Baba Mountain

The Baba (eng. Grandma) mountain is situated in the south-western part of the Macedonia, between the valleys of Prespa and Pelagonia. Baba Mountain is the third highest mountain in the Republic of Macedonia and It is mostly known under the name of Pelister which is it's highest peak, and a national park, which as part of the Baba mountain takes approximately 20% of the mountain.  

Pelister National Park is filled with exquisite flora and fauna. Among flora elements, the presence is especially significant of the five-needle pine molica, Pinus peuce - a unique species of tertiary age being present on only a few mountains in the Balkan Peninsula. The beauty of the landscape is enhanced by the diversified wildlife: bears,roe deer, wolves,chamois, deer, wild boars, rabbits, several species of eagles,partridges, redbilled jackdaws,and the endemic Macedonian Pelagonia trout.

The mountain is approximately long 40 km and wide 20 km and takes an area of approximately 600 square kilometres. Around 65% of its territory is situated in the Macedonia and 35% in Greece. During the diluvium period the mountain was covered with ice and snow, causing the recent remains of that period: cirrus, moraines, valleys and glacial lakes.

Peaks 

The Baba mountain has more than 20 peaks over the 2000 meters above the sea level. The most important ones are:  

• Pelister (2601 m)
• Ilinden (2542 m)
• Stiv (2463 m)  
• Veternica (2420 m)  
• Siroko stapalo(2415 m)  
• Muza (2350 m)  
• Partizanski vrv(2349 m)  
• Rzana (2334 m)  
• Bojadziev vrv (2329 m)  
• Mrazalnik (2235 m)  
• Skambi i rofes(2196 m)  
• Golema Cuka (2179 m)  
• Tumba (2176 m)  

Glacial lakes and rivers

One of the most beautiful mountain features are the two glacial lakes. The Golemo ezero (Big lake) is situated on the 2218 meters above the sea level. It is long approximately 220 meters and wide 160 meters. Its depth is approximately 15 m. There is a mountain hut situated at the lake shore. The Malo ezero (Small lake) is situated on the 2180 meters above the sea level. It is long approximately 80 meters and wide 70 meters. 

Stone rivers 

One of the most interesting features on the mountain are the “stone rivers”. They have been formed on weathering the rocks and their slow moving to the valleys as a result of the flowing water gravitation. They can be found at many places in the Baba mountain. 

Pine forests and wildlife 

The Molika pine, also called “Pelister’s beauty”, is a well-known attraction on Baba. It’s a five-needled pine that grows only on a few parts of the Balkan Peninsula. In sub-alpine region of Baba mountain, a considerable area is covered by this pine (Pinus peuce). 

Mountain borders In the north, the mountain is separated from the Bigla mountain with the Gjavato pass (1167 m). The border stretches along the Gjavato valley (800 m) and descends close to the town of Bitola. Then the border goes in the south direction, separating the mountain from the Pelagonia valley even reaching the Macedonian/Greek border line.  After the state border crossing, the mountain border goes in the western direction, reaching the Pesoder pass (1505 m), separating the Baba mountain from the Neredska mountain. The border now follows the valley of Bistrica river, going SW, reaching the Prevol pass.  
The valley of Mala Prespa is next natural end of the mountain, where the border takes the north direction, near the lake of Prespa. After the lakes, the Resen valley forms the mountain border that finally reaches the Gjavato pass again. 

Getting There  

The eastern side of range can be very easily reached from several places. The main entry point is the city of Bitola, located just near the mountain. Bitola is situated in the south-western Macedonia, near to the border with Greece.  The villages on the edge of the Pelagonia valley are also points for reaching the mountain. The most important villages are: Lavci, Bukovo, Bistrica, Graesnica etc.  From the northern side the mountain can be reached from the villages of Gjavato, Capari, Kazani, Rotino etc.  The western slopes are reachable through the villages along the shore of the Prespa lake as: Kurbinovo, Krani, Brajcino, Ljubojno etc.  The southern side that lies in the Greek territory can be accessed through the city of Lerin (Florina) and the main villages of the region. 

When to climb

Baba mountain is beautiful in every season, but usually the period from May to September is the best period for enjoying the climbing. Especially, the areaswith rock boulders are very hard to be passed during the rain or snow falls. However, the climber should always take good clothing, hiking shoes and food. 

Source:
http://www.summitpost.org
http://www.wikipedia.org/