The best things to see and do in the Baztán Valley (Navarra)

El Baztán Valley It is one of the most interesting enclaves of the Pyrenees and a destination to take into account when preparing a tourism trip through Navarra.

It is famous for the imposing traditional architecture of its people and, above all, for the beauty of its nature. In fact, it is sometimes described as Navarrese Switzerland.

Now the valley is easily reached, but until the creation of modern roads it was a relatively isolated area, and that is why it has developed a very peculiar culture and folklore, different from those of neighboring areas.

In fact, Baztan River is the same as him Bidasoa, and the name change occurs when he leaves the valley.

Baztán Valley, setting of the Baztán Trilogy by Dolores Redondo

This makes us think that historically and culturally this part of the river's course is somewhat different from the region we find downstream.

In recent years the valley has gained extraordinary fame for being the scene of the so-called Baztán trilogy, the exciting mystery stories created by the writer Dolores Round that develop in this area.

The valley is located in the western end of the Pyrenees, very close to the Cantabrian, and through it runs the Camino de Santiago Baztanés.

It is a universe populated by forests, meadows, waterfalls and unique trees that share space with the spirits of local mythology.

The best things to see in the Baztán Valley in Navarra

Their monumental villages are full of palaces that remember a centuries-old history.

Elizondo It is the capital of this microcosm and, at the same time, the main setting for novels of Dolores Round.

A road runs along the bottom of the valley and there are always a thousand reasons to stop or detour.

The first thing that catches your eye is nature, since we are in the greenest of the pyrenean valleys, populated by beech forests, oak groves and chestnut groves that alternate with evergreen pastures.

The morning mists often create a magical atmosphere and it is easy to imagine lamias and other characters from local folklore deep in the forests and next to waterfalls.

Until about 25 years ago, for get to the Baztán Valley the road had to overcome the Belate port.

Now we cross one of the longest tunnels on the Peninsula and, suddenly, we abandon the broad horizons of the flat lands and find ourselves surrounded by mountains.

This is how you feel like you are entering a special place where it is a pleasure to get lost.

Although the road that goes up and up to the port of Otxondo It marks the path, every two steps the temptation to detour appears, which is always justified.

In this first part of the route we follow the Marin regatta that descends towards the Baztán, and immediately the possibilities of stopping arise.

Dolmens and prehistoric mounds in the Baztán Valley

At Almandoz hamlet The checkered shield of the valley can now be seen for the first time, which we will find in different versions on the façade of the houses in the valley.

A curiosity about this part of the valley is that it is full of remains of dolmens and prehistoric mounds. Looking for them is the perfect excuse to start a walk through the forests.

A characteristic of the baztanese architecture are tower houses, many of which date back to the Middle Ages.

Tower house and palace of Arrechea in Jaureguía

En Zozaia, Oronoz-Mugaire neighborhood, Found Jaureguia, the first of many that we will see along the way.

Here is also the Arrechea palace, armory corporal. This name is given to the plots of the oldest lineages, some from the 13th century, which enjoyed many privileges and were one of the peculiarities of the kingdom of Navarre.

It is interesting to see how, in just a few kilometers, we have already discovered some of the unique aspects of Baztan.

Baztán Viewpoint in Zigaurre

It is advisable to retrace our steps a little and take into account berroeta a secondary road leading to Zigaurre.

There is the Baztán viewpoint, from where you can dominate a good part of the valley and discover its characteristic landscape with farmhouses, pastures and forests covering the slopes.

The abundance of mansions and palaces in such small nuclei.

En ziga, palaces of Egozcue and Mayoraplus the church of San Lorenzo, generate a powerful monumental atmosphere in a rural area, a sensation that does not disappear throughout the route.

Palaces and mansions in Elizondo in the Baztán Valley

Elizondo It is, in effective terms, the capital of the valley and in fact it is the only town with an urban feel in the valley.

You have to walk around the area Jaime Urrutia street and admire the large number of palaces and mansions: Arizkunenea, arozarena, Poskonea, Datue, Apezenea, etc.

There are also many charming corners, such as the Coral Square.

The readers of the Baztán trilogy de Dolores Round They will enjoy searching the numerous places related to the stories that the inspector investigates Amaia salazarand Antxitonea bridge, Botil Harri stone, as well as mansions, taverns and workshops, some real and others fictitious.

A place not to be missed is the Malkorra pastry shop, next to the church, to taste the txantxigorris.

These are cakes made with lard that had almost disappeared from the Baztanese gastronomic scene. but they have recovered their presence due to their peculiar presence in the novels, which we cannot reveal.

Arizkun in Baztán Valley

Upstream, Arizkun It also plays a leading role in the Baztán trilogy but this is nothing more than another chapter in its long history.

El Convent of the Poor Clare Sisters, with its imposing baroque façade, stands out in such a small town.

Just like the legendary palace of the Ursúa, solar of the lineage of Peter of Ursua, founder of Colombian Pamplona, ​​who died on an expedition in search of Eldorado in the Amazon basin.

This house is located at one end of the Bozate neighborhood, where the agotes – a minority discriminated against for centuries – settled for centuries.

Now the sculptural work of Xabier Santxotena adds depth and beauty to this neighborhood of Arizkun.

Amaiur in Baztán Valley

The road becomes steeper and steeper.

A love It is entered through an arch that welcomes travelers. Palaces abound here and you must visit the bridge, iglesia and mill, which has been rehabilitated and is once again producing flour.

A one and a half kilometer path leads to the remains of the castle, the last focus of Navarrese resistance to incorporation into Castile.

From here the view floats over the meadows, forests, mansions and history.

From love the road goes up to the port of Otxondo and therefore it can be considered that the journey through the valley has ended.

But since we are here, we cannot leave the route and we have to descend to Urdax along a road that runs through a beautiful beech forest.

Zugarramurdi Caves in Urdax and its legend

Very close to Urdax we find zugarramurdi and its famous caves.

In 1610 a self faith who tried around thirty women from this area who supposedly practiced acts of witchcraft in the nearby grottoes and meadows.

The main cave is an impressive tunnel 120 meters long.

On the way to the caves you pass through the Witches Museum, whose visit allows you to enter this exciting world.