What to see in the Northwest of Navarra: Etxalar, Leitza, Aralar, Sakana

One of the great attractions of travel to Navarra is that you can enjoy an incredible diversity of landscapes and cultural places in a region of limited dimensions.

The landscape contrast between northern Navarre, specifically the Pyrenees area, and the south of the region, with enclaves such as the semi-desert of the Royal Bardenas, it is incredible.

And the same thing happens from a cultural point of view.

Specifically, when you consider a trip to the Pyrenees of Navarra, you can enjoy the spectacular landscapes of the beech forest of the Irati Forest, or towns as beautiful as ochagavia.

Another alternative you have is the area of ​​the Baztán Valley which has become fashionable in recent times thanks to Baztán trilogy de Dolores Round.

The best things to see in Bidasoa Valley in Navarra

But on this occasion we are going to propose a route that begins in another Pyrenean area that is worth discovering, which borders to the north with France and to the west with the neighbor the Basque Country.

I mean the Bidasoa and Sakana Valleys, which have as a common characteristic the roots of the Basque culture which unites this area of ​​northwest Navarra with the aforementioned Basque Country.

This trip will allow you to delve into the roots of this culture and understand many of the political and social events of recent times.

Starting from the north, the central axis is Bidasoa River which is born precisely in the aforementioned Baztán Valley, and the main population of this area is Etxalar.

What to see in Etxalar and surroundings in Navarra

When you arrive at this town, which is actually just a few steps away. one hour north of Pamplona, due to the characteristics of its architecture and the great implementation of the Basque, you will have the feeling that you are in the Basque Country.

But it is not like that, the locals of this town and this entire area will remind you that you are in Navarre...and much honor.

Etxalar It is a town with great charm, with stone and wooden houses and white-painted facades, before which in some cases the firewood is stacked.

The pediment is not missing in the Plaza Mayor, and it will catch your attention that the tradition of the Posada of the town in the building of the town hall, as a service offered to visitors.

Of course, you may be surprised to see stelae in the cemetery that is located in front of the church, as well as some palm trees, a vestige of the time of the indianos.

How to visit the Palomeras of Etxalar

If you travel to Navarrese valley of Bidasoa In October, you will still have the opportunity to see a tradition that has been maintained for more than 600 years, known as Palomeras of Etxalar.

It is a traditional system of catching pigeons with nets, and Etxalar It is the only place in Spain where this type of hunting is allowed, which is prohibited in the rest of the country.

It only takes place for 50 days a year, from October 1 to November 20, coinciding with the arrival of the passenger pigeons who come from Europe fleeing the cold, although they are coming less and less, undoubtedly due to the effect of climate change.

This tradition was shown in 1955 Orson Welles in a documentary, images of which you can see in the reception located in the area where they are located the Palomeras.

When visit the Palomeras of Etxalar, after climbing to the top of the mountain that marks the border between Spain and France, verify that there are 8 towers installed (you climb).

Oriented towards the north, they form a funnel that directs the pigeons towards the enormous net that has been erected at the end of it, which is managed by four pigeonholes.

The pigeons arrive with the wind from the North, although there is increasingly more wind from the South, and when a horn is notified of their arrival, the palomeros which are located in the towers, throw objects to drive the pigeons towards the funnel that ends in the net.

A bugle call means it's time for lthe palomeros fulfill their function.

But from a moment on, two bugle calls are heard, which is the warning so that hunters who are in hunting positions facing south can shoot the pigeons that have overcome the net.

This activity is carried out by families who have been maintaining this tradition for generations, although they tell us that fewer and fewer pigeons are hunted.

This tradition has its gastronomic aspect in the town itself Etxalar, well in his restaurant HEriko Ostatua you can taste traditional dishes such as wood pigeon in sauce.

Bird observatory in Puerto de Lizarrieta in Navarra

Another way to see the pigeons is from the nearby port of Lizarrieta, a border town between Spain and France where there are two hamlets with a bar and restaurant, one on each side of the border.

On the French side of that place there is a observatory of birds where a group of volunteers are dedicated to counting how many pass by, including pigeons.

Guided tour of the smugglers of Etxalar

Another tradition that also has its tourist aspect in Etxalar is that of the smugglers that during the Franco regime they dedicated themselves to passing through the mountains of all types of products that were scarce in Spain.

This activity was carried out by a good part of the young people of Etxalar and this area of ​​Navarra, who had to hide from the civil guards, although sometimes they did the smuggling with their connivance.

You can learn about the experience in depth in the context of the Smugglers' trail of the Baztán and Bidasoa Valleys, with the guided tours organized Saints, a former smuggler, with whom on a night tour you can walk through the mountains remembering various anecdotes.

These smuggler's guided tours They take place on Saturdays from July to August, starting at 9 pm, with a duration of 3 hours and a price of 8 euros.

What to see in Leitza and surroundings in Navarra

This route that we propose will take you to leitza.

Did you know that this is the town that was movie setting Eight Basque surnames? You will understand it when you get to know this Navarrese town that also maintains a great essence of Basque culture.

In fact, after the great success of the film, there are many people who come to leitza looking for some of the corners that were protagonists, specifically, houses.

About leitza You have the possibility of making a highly recommended visit.

How to visit and what to see in Peru-Harri by Iñaki Perurena

Surely you know or have heard of Iñaki Perurena, who in the past decade of the 90s gained great fame as stone lifter, one of the traditions that are maintained in the Basque Country and Navarra.

In a hamlet of his property near leitza can visit Peru-Harri, a very original place also known as Stone Museum, but it is more than a museum.

After receiving you and talking to you a little about his history as a stone lifter, Iñaki He shows you numerous objects that refer to this native sport, among which of course some of the stones he has lifted stand out, with the record being a stone weighing 320 kg.

Then, outside, you will walk through the wooded area that surrounds their farmhouse, a true temple dedicated to stone in which Iñaki shows numerous sculptures and drawings made by him, which connect with the culture and the Basque language.

It is a very interesting visit whose true attraction is that we are guided by the Iñaki Perurena.

The Peru-Harri visiting hours They are on Saturdays and Sundays at 11,30:4 in the morning, with a price of XNUMX euros and a duration of about two hours, for which it is essential to confirm in advance (email, peruharri@hotmail.com ; tel. 659701045).

Plazaola Greenway in Leitza

It is also worth noting that for leitza runs the Plazaola greenway, an old railway that carried iron from the Plazaola mines to Andoain.

Passing through long tunnels and forests, it is now a route for hikers and cyclists of which you have information in the tourist office located in the old Lekunberri train station.

Next, the route will take you to one of the most emblematic places not only in this northwest area, but in all of Navarra.

Aralar Sanctuary in Navarra

I mean the Aralar Sanctuary, which stands on top of a mountain in Sierra de Aralar natural park a Romanesque hermitage place of pilgrimage, whose origins date back to the 8th century.

Dedicated to San Miguel Arcangel, every year his image travels to more than 300 towns in Navarra, from Holy Week to the month of August.

In the Aralar Sanctuary you can see a very important artistic jewel from the medieval period, known as the Aralar enamel frontal, from 1176, which is considered the most important medieval work of these characteristics in the world.

Here you have complete information for visit the Aralar Sanctuary in Navarra.

Monastery of Saint Mary of Zamartze in Sakana

At the foot of this sanctuary extends the sakana valley, along which the road that connects Pamplona with Vitoria runs.

Next to the town of Uharte-Arakil the old one is found Monastery of Saint Mary of Zamartze, built on Roman remains from the 1st century and those of an ancient Basque city.

Its Romanesque hermitage was restored at the beginning of the current century, and the gothic portico It is a copy of the one in the Pamplona cathedral.

Currently the old monastery, where in the Middle Ages pilgrims passed by, it is a House of spirituality where four priests and a nun reside.

You can ask them to show it to you and inside you will see a Renaissance figure of Christ and a gothic figure of the virgin, as well as a small museum with roman remains.

Camino de Santiago in Sakana

Finally, it is worth highlighting that in the sakana valley runs one of the Caminos de Santiago de Navarra following the route of the millennia Roman road that united Astorga in Burgos with Bordeaux in France, with the aim of uniting Gaul with the ancient Roman gold mines of Las Médulas.

Currently you have a signposted route for pilgrims and cyclists 42 km that runs through oak and beech forests, ideal for an excursion if you are a nature lover.

In this area you can also walk through a old road from the Middle Ages.

Map: route from the Bidasoa Valley to Sakana in Navarra

Here you have the detail of a rRoute through the northwest of Navarra, from Etxalar in the Bisasoa Valley, to the Sakana Valley, passing through Leitza and the Aralar Sanctuary.