Labetxu, the colorful cliffs of Jaizkibel.

Labetxu, the valley of a thousand shapes and colors located on the slopes of Jaizkibel, on the cliffs between Pasaia and Hondarribia.

Labetxu, an incredible natural landscape formed by thousands of shapes and colors, offers one of the most attractive places on the Basque coast. This striking coastal stretch, also known as the valley of colors, is located between Pasaia and Hondarribia, on the coast, on the slopes of Mount Jaizkibel. A natural paradise, in which the sandstone rocks offer us a palette of colors of great intensity. Also a great variety of shapes. In fact, it is one of the most visited places in Euskadi by photography lovers. A space of great geological richness. A unique place in Euskadi. Thanks to erosion and other natural phenomena that have occurred over millions of years, the cliffs of Jaizkibel offer rocks of all shapes, sizes and colors. Remember that this area is not equipped to receive visitors. The route is not signposted and access is not easy. If you want to know this area in the company of an expert, remember that we organize guided tours to Labetxu for all kinds of groups. Do you dare to know the colorful valley of Labetxu with us?

Due to the difficult access to this enclave, Labetxu is one of the most unknown places in Euskadi. Even for the Basques themselves. For this reason, we encourage you to read each section of this article to learn how to get there, what to see and any other aspect related to the colorful valley of Mount Jaizkibel.

What is Labetxu?

Labetxu is not a specific point of our geography, but a valley. Different spaces, located next to the Gaztarrotz stream, at sea level, offer us a unique place in Euskadi. In any case, the Labetxu valley is not the only attraction found in the cliffs of Mount Jaizkibel. Practically all the cliffs that separate Pasaia and Hondarribia share the same characteristics. Above all, the geological characteristics. If we walk around this valley, we find sandstone rocks of different shapes and colors that have been shaped by nature over millions of years. Quite a spectacle, which is very similar to what we find in Labetxu itself.

Where to park.

Labetxu is located halfway between Pasaia and Hondarribia. In the middle of the Basque coast. A place of great natural beauty, which is very difficult to access by public transport or walking. For this reason, we recommend you to use private transport to get to one of the parking lots that we find next to the GI3440 road. Although there are several alternatives, we recommend parking next to the tower of Jaizkibel, near the burial mound of Santa Barbara and next to the GI3440 road. We leave you the link to Google Maps of Labetxu parking so you can get there easily. If you want to make the circular route to the valley of Labetxu, you can park in the parking lot that you will find 1 kilometer ahead (towards Hondarribia), at the beginning of Burkaitz bidea (the parking lot in the picture).

How to get to Labetxu, route to Labetxu.

There are dozens of routes to reach Labetxu. However, none of them are properly signposted. This makes this route an adventure. And as we have already mentioned, the area is not conditioned for visits. After parking, we must go back about 60 meters (if we come from Pasaia Hondarribia direction) to take the track that will take us to the sea. After 1 kilometer and 200 meters approximately, we will turn off to the right, we descend. After passing a small wooden bridge, we follow the road. In 400 meters we turn off again, this time to the left. This is a road, which in the rainy season, it is common to see it with water. For this reason, it has a thin layer of verdigris, so be careful. It is best to help yourself with trekking poles. After descending 500 meters, we reach a forest track that will take us to the vicinity of the Gaztarrotz stream. Also known as the Gaztarrotz Valley or Labetxu Valley. From this point, we must follow the course of the stream until we reach the sea. We leave the route on Google Maps (remember that it is indicative)

Along the way we will begin to contemplate some of the wonders of this place. When we reach sea level, we will enjoy one of the most emblematic landscapes of Labetxu. We can also follow the route along the cliffs until we reach the beach of Eretzin to make a circular route. And there are other places of interest such as the beach of Paramoudras that are worth visiting. However, it requires more time and effort. In any case, the final stretch of the route is the hardest, and is that we must return to the starting point. We must climb the more than 500 meters of unevenness.

Labetxu from the sea.

There are boat routes that allow us to contemplate this enclave from the sea, from the bow of our boat. Sea tours, departing from the port of Donostia San Sebastian to know the charms of the coast of Gipuzkoa for 2 and 3 hours. If you are interested in these options, we recommend reading our article on boat tours in Donostia San Sebastian. A different perspective, which perfectly complements the vision we get visiting this enclave from land.

Guided tours to Labetxu.

Groups wishing to visit the valley of the colors of Mount Jaizkibel, can do so in the company of an expert guide. TurismoVasco organizes guided tours in Labetxu throughout the year. A unique experience that allows us to know one of the most unknown places of our geography. If you want to visit this place with a member of the Official Association of Geologists of the Basque Country, we encourage you to contact us. We will help you to organize a beautiful excursion on the Basque coast. Remember that to this guided tour you can add all the services you need (transport, accommodation, food…).

Video of Labetxu.

As usual in all our publications, we have created a video about Labetxu. An audiovisual, with which we intend to show you in a more real way what awaits you in your next destination. If you like this kind of videos, we recommend you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the places and experiences that we recommend in Euskal Herria, we are waiting for you!

Experiences in the Basque Country.

If you would like to discover Euskadi through original and fun experiences, we encourage you to take a look at our reservation center. A section in which we mention some of the best activities in our geography. We leave you some examples so that you can consider the possibility of reserving a place as soon as possible.

Talai bidea.

Talai Bidea (GR 121), the great route that separates the towns of Hondarribia and Mutriku, is another of the great routes that runs along the slopes of Mount Jaizkibel. In fact, during the route to Labetxu we find several signs of the first stage of this route. This first section of Talai Bidea, runs through the space that separates the towns of Pasaia and Hondarribia. A linear route of 21.9 km and 743 m of accumulated slope, which we only recommend to people who are used to do sport regularly.

What to see nearby.

If you are planning a getaway of several days in the vicinity of Labetxu, we recommend you to read the following articles. We hope they will be of help to you. In case you have any questions, we encourage you to use the comment system at the end of this article to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible.

Frequently asked questions about Labetxu.

If you are planning to visit the colorful valley of Mount Jaizkibel, we recommend that you take into account each of our suggestions. We are sure that they will help you to enjoy this Basque enclave in the best possible conditions.

Circular route Eretzin Labetxu beach.

As we have already mentioned, there are dozens of routes to get to know the geological formations that accumulate on the cliffs of the slopes of Mount Jaizkibel. In addition to the aforementioned linear route, there is another highly demanded option: the circular route that takes us to know the beach of Eretzin and Labetxu. A route of about 5 hours of duration and 15 kilometers, in which we find areas of difficult access and paths with certain dangers. We must remember, that during this route we have several points in which helping us of a fixed rope we have to climb. On the other hand, although the route is signposted in most of the route with parallel white marks, it is not always clear the way to follow.

As you have been able to see in the photos and video of Labetxu, it is a spectacular space. A colorful valley located at sea level, which offers us a whole open-air museum. Remember, in case you have any questions about this space, you can use the comment system that you will find below these lines. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!