is there a boat tour on Lake Matka?
Yes, boats leave from the landing below St Andrew for Vrelo cave, 3.1 km along the lake. The price and times are set on site. See Vrelo cave by boat.

More on Matka Canyon

Skopje to Matka Canyon Bus 60 and its fare, taxis, the road, parking and the walk to St Andrew. Vrelo cave by boat The boat from St Andrew, the dry cave and the record dives in the flooded shaft. The lakeside trail: closed Closed since February 2026 for falling rock: what happened, what to do instead, and the 3.3 km path for when it reopens. St Andrew and the monasteries St Andrew by the dam, the Matka monastery, St Nicholas Shishevski and the churches above the lake. Weather and best time Temperatures, rain and frost month by month, and when to paddle, take the boat and see the churches. Matka Canyon: the full guide The lake and the dam, the cave, the trail, the churches, the bus from Skopje and the season on one page.