Okina – Sáseta route, along the Ayuda river gorge.

Take the route that separates Okina and Sáseta and enjoy the Ayuda river gorge.

The route between Okina and Sáseta has become one of the most popular routes in the vicinity of Vitoria Gasteiz. A plan of family character, which, thanks to the different waterfalls that we find along the way and the beauty of the river Ayuda, has become one more recommendation of our article“26 routes of Euskadi to do with children“. The geographical location of the starting point of this route, the village of Okina, in the municipality of Bernedo, less than 25 minutes drive from Vitoria Gasteiz, makes this walk perfect for all those people who are in the vicinity of the capital of Alava. A route, which seems perfect for those who want to enjoy nature without wasting a lot of time in displacements. That said, remember that there are also other parks near Vitoria Gasteiz where we can enjoy nature, such as Salburua or Zabalgana, spaces that are part of the so-called “Green Ring of Vitoria Gasteiz” and that allow us to stretch our legs without any problem. The main attraction of the Okina Sáseta route is found in the various spaces that the course of the river Ayuda draws as we pass. Waterfalls and meanders merge with the impressive beech and oak forests. We must emphasize that almost the entire route runs through the gorge of Okina, also known as the gorge of the river Ayuda, an environment of great scenic beauty, which, sculpted by water and other natural elements, gives us a breathtaking scenery. A space to hallucinate, especially in the rainy season. The route that runs through the interior of this ravine, shares the road with one of the Great Routes of Euskadi, the GR-38, the so-called Route of wine and fish.

The route between Okina and Sáseta has become by its own merits one of the most demanded routes in the vicinity of Vitoria Gasteiz. A pleasant and grateful walk, in which water is the biggest attraction. The route has less than 100 meters of unevenness and slopes of little difficulty, making this route a family walk suitable for almost all ages.

Route Okina Sáseta: The route between Okina and Sáseta starts in the center of the village of Okina, in the street Piruleta. We recommend that you leave your car in the Plaza Mayor, next to the church and the village fountain, a sign indicates the parking area. You can’t miss it. Once you enter the village just follow the road, straight ahead. We also saw cars parked on Piruleta street itself, once we started the route, but we did not find any signs there, so we understand that it is not a site specially enabled for vehicles. We must point out that this route does not have its own signage, but as it is a section of the GR-38 route, the so-called Wine and Fish Route, we can make use of the Gran Recorrido markings (white and red) that we find along the way so as not to get lost. The Wine and Fish Route is one of the most famous in Euskadi, a route that links the Alavese River and the Alavese Mountains with the Cantabrian Sea, which was formerly used to exchange fish for wine and other products. Anyway, the route that we show you today has no loss, it does not have any crossroads or detour, you can rest assured. We begin this route next to the village fountain, next to it, we find a sign that shows us the different routes that can be done around Okina and the direction we must take to start the so-called route of the gorge of the river Ayuda. The first section of the route, from the town center to the last of the houses of Okina, has a paved road, from this point, the road becomes dirt, finding points where the rock takes more prominence. We passed a fence that controls that animals do not leave or enter this area, we began to enter the gorge, we began to have contact with the riverbed. Passing by the last house we found in Okina, about 50 meters from a small bridge, we find the first area of waterfalls. We recommend you to contemplate how the water descends caressing the slopes of the ravine. In the rainy season it is simply overwhelming. We continue our way, from this point, the water coming down from the upper part of the gorge becomes more prominent, while the riverbed is unmarked from the road staying under our feet. We follow the route until we reach Sáseta, at this point, we can stop to regain strength or retrace our steps. Although the route that we propose only connects the villages of Okina and Sáseta, remember that you can follow the road to the town of Albaina. The return, however, has a little more unevenness, do not forget that it is a linear route, round trip, so the road begins and ends in Okina.

Okina: Large stone houses, an environment of great natural value and a cow herd welcome us upon our arrival in Okina. This small and quiet village located near the capital of Alava, also represents the muga (border in Basque) with the County of Treviño. We are sure that all of you who read us have heard of Treviño at some time, and its location is curious to say the least. This municipality belonging to the province of Burgos, Castilla y León, is completely surrounded by the territory of Alava. A fact that makes that the route that we present today takes place in both Basque and Castilian lands. The Real street, the Piruleta street, the Plaza Mayor, the Church of the Assumption and the river Ayuda, are the most outstanding elements of Okina. Although, to be honest, what most caught our attention was the course of the river Ayuda and the small waterfalls that flow directly down the slopes of the ravine. As a curiosity, mention that Okina celebrates every July 10 the feast of San Cristobal with the so-called “Ronda del rosco”.

What to see and do: The proximity of Okina with Vitoria Gasteiz makes this route can be complemented perfectly with the visit to other places near the capital of Alava. Attached is a nice representation of those that for us, are the most striking and important. Now the choice is yours.

Where to eat near Okina: The little variety that we find at both ends of this route, forces us to look for alternatives in the capital, in Vitoria Gasteiz. So restaurants like “el siete”, can be a good option. This establishment in particular, takes us directly to the street known as “kutxi”, cuchilleria (Aiztogile kalea in Basque), one of the most emblematic spaces of the old town of Vitoria Gasteiz. El siete restaurant offers us a good, nice and cheap menu. A proposal in which we find gastronomic creations, simple but of great flavor and texture. A restaurant with a good relation quality center in the center of Vitoria Gasteiz. 100% recommended.

YouTube: We wanted to accompany the words and images in this article with a short video. An audiovisual, which we hope will help you to get a more real sense of what awaits you on the route that separates Okina and Sáseta. If you like this kind of plans, we recommend you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, sure that the contents we publish will encourage you to follow our steps and know many places of Euskadi that you do not know.

As you have been able to see, the route between Okina Sáseta is full of charms. Approximately 11 kilometers of route, in which the proximity of the river helps and the small waterfalls that we find along the way make us enjoy the place and nature as children.