Nature Activities in Sierra de la Demanda (La Rioja)

There can be two main arguments to make a getaway to EzcarayOn the one hand, getting to know this beautiful corner of The Rioja, and on the other, in winter go to ski to Valdezcaray station.

Precisely the great advantage of taking a getaway to this ski resort, in addition to enjoying its slopes and excellent panoramic views, is being able to complement the trip with other activities.

Firstly, walk through the streets of Ezcaray, One most beautiful towns in La Rioja.

Also enjoy its excellent gastronomy in its various restaurants and tapas bars, with the emblematic place of The Echaurren Portal, the only two Michelin stars from the region, or other outstanding restaurants that we have had the opportunity to visit on our recent trip, such as Masip House o Zaldierna House.

Of course, during your stay in Ezcaray You can also visit other interesting places in The Rioja How is it Haro, where you can visit some of its famous wineries: Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a notable stage of the the Camino de Santiago, with its cathedral.

Nature activities in Ezcaray

But nature also has a prominent role, beyond go skiing to Valdezcaray, because you have a wide range of activities to be carried out both in winter and in the rest of the year.

Specifically, during your getaway you can sign up for one of the nature activities or excursions offered by two local entrepreneurs from Ezcaray.

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in Valdezcaray

For example, if you go in winter during the ski season, you can sign up for a ski touring excursion providing DanTGuide, an activity that is very fashionable now, which is carried out in the Valdezcaray station.

Another option is a snowshoe walk that develops, depending on the availability of snow, in the Valdezcaray mountain or in other high altitude areas of the Saw of Demand.

Or if you prefer, you can also rent snowshoes to take the walk on your own.

Hiking and mountain biking in Sierra de la Demanda

Also at any other time of the year, you can sign up for a hiking excursion with a great diversity of guided routes through different places in the Valdezcaray Valley and the slopes of the Saw of Demand.

You also have the option to do mountain bike routes, which during the summer season can be with electric bicycles.

If you prefer, you can rent bicycles to make your own excursion.

And if you are passionate about Hiking, you also have the opportunity to sign up for trekking excursions which take place over several days and take you from Ezcaray to various areas of La Rioja.

In this regard, the 4 day trekking excursion with departure and arrival in Ezcaray that will take you to the monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla and Valvanera, with a daily walking time of 6 to 8 hours.

Nature hiking routes in Ezcaray

As we have mentioned before, on your ski getaway in Valdezcaray you can also sign up for hiking routes to discover nature of this area Saw of Demand.

Juan, driver Wild, offers a variety of interpretive hiking trails that allow you know the flora of this natural area of ​​La Rioja, as well as doing wildlife observation.

Walk through the holly forest of the Dehesa de Valgañón

In our case, since our getaway was in December, Juan took us to the Valgañón Dehesa, where we walk through a holly, a very unique place that, due to its holly trees make up a real very dense and closed forest, one of the best preserved of these characteristics in the Iberian Peninsula.

In this activity of about 3 and a half hours you take a circular route of just over 6 km, during which in December you will see large isolated bushes of holly with its flowers, but above all you enter this surprising holly forest which has become a natural refuge for the fauna of the area.

There are 10 hectares of forest with trees up to 12 m high, and the first reason for the existence of this corner of such unique nature is because it is in an optimal place for the development of holly, that is, a valley at about 1.300 meters high, with shaded areas and adequate rainfall.

A second reason is that man has favored its development by turning it into a refuge for cows during the summer.

During the walk through the holly forest you will see and learn to recognize all types of flora, where there is no shortage the beeches, Or the hawthorns with mistletoe which is parasitizing some trees.

In this winter season, you will surely also be struck by the clematis, a vine with a striking white fruit

Other nature excursions interesting things you can do with Juan are, for example, the bird watching in various places in La Rioja, or the excursion to see unique trees in one of the seven protected tree groups that exist near Ezcaray.

Also from April to June you can make a excursion to see wild orchids in their natural environment, or for see wild cherry trees, either during the flowering season in spring, or in October with its spectacular reddish autumn color.

And there is no shortage of mycological excursions to identify and collect mushrooms, or even attend the rutting deer which takes place in the high areas of the Sierra de la Demanda.

In sum, the surroundings of Ezcaray and this area of ​​the Sierra de la Demanda Rioja They offer you a wide range of possibilities to enjoy nature…beyond skiing in Valdezcaray.