Route through Ogoño, in search of the best views of the Bay of Biscay.

Route by Ogoño, a pleasant and grateful itinerary that invites us to enjoy the best views of the coast of Biscay.

The route through Ogoño, goes through forests and cliffs, until it reaches its final stretch, where it surprises us with amazing views of everything around us. Cape Ogoño, an incredible massif shaped by the Cantabrian Sea, offers us a familiar route taking Ibarrangelu as a starting point and the Talaia de Ogoño (276m) as a destination point. Faithful guardian of the beach of Laga and the village of Elantxobe, Ogoño imposes from sea and land, a colossus, which climbing enthusiasts challenge every day climbing each of the routes that are on the edge of the sea. Nestled within the Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai, flirting with the Cantabrian Sea, this mass forms, together with the beach of Laga and the fishing village of Elantxobe, one of the most charming and peculiar corners of our territory. What are you waiting for to visit it? Caution, however, in the higher sections, the oaks, strawberry trees, sarsaparilla and the rest of the flora that makes up the vegetation layer of Ogoño, disappears giving way to the slippery stone, creating a somewhat dangerous section, be careful. Ogoño was used for decades by the arrantzales (fishermen in Basque) of Elantxobe as a vantage point from which to watch whales, and the fishermen of this whimsical village (one of the most unique coastal villages in the Basque Country), had privileged views over the sea. Today, Ogoño is still a place famous for its views, famous for showing us such emblematic places as the beach of Laga or the urban center of Elantxobe from a privileged point of view. By the way, if you are passionate about the history of the Basque people, we recommend you to read our article about Albaola, the best Basque cultural project that has ever seen the light of day.

The PR-BI 165 route, the Ogoño route, takes us from Ibarrangelu to Elantxobe along what was once the royal road, a path that leads us through lush forests to later enjoy the striking views of the Ogoño massif.

Before starting the route, we recommend you to visualize Ogoño from below, from the beach of Laga, a point from which attracts attention and enamors every person who sees it. Once seen from below, once appreciated its immensity, it is time to set course to Ibarrangelu, the adventure begins.

How to get there: As we have already mentioned, the route through Ogoño starts in the upper part of the village of Ibarrangelu, in the neighborhood of Ibinaga, in the northern part of the municipality. To reach this point we can do it by private or public transport, in any case, we will always do it through the BI-2237 road, a road that crosses Ibinaga completely.

Route by Ogoño: The route that occupies us today takes us to know one of the most charismatic places of Euskadi, the Cape of Ogoño. To do this, we start the route in the upper district of Ibarrangelu, in Ibinaga. It is here, next to the bus stop, where we find a sign indicating the way to the viewpoint of “Ogoñoko lurmuturra”, Cape Ogoño in Basque. Although many of the people who travel the Cape of Ogoño do it by a circular route, we have to say that we have chosen to go directly to the point by the linear route indicated by the signs. Once we take this path, a narrow asphalt road leads us to the cemetery of Elantxobe, this journey is 1.5 km, about 15 minutes. On this route it is not usual to find a lot of traffic, but we must be careful. As we advance, to our left, we find a nice view of Ibarrangelu, a panoramic view that is lost as we move inland, as we reach the neighborhood of Bermokiz, in Elantxobe. The route between Ibarrangelu and Elantxobe has hardly any unevenness, it is the quietest and most relaxed section of this route to Ogoño. Arriving at Bermokiz, we find the cemetery of Elantxobe, it is here, where the roads divide, but relax, there is no loss, the signs indicate it perfectly, all ahead. We only have 1.5 km to reach the viewpoint of Cabo de Ogoño, about 25 minutes by the PR-BI 165. Remember that the route of Ogoño is marked at all times with the indications of small path (PR), yellow and white marks in parallel. On the way back, when arriving at this same point, we recommend visiting Elantxobe, it is very worthwhile and we just have to drop down to the port. Of course, on the way back you have to climb a nice slope. We continue along the asphalt road, Elantxobe is still at our feet, on our right. We leave the rural house Ogoño Mendi behind and we advance until the next group of houses, it is here, where we have to turn off again, another sign indicates again that we must turn to the left, remember, white and yellow marks. We enter a dirt track, we begin to step on Ogoño, we begin to venture into the forest. After about 5 – 10 minutes, it is time to turn off again, this time to the right, a mark indicates so. We enter the territory of “Ogoñoko Pozua”, a space full of legends, where we find a panel with some texts on a table. In them, they tell us the legend of the “Lamiak”, mythological beings of Euskal Herria that had great transcendence in Ogoño. And it is that, although nowadays we only find a well of retained, black and unhealthy waters, we must know that according to the legend, this place called Ogoñoko Pozua, the well of Ogoño in Castilian, counted long ago with crystalline waters of great depth. A place where the sun’s rays cast light on Ogoño, making it possible to see the bottom of the well, which, according to legend, was full of treasures kept by the Lamiak. In fact, many of the fishermen from Elantxobe who went up to see the sea, were enthusiastic about these treasures and even threw themselves into the well and drowned because of the strong underwater currents. It was for this reason that the priest Don Lucio, together with the mayor, decided to blind the well with sacred soil from the cemetery of Elantxobe and to plant dozens of trees so that the rays of light would never again show the bottom of these waters. Curious, isn’t it? After this stop on the road, after discovering this legend, we set off again until we find a crossroads, where a sign confirms that we are on the right track, we continue straight ahead, towards Ogoño. We continue our route until we find another sign, this time, indicates 2 possibilities, Ogoñoko Talaia and Ogoño / Atxurkulu, the two peaks of Cape Ogoño. The first, Talaia, is our main objective, in it, we will find the so precious viewpoint on the beach of Laga, we continue straight on. We begin to see how the ground is changing, the path begins to turn to stone, while the coast can be seen in the occasional clearing, a sign that we are close. At the same time, we find signs that warn of the danger of slipping, we repeat, caution. In some sections it is convenient to use your hands to achieve greater stability, tree branches and large stones can be of good help, make use of them. The trees disappear and the beach of Laga appears at our feet, spectacular, we have reached the long awaited viewpoint of Cape Ogoño. The views are wonderful, now it’s time to sit down and relax, it’s time for a good hamaiketako (11 o’clock lunch in Basque) while we enjoy the island of Izaro, Laga beach and Urdaibai in all its splendor. After leaving the viewpoint behind, we retrace our steps back to the sign indicating Atxurkulu, it is here where we must decide whether we want to climb to this summit or return to Ibarrangelu.In our case, we decided to go up to contemplate the views offered by Atxurkulu. The path is steeper, narrower and steeper than the previous one, but the truth is that the views are worth it. Of course, in our humble opinion the views of the Talaia are more commercial, more striking, more eye-catching. If you decide to climb Atxurkulu, we recommend to be very careful, the road demands it. These are the views that Atxurkulu gives us, less impressive than the previous ones, but no less important.Once crowned both summits, we return to Ibarrangelu, but not before enjoying the views offered by the high part of Elantxobe. If you have time, we recommend going down to the port and enjoy this great little Basque village, for this, we just have to take the road down to the port, opposite direction to the cemetery, there is no loss, there are signs that show us the way. Surely its inclination or its rotating bus stop will catch your attention.

Difficulty: Although the route can be classified as familiar due to the little difficulty that presents in most of the route, we must make special emphasis on the last sections that we find, and is that, when the stone replaces the dirt track, the ground becomes slippery, a fact, which, along with the large cliffs that we find in our path can become dangerous. Be careful, be very cautious. Let’s enjoy with head.

Videos of Ogoño: Often photos and words are not enough to show us the reality of a space, so we have decided to upload 2 videos to our YouTube channel with the views offered by the two points of Ogoño that we have traveled, Talaia and Atxurkulu. We hope you like them. Enjoy them.

Climbing in Ogoño: These cliffs have held climbing routes since 1977, the year in which the first climbing route in Ogoño was created, the route known as “Gaviotas”. At present, Ogoño has more than 30 climbing routes, all of them of different difficulties and lengths, for all tastes. We highlight the route “Heriotzaren Semea” a 7b+ that tests the most experienced climbers. If you plan to climb we advise caution, you would not be the first to be rescued from the area.

What to see near Ogoño: Its location in Urdaibai, provides us with thousands of plans to make. Among them we highlight the following:

Where to eat near Ogoño: The towns of Mundaka, Bermeo or Gernika are perfect for eating in Urdaibai. We recommend a number of restaurants that can be a good choice.

As you have seen, the route through Ogoño takes us to exotic places from where we can see some of the best views of the entire Basque coast. A 100% recommended plan. What do you think? We are waiting for your opinions, suggestions and doubts, everything is welcome.