Despite having lived in Germany for over 3 1/2 years, the Canadian in me gets excited about cross-border hikes and Mt. Matajur is an especially fine one.
Trail marker on a rocky outcrop near the summit.
It’s not the tallest in the area, and certainly not the hardest, but with largely open views over the Julian Alps and on a clear day stretching to the Adriatic Sea, your efforts will be rewarded. I hiked it in fall and LOVED the colors:
Fall is an especially beautiful time to hike Mt Matajur.
Although admittedly it also looks rather nice in summer as well.
I hiked it from the Slovenian side with Hedonistic Hiking. After a few easier hikes in Triglav National Park, a tour to the historic Franja Partisan Secret WWII Hospital and a day of hiking the Kobarid Historic Trail, our group was warmed up. We were ready for what would be the hardest day of hiking on our Slovenia and Friuli tour.
Trail markers leading you towards Italy or Slovenia.
There are various options for hiking to the summit of Matajur, but we choose one of the more difficult ways, hiking up ~800m from a village south of Kobarid, to Mt Matajur. Our efforts were rewarded along the way with a delicious picnic prepared by Dina:
Picnic lunch prepared by Hedonistic Hiking
Bellies full, we then headed south into Italy to the Rifigugo Pelizzo (mountain hut) where Hedonistic Hiking had pick-up vehicles waiting for us. Two countries, a peak and a total of 9.5 km? That’s what I call a fantastic day!
Hiker on a rocky outcrop with the Julian Alps in the background.
If our route is a little too much for you, or you weren’t able to arrange transportation, you could drive up to the Rifiugio Pelizzo and hike up from there, which is only ~300m of elevation or try this alternative by Summit Post which also describes a route ascending from the Italian side. I personally recommend going with Hedonistic Hiking though since food, wine and vehicles just seem to magically appear on the mountain!
Small chapel at top of Mt. Matajur
Next up it was time to explore the nearby Italian villages of Cividale di Gorzia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Gorizia. Fortunately the magic continued…stay tuned…
Disclaimer: Thank you to Hedonistic Hiking for taking me to Mt. Matajur. As always all opinions expressed are my own.
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