Brest - Muzari (via Žbevnica)

Access to starting point:
a) We leave the Primorska highway at the Kastelec exit and follow the signs for Podgorje. Over the Podgorje border crossing, we enter Croatia. We drive through Jelovice to Vodice, where we turn right. Then we drive through Dane to the next crossroads, where we turn right in the direction of Brest. The road makes a hairpin turn, and we drive along the slope of Žbevnica. When we arrive in Brest, we park on the right side of the road by the bowling alley.
b) We leave the Primorska highway at the Črni Kal exit and continue on the old road toward the coast, but we drive only to the next slightly larger crossroads, where we turn left in the direction of the Sočerga border crossing. On the mentioned road, we drive past the settlement Kubed to the village Gračišče, where at the crossroad we turn left in the direction of Rakitovec, Movraž and Smokvica. We drive through Smokvica and Movraž to the next crossroad, where we turn right towards the border crossing Rakitovec. We can also reach this point via Zazid. When we arrive in Croatia, we come to a wider road coming from Buzet, and we continue left in the direction of Brest. The winding road leads us into the village, where we park on the left side of the road by the bowling alley at the end.

Path description:
At the starting point, signs direct us to a wide and initially gentle path in the forest. The path leads us past a water catchment and soon after a concrete structure, then becomes steep. We cross to the right and after a few minutes reach a technically undemanding, short, steep rocky section. The path is nicely routed through, but we must be careful not to slip. After the rocky section, we arrive at the Žbevnica mountain hut. From the mountain hut, we continue to a cart track, where signs direct us straight into the forest. To the left, along the cart track, a gentle path leads to Žbevnica. A gentle path leads us through a dense pine forest and past a concrete structure with blue doors. The path turns to the right, and the forest gradually thins out. A steep zig-zag path with increasingly beautiful views of Istria brings us to a scenic, grassy, wide upper ridge. Only 5 minutes of walking on grassy terrain separate us from the top of Žbevnica. From the top, a beautiful view opens up in all directions.
From the top, we continue toward the north. A wide path steeply descends to a small saddle, where a gentle path joins from the left, but we continue straight along the ridge over an unnamed peak, after which the path descends again. The marked path strictly follows the ridge, where it is barely traceable, while the cart track veers slightly off the ridge and is easy to follow. The path begins to ascend, and we soon reach Muzari, where a beautiful view opens up in all directions.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in November 2024.

On the way: Planinarska kuća Žbevnica (851m), Žbevnica (1014m)