My Story
My name is Blazhe Popov, and I am a passionate tour guide based in Strumica, Macedonia. My love for this country's rich history, culture and natural beauty has led me to become a guide who takes great pride in sharing these wonders with visitors from around the globe. Today I run Epic Travel Story, the company behind Macedonia Tour Guide.
From an early age thanks to my father (survivor of the earthquake in Skopje '63, former JNA soldier in a special naval and field parachute sabotage unit, and mountaineer) as well as my mother and aunt with their extensive knowledge of herbs and their medicinal properties, legends, fairytales and other stories, I fell in love with the nature of my homeland Macedonia, its rich history, culture, gastronomy and people.
Thus, as a young man, after graduating from secondary economic school, I will enrich my knowledge in architecture, enrolling in the Faculty of Architecture in neighboring R. Bulgaria, Sofia, where I will live for a year and a half.
Due to various economic circumstances, I return to Macedonia, Skopje, where, not having a place at the Faculty of Architecture, I enroll at the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of St. Cyril and Methodius – Skopje, enriching my knowledge in the field of agriculture, plants, insects, soil, etc.
Near the end of my studies, without any desire to start working in the agricultural sector, despite my knowledge, by chance, through a friend who lives in the Netherlands, and who is from my hometown, Strumica, he offered me to lead a small group of tourists from the Netherlands, that they would come for a week around Macedonia with a complete program for them.
At that time, tourism in Macedonia was still in its infancy, except for the touristically developed Ohrid with Lake Ohrid. Of course I accepted the offer with great enthusiasm and disbelief, until the moment when I met my first group at the old airport in Skopje, which was like a small bus station in a small town. So, even then I realized that this is what I want to do out of love and passion, storytelling, guiding, planning, organizing trips and activities, and seeing people happy and satisfied.
After this I continued in the guiding and developing the tourism, especially the rural and active tourism in Macedonia. In the same period Macedonia starts developing tourism all around Macedonia, promoting the country abroad, making new law system for the tourism and the guiding service.
So, in 2012 I followed a program for Tour Guide license on the University for Tourism and Management in Skopje – Faculty for Tourism and then in 2016 a special training course for tour guide on the archaeoastronomical locality Kokino organized by the National Institution Museum of Kumanovo. Later in 2017 I took part in a training for Mountain Guides (category A – easy hiking trails in summer conditions) organized by the Federation of Mountain Sports in Macedonia. And in 2018, from the same Federation, I finished training for a trail designer.
During all this period I also provided guiding and other services in tourism to many local and foreign small and big tour operators and agencies, but also directly to tourists. After each guided excursion or a round trip of a few days or maybe a couple of weeks I was receiving incredible, even breathtaking and emotional positive comments about my organizing skills and presenting my land through a wonderful storytelling, which encouraged me even during the pandemic to stay in tourism. Every second guest was wondering why I don't have my own personal website as a tour guide, and to make one as soon as possible was the advice of every single guest being with me.
That website became Macedonia Tour Guide, and the demand it created is the reason Epic Travel Story exists today: a small company where people and tour operators can find us directly and where we present our programs, for one day or round trip excursions in Macedonia, but also the neighboring countries like Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
My tours are designed to be informative, engaging, and tailored to your interests. Whether you're interested in active holiday, hiking, ancient history, architecture, gastronomy or simply soaking up the scenery, I can design an itinerary that meets your needs. I offer a diverse range of cultural trips, including our exclusive "Magical Macedonia round-trip tour". Visitors' favorites include day tours in Strumica, visits to the breathtaking waterfalls and Berovo, as well as tours in Skopje. I also offer archaeological and historical tours, monastery trips, research tours, nature tours, and gastronomical tours. For the adventurous, I provide outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, hunting, skiing, fishing, and horseback riding. Don't miss out on the special eco-rural village trip, featuring authentic Macedonian organic food and the must-have, homemade rakia (brandy).
Furthermore, I can arrange a special tour for painting exhibitions in some of the country's most beautiful locations, such as Lake Ohrid, national parks, and wineries, or a combination of these tours. Customer satisfaction is my top priority, and I am always willing to be flexible to meet your needs.