Berganzo water route, a walk through paradise.

Discover the Berganzo water route, one of the most beautiful routes in the Basque Country.

The Berganzo water route, “Berganzoko uraren bidea” in Basque, is a circular route that begins and ends in the town of Berganzo. A route that, guided by the course of the Inglares river, makes everyone who walks it fall in love with it. Located in the municipality of Zambrana, Berganzo, is together with Ocio and Portilla, one of the 3 villages that make up this beautiful natural paradise, an environment, which, located practically in the Sierra de Cantabria offers us such incredible family plans as the route of the castles or the route that concerns us today, the water route. The Herrerías waterfall, the most striking and recognizable space of this route, is, along with the Salto del Nervión, one of the most impressive waterfalls that we find in Euskadi, a beautiful waterfall, which, protected by hundreds of trees, offers us a perspective of film. It is no coincidence that the Nervión waterfall and the Herrerías waterfall are located in the historical territory of Alava, and the fact is that the lands of Alava have an incredible natural heritage. The name of this route, makes clear the prominence that water takes during the whole route, first through the Inglares riverbed and shortly after through the old channel of the hydroelectric plant of Berganzo. The water marks the way, we just have to follow it.

Whispering in our ears and shining in the sun, the water of the river Inglares accompanies us for much of the route, for almost the entire “way”. A nice walk, which runs through forests to reach the Herrerías waterfall, where, after climbing its slope on the left side, we find ourselves in front of the old channel of the hydroelectric Berganzo. This channel leads us to our destination through the upper part of the valley, delighting us with incredible views and without any difficulty.

The Berganzo water route, also known as the Inglares water route, is, in our humble opinion, one of the most beautiful routes in the Basque Country. A small walk through paradise, which combines everything that many other routes of our geography offer us: beautiful views, forests of ancient trees, crystal clear waterfalls, rural villages with a lot of history and an undemanding route, in short, spaces with a lot of charm. Who gives more?

Reserve a ticket for the Berganzo water route.

From now on, it will be necessary to make a reservation in order to park in Berganzo. And therefore, all those people who plan to make the Berganzo water route will be obliged to book and pay to enjoy the tour. To do this, it is necessary to register on the PVerde platform and then make the reservation. A somewhat cumbersome and slow process. And instead of doing it in a single step (as we are used to most platforms), we must do it in 3 steps: register, find the parking we are interested in and book our place. A much more complex system than the one used in other areas such as San Juan de Gaztelugatxe or Urederra. It is very important that you check that you have correctly indicated the license plate of the vehicle in which you are going to go, since the barrier automatically reads the license plate and only lets in those vehicles previously registered. The parking lot has 50 parking spaces and is open from 8:00 to 21:00. Remember that it is forbidden to stay overnight and that prices vary depending on the type of vehicle and the day of the week. Thus, we will have to pay between 0,5€ and 40€ to park in Berganzo. Here are the detailed prices.

Route of the Berganzo water route.

In this section we are going to detail the route in detail, we hope not to leave anything out. Anyway, as you know, you can ask us any questions by leaving a comment in this article, we will answer as soon as possible. As we have already mentioned, this route has two sections, the first one, next to the Inglares river, and the return, next to the hydroelectric channel of Berganzo, thus completing the circular route Berganzo – Cascada de las Herrerías – Berganzo. After leaving the car in the town center, we start the route following the indications of “the water route”. The signage, accurate and complete, uses signs and markings (typical in the signaling of trails), to take us to our destination, no loss. In this case, the marks to follow are composed of two parallel horizontal stripes of white and blue, remember that if these two stripes appear in the form of a cross means that this is not the way to follow. In case you have any doubts during the route, always follow the white and blue signs, as they are the most abundant and accurate. The first stretch of the route runs through trees, with little contact with the river Inglares, but the murmur of water tells us that we are close to the riverbed. This part of the path is not the most beautiful, but don’t get impatient. After leaving the village behind, the road begins to have some slope until you reach a crossroads, at this point we must take the left option, down to meet the river Inglares. From this point, the river becomes our faithful companion, we recommend enjoying each of the nooks and crannies that we find on our way, do not hesitate to explore them, it is well worth it. The water, faithful companion of this route, is undoubtedly one of its greatest assets, one of its greatest attractions. The unevenness of 200m with which this riverbed counts, makes that we find waterfalls and rapids of crystalline water to our step, small spaces worthy of photographing and enjoying. After crossing practically all the “one way”, we arrive to a road, we must cross it, be careful. After it, about 5 minutes, we find one of the great protagonists of the water route, the Herrerías waterfall. We recommend going down to the river to have a nice view of the waterfall. Although the trees prevent us from seeing its highest area, its origin, the view is impressive. Once we finish enjoying the spectacle that the Herrerías waterfall offers us, we must go up the waterfall on the left side to reach one of those “hard moments” that we mentioned above. For those of you who are used to walking in the mountains, don’t worry, it is a steep but short climb, it is not very difficult. Once at the top, we find ourselves facing the old water channel of the hydroelectric plant, the way back to Berganzo begins. This route differs greatly from the one on the way out. While the previous one ran through forests, in the lower part of the valley, along the river Inglares, the one we are now makes us go through the upper part of the valley, next to the water channel of the hydroelectric plant and with incredible views of everything around us. From here we have 2 indicators to know the way to follow, the marks and the channel, there is no loss. The road, more bearable and with a little more breeze than the previous one, leads us gradually to our point of origin, Berganzo. Along the way, we find curious places like the one created by the tunnels carved into the rock for the passage of the channel, different spaces that bring more beauty if possible to the route. Caution, however, the path narrows leaving the water channel to our right and to our left a ravine. The point from which the channel channel is regulated, a small iron turntable, marks the end of the route, from this place the road begins to descend to the town center, thus ending this nice and pleasant family plan. Be careful going down, the slope is steep. Conclusion: The water route is a good, nice and cheap plan, which fulfills everything you need to spend a great day with family or friends.

Video.

As we have done in recent articles, we have uploaded a video (unedited) of the Berganzo water route to our YouTube channel, we hope you like them and help you to see in a more real way the beauty that awaits you in this small corner of Euskadi. If you like this kind of videos, we encourage 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!

Berganzo water route with children.

The Berganzo water route is one of the most popular family tours in the Basque Country. But also one of those that raises more doubts among families. And it is that the second section of this route, the route between the waterfall of the Herrerías to the parking lot, tends to be somewhat heavy for children. For this reason, we often recommend a linear route. If you think that this may be your case, if you think that this route may be too long for your children, we encourage you to do the route that separates the town of Berganzo from the waterfall and return the same way.

Experiences in the Basque Country.

If you want to enjoy Euskadi through the different experiences that exist in each of its different historical territories, we recommend you to take a look at our reservation center. We are sure that you will find really attractive plans that suit your tastes and needs. Here are some of the most demanded experiences to give you an idea of the different possibilities.

History.

The Berganzo water route would not have the charm and success it has without two of its most striking protagonists: the Inglares river and the Berganzo hydroelectric power station. The river Inglares, originating in the Sierra de Cantabria, geographical limit between the plains of Alava and the Rioja Alavesa, flows into the river Ebro after leaving behind its more than 42 kilometers of course and 200 meters of unevenness. For its part, the riverbed of the Berganzo hydroelectric power station was built in 1897 by the Sociedad Electro Hidráulica Alavesa with the sole purpose of supplying the energy complex next to the village. At present, this riverbed is still vital for the operation of this plant.

Difficulty.

As you know, the difficulty of any route is rather subjective. But in this case, most of the people who have enjoyed this experience agree that the water route is a familiar route, without great difficulties. And the fact is that, if we think about the sections with some difficulty that we find in the course of this route, in the points where older people or children may have problems, we only find 2: The ascent of the Herrerías waterfall and the descent to Berganzo, the rest has no difficulty whatsoever.

Duration.

Like the difficulty, the duration is also subjective. Although we can attest that the route can be done in 2 hours perfectly, our final time was 3 hours. Of course, we stopped repeatedly to take videos / photos and enjoy each of the spaces that we found as we passed. Many of the groups that do this same route with children take advantage of the stops along the way to eat, thus extending the experience to almost 4 hours. As you can see, everything depends on the plan of each person and their physical condition.

Parking.

About 200 meters before the town of Berganzo, as we arrived on the left hand side, we will find a parking lot specifically enabled for all those who come to make the water route Berganzo. As we have indicated previously, the parking lot in the photo has been rehabilitated and it is necessary to make a reservation.

Alternatives.

If the official parking lot of the Berganzo water route is full, we recommend that you opt for other alternatives in the area. We have already talked about some of them in previous publications, we are sure you will like them.

Recommendations.

When to visit the Berganzo water route?

The water route does not understand the seasons of the year, each and every one of them has its particular charm. Even so, the shade of the beech and other ancient trees that accompany us on the road, makes it a perfect walk for spring / summer, when the sun begins to wake up and allows us to bathe in one of the many “pools” that we find on our way. If you want to photograph any of the sections of this route, autumn may be the perfect time, because the light and the carpet of leaves typical of this time is unrivaled.

Berganzo.

This village belongs to the municipality of Zambrana, where nature and history take center stage. Located practically in the Sierra de Cantabria, on the border between the Rioja Alavesa and the plain, these lands are a perfect place from knowing the charms of the south of Araba. Among its most outstanding attractions we find the route of the castles, a route that we will talk about in the coming days.

Where to sleep near the Berganzo water route.

Less than 10 minutes from the water route of Berganzo, in Rioja Alavesa, there are plenty of cottages to relax and enjoy this authentic area of Euskadi. We recommend you to take a look at our article about rural houses in Rioja Alavesa. We are sure that you will find an accommodation that fits perfectly to your needs.

Where to eat.

About 15 minutes by car, leaving behind the Sierra de Cantabria, we find the Rioja Alavesa, a territory with a great gastronomic heritage that offers nice places to eat near the Berganzo water route. An example of this is the Alai restaurant in Labastida, an establishment where they take care of every detail and quality of all the dishes they present to us.

What to see near Berganzo.

Araba, gives us a thousand and one places from which to enjoy their incredible lands, either in its capital, Vitoria – Gasteiz, as in the rest of the territory. Given the location of the Berganzo water route, we recommend you to enjoy the charms of Añana and Rioja Alavesa, here are some examples:

We strongly recommend you to enjoy the route of Agua de Berganzo, one of the most charming routes of all Araba and Euskadi. We are waiting for your recommendations, doubts and suggestions, everything is welcome, we will try to answer you as soon as possible.