Lea ibilbidea, the Lea trail.

Lea ibilbidea, the Lea trail, family route in Lea Artibai.

Lea ibilbidea, the Lea trail in Basque, is one of the most beautiful routes in the Lea Artibai region of Bizkaia. A route that starts in Munitibar and reaches Mendexa through the Lea river. Although the complete route is 23 km long, we recommend you to divide the route by stages. In any case, we remind you that we organize all kinds of excursions for groups in the Basque Country (transport, guide, food…). In this case, we offer you to do one of the stages of this route and finish with a guided tour in Lekeitio. What do you think? A great option for companies, associations, schools and any other group that wants to know Euskadi from the hand of a local guide. We encourage you to ask for a quote. Would you like to do Lea ibilbidea / Lea’s path with us?

Route of the Lea trail.

As we have already mentioned, the complete route of Lea Ibilbidea, the Lea trail, has a length of 23 kilometers. A route with an approximate duration of 8 hours and 30 minutes. After descending the massif of the Oiz mountain, the waters of the Lea river flow through forests and villages creating an incredible landscape. It is still possible to enjoy those engineering works that were built during the XVI and XVIII centuries to take advantage of the force of the water. Thus, along the way we find forges, mills and riverside shipyards. Authentic historical jewels. Remember that during the route we will enter in localities like Munitibar, Arbatzegi, Gerrikaitz, Aulesti, Gizaburuaga, Ispaster, Amoroto, Lekeitio or Mendexa. Perfect urban centers to make a stop on the way and get strength. If you choose this option and you travel in group, we offer you the option to take care of all the logistics of your getaway, from transportation and food to the guide and accommodation. Do not hesitate to ask for a quote.

Stages.

Although people with a good physical preparation can do the entire route in a single day, our recommendation is clear, divide the route in stages. The Lea trail can be divided to make small family tours. In our opinion, the most worthwhile stage is the one between Aulesti and Gizaburuaga. You can also do the last stage to enjoy the mouth of the Lea river: Gizaburuaga – Lekeitio. We leave the details of the stage Aulesti – Gizaburuaga in the following section in case you want to take a look at it.

Stage Aulesti – Gizaburuaga.

As this is an intermediate stage, we can start the route from almost anywhere in the city center. Our recommendation is to do it at the height of the tower of Aulestia and the fronton. From here, we must descend the road and cross the bridge over the Lea River until we join the road that comes from Munitibar. Remember that the route of this stage runs along the right bank at all times.

During the route that joins Aulesti with Gizaburuaga we find 3 waterfalls. They are not signposted, but it is enough to follow the sound of the water to be able to enjoy all of them. We also find forges and tower houses. Authentic natural and historical jewels that we are sure you will enjoy the way. We recommend that you take a look at the video section that you will find in this article to give you an idea of the beauty of this route.

By the way, the wooden walkways and some sections of the trail are slippery. Be very careful. During the route there are hardly any detours, and the existing ones are perfectly signposted. Remember that it is not necessary to go out to the road that joins Munitibar and Lekeitio at any time.

Video.

As usual in all our publications, we have created a short video about the Lea trail so you can see what awaits you during your next adventure in Euskadi. In case you like this kind of videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the places and experiences we recommend in Euskal Herria, we are waiting for you!

Excursions.

As many of you already know, we offer guided tours, excursions and any other tourist service for groups throughout the Basque Country. In this case, we offer you several options. We leave you a list with some of the most common ones. Remember that we can customize any of the proposals we mention to suit the needs and tastes of each group. A perfect option for schools, companies, associations and other groups that want to know the Lea Artibai region with the help of a local guide. We encourage you to contact us to request a quote.

Activities.

In Lekeitio and surroundings we have the option of active tourism activities of all kinds. Very interesting proposals for groups looking for adventurous experiences in the Lea Artibai region. A good example of this are activities such as kayaking, surfing, Stand Up Paddle, hiking, canyoning, canyoning, zip lines, surfing or climbing. Are you up for it? Do not hesitate to contact us for any of these experiences.

Guided tours.

We offer guided tours for groups in most of the towns of Euskadi. In this case, we recommend the guided tours of Lekeitio and Gernika. We encourage you to contact us so that together we can organize and plan the guided tour that best suits the tastes and needs of your group. Shall we talk?

What to see nearby.

If you want to take advantage of your getaway to get to know some of the most beautiful places in the area, we recommend you to visit the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve and its surroundings. We have created a small list with some of the places we recommend you to visit.

How to get there.

Whether you do the complete Lea Trail, as if you do any of its stages, you should know that there is the possibility of reaching our starting point by public transport. In this case, the only possibility is the line A3523 (Bilbao – Hospital de Galdakao – Gernika – Aulesti – Lekeitio) of Bizkaibus. Unfortunately, the schedules and frequencies of this bus line are not the desired ones. You can check them on the Bizkaibus website. We can also use this same transport to return to the starting point after the route.

Where to park.

If you do the stage that we recommend, you can leave your car in one of the 2 parking lots that we find in Aulesti. Remember that it is a small urban center, so parking spaces are limited. We recommend you to get up early. In case you do not find a place in the parking lots, we encourage you to walk around the town.

As you have been able to see, the Lea or Lea Ibilbidea trail is an impressive route. A perfect plan to get to know better the Lea Artibai region. If you have any doubt, we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find under these lines, we will try to answer as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!