This is another of the best days on the walk. Theres a beautiful lake to swim at near the beginning and a lovely lunch spot. If you are thinking about camping along the trail and have an extra day, then the lake would make an excellent spot to take a break. We were very jealous of the few campers that we saw there.
The day starts with a gentle ascent to the lake. It’s just under seven kilometers through woodlands and makes for very pleasant walking. You will know when you get close to the lake as you will hear people shrieking as the dip into the cold water. Personally, we thought it would be much colder based on the stories we heard, but it was actually really nice. After a bit of a swim around you its also a great place for a snack as lunch is still a little while away.
Theres a little bit more ascending before then walking a few kilometers along a flat road. Make sure to pay attention to your GPS here is there is a turn off onto the main trail that is not well marked. We walked past it, and it wasn’t for quite a while that we noticed that we had gone the wrong way.
Here you will begin the descent. It starts off quite steep but eases off after zig zagging for a few kilometers. At the bottom, the woodland opens to beautiful farmland with wild grass and flowers. Theres plenty of spots along here that you can sit down and have a lunch. Otherwise, if you feel inclined there is also a guesthouse serving cold drinks and snacks.
After lunch you will continue down the road for a bit until you get to the bottom. After which you will hop back on a trail running through a bit of bush and more farmlands. Eventually you will get to a corner that opens up to your first view of Plav, a very picturesque town next to a beautiful lake. From here it’s a short walk into the town centre, marking the end of this day’s walking.
We actually opted for a nice Air BnB for this nights’ accommodation with a few well needed amenities. However, there are also a few hostels that a lot of our companions were staying at. After topping up on snacks and visiting the lake we said goodbye to our fellow companions who all started in Plav and were ending their trek there.