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Geoparkea, the geopark of the Basque coast that shows us the history of the land.
The Basque Coast Geopark, better known as Geoparkea, is located between the Gipuzkoan municipalities of Zumaia, Deba and Mutriku, towns where we can best appreciate the great geological heritage of the Basque Country. Surrounded by dreamlike landscapes, located between the great cliffs of the Cantabrian Sea and the Basque mountains, Geoparkea covers an extensive area that enchants us at every step. Although many of the tourists who come to the Basque Country visit Geoparkea called by its dizzying cliffs and green meadows that make up its interior, the greatest treasure of our beloved Geoparkea is hidden inside. The composition of the bowels of the Geoparkea reveals the history of more than 60 million years, an amazing journey along our coast that you can not miss. What is a Geopark? Geoparks are territories that are committed to enhancing the value of the natural environment, with special emphasis on the geological environment, through which they try to show the history of the earth.
Information from Geoparkea.
- Online reservations: Here.
- Name: Geoparkea, the geopark of the Basque coast.
- Attractions: Geology, history of planet earth, film landscapes.
- Experiences: More than 15 guided tours and activities.
- Location: Deba, Mutriku and Zumaia.
The geopark of the Basque Country can be divided into two different areas, the inland route and the coastal route, or in other words, the Flysch route and the Karst route. The combination of the 13 kilometers of cliffs and valleys of karstic relief form a magical place, a place you will hardly forget. Spaces that we recommend to all those people who like nature and the sea. Do you dare to know with us the geopark of the Basque coast? 
The Flysch from Zumaia to Mutriku.
This route located on the Basque coast is called the Flysch route because of the importance of this phenomenon along all its cliffs. The term Flysch was introduced by the German geologist Berhnand Studer in 1827, a wordderived from the German word “fliessen” which means sliding. This unique situation favors erosion since the soft layers are more easily worn away than the hard layers, leaving the latter exposed. The Flysch route of the Basque Country Geopark is one of the most important in Europe and the world, as it gathers in the same space the history of more than 60 million years. Perhaps the most striking feature of this route is to see how the tidal flatlands go into the sea, offering an impressive view of the fusion of sea and land. Although this phenomenon occurs along the entire coast of the Basque Country, the stretch of coast of Geoparkea is undoubtedly the best place to observe and learn about this phenomenon. This route can be done both by land and by sea, although we recommend combining both to get a complete view of the Basque coast. 
Information about the Geoparkea Flysch.
Flysch is the term used to name the set of rock layers that were deposited over millions of years in a marine basin, and that, with the collision of the Iberian and European plates, fractured and came to light. These layers are usually sequentially ordered and interspersed by hard and soft layers.
How was it created?
100 million years ago, the European and Iberian plates were separated by the sea, a sea in which the town of Zumaia was submerged. All the remains that over time settled on the seabed form what we understand today as Flysch. The strength of the layer (hard/soft) indicates the changes in climate over time, a luxury indicators.
How did the rocks from the seafloor come to the surface?
When 40 million years ago the plates of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe collided, the layers of rock created with the accumulated materials on the seabed fractured and deformed, changing their state and creating these incredible wonders of nature.
Boat route in Geoparkea.
The boat routes in Zumaia encourage us to discover the flysch of Zumaia from a different point of view. From the sea. An experience that, thanks to the explanations of the tourist guide that accompanies us, allows us to know in detail the secrets of this impressive geopark of the Basque coast. In case you are interested in this option, we encourage you to book your place here. We hope you like it. 
Guided tours in Geoparkea.
As you know, we offer guided tours all over the Basque Country. Also in this stretch of the Basque coast. Guided tours, in which we show you the attractions of Deba, Zumaia and Mutriku from the proximity offered by a local guide. Do not hesitate to consult our guided tours in Geoparkea.
The Karst Route.
We move away a little from the coast to enter the inland valleys, where a karstic relief predominates, caused by the wear of the limestone. This wear was produced by the tropical sea that occupied this area millions of years ago, leaving behind witnesses of its strength, such as the Ekain caves, where our ancestors lived during the Paleolithic period, leaving a visible legacy in the form of paintings that since 2008 are part of the World Heritage Site. If you are interested in knowing the Karst you can immerse yourself in one of the guided tours that the Geoparkea offers us. 
Geoparkea villages.
The Flysch and karst routes reveal the 60 million years that separate the municipalities of Mutriku, Deba and Zumaia, three municipalities that not only hide part of our history, but also keep our traditions, gastronomy and culture, do you know them? The towns that make up the Geoparkea faithfully represent the traditions, culture and gastronomy of our people. 3 charming villages that give us a great architectural and ethnographic heritage. We recommend walking through the passes of these 3 towns, mingling with the inhabitants of the area and enjoying the local atmosphere. The road that connects Mutriku, Deba and Zumaia is an additional attraction, as it runs along the coast, discovering new natural viewpoints in which to stop and contemplate the Basque coast.
Zumaia: A town that swept the big screen with its famous scene in the movie 8 Basque surnames. In it, we could appreciate part of the Flysch route, the hermitage of San Telmo and the endless cliffs of the coast of Guipuzcoa. Apart from enjoying this scenery, it is a must to visit the historic center of this town, narrow streets with an impressive gastronomy will be waiting for us. Are you up for it?
Deba: Located in the center of the geopark has a different profile to all the municipalities we mentioned, flat, with hardly any slopes and with a larger surface, Deba, marks the central point of the coast of the Geoparkea. As in Zumaia, the historic center of Deba is an important point of our route. If you want to try the Basque gastronomy we highly recommend the Urgain restaurant, we loved it! 
Mutriku: A labyrinth of narrow streets that fall in love as we walk through them, among these, hide a large number of secret corners that we recommend to discover. Going down its streets, we will arrive at the port of the town, a port with a lot of history, amplitude and a large breakwater that protects the town from the big storms, certainly a beautiful place to walk and contemplate the sea. 
Guided tours in Geoparkea.
Geoparkea surprises us with 12 guided tours along the coast and inland, guided tours by experts will help us understand how this wonderful natural landscape was created. Which is the experience that best suits your tastes and way of being? Choose yours!
- The flysch route
- Boat route in Zumaia.
- La Rasa Mareal
- The flavors of karst
- Black flysch
- Mutriku seafaring
- Zumaia-Deba-Zumaia
- A history of merchants and pirates
- Nautilus, flysch fossils
- Algorri
- Small shepherds
- Seven Beaches
- Geological Exit
- The enigma of the Basque language.
From this list, we would like to highlight 4 experiences, the flysch route, the boat route from Zumaia, Nautilus, the flysch fossils and the enigma of the Basque language. You can book some of these visits from our reservation center. Called by the beauty and history that Geoparkea hides, there are many people who decide to do one of these experiences. And you? During these activities we focus on some of the most important geological points of the Basque Country, Europe and the world. We will have the opportunity to recognize in the rocks events of great importance such as the extinction of the dinosaurs or the climatic changes of our planet. Accompanied at all times by a specialized guide we will visit Geoparkea to learn really interesting facts. Complete, didactic and entertaining visits, which we hope you will enjoy.
What to see in Geoparkea.
In addition to the already mentioned towns that form Geoparkea (Mutriku, Deba, Zumaia), we recommend you to enjoy the coast and the interior of our geopark. In this regard, there are points where the scenery is simply amazing. A great example of this can be found in Itzurun, Algorri, Elorriaga, Sakoneta, Saturraran, Olatz or Lastur. As you can see, in this short list there are coastal and inland areas, places that allow us to get a more complete idea of what Geoparkea offers us. 
What to see near Geoparkea.
If you want to complement your trip to Geoparkea with other visits, we encourage you to visit some of the surrounding villages. We leave you a short list with the most important areas of the region and the province. Urban centers of coast and interior, that will help you to get a more complete idea of Gipuzkoa and Euskadi. We hope you like them.
Algorri Center.
In the Algorri center, our Geoparkea adventure begins, an initiation in the basic concepts of geology and geological phenomena of this region. Undoubtedly, concepts that will help us to contemplate with more knowledge the flysch, the fossils and the environment in which we venture. The Algorri center is located in the urban center of Zumaia, allowing us to move to the cliffs and the port in less than 5 minutes. The visit begins with an audiovisual that situates us, contextualizes us and presents the geological importance of the area where we are, the geopark of the Basque coast. We continue the tour in Algorri with a visit to the 3 rooms that make up the center, a free visit (without a guide). Although not having a guide may not be pleasant, at the end of the visit we realized that the information panels and all the elements that make us interact with the center make it unnecessary. It should be noted that Algorri is adapted for people with reduced mobility, an important fact as it is a multi-storey building.
Cliffs of the Basque coast.
Once we are on the ground, we start the reconnaissance, putting into practice the concepts learned in Algorri. Of course, if you have not learned the lesson, don’t worry, the guide will solve all your doubts without any problem. During the journey along the cliffs, we made strategic stops where we not only learned more details of the history of our planet, but also discovered some amazing views, do not forget your camera. 
Navigation off the coast of Geoparkea.
As if it were another experience, we crossed the waters of the geopark of the Basque coast until we were in front of the cliffs that we had walked along on foot. A boat trip, in which we followed the explanations accompanied by fossils and other tangible elements with which we interacted during our approach to the Basque coast. Undoubtedly, a different point of view that completes the vision we had acquired from the top of the cliffs. 
5 reasons why we recommend visiting Geoparkea, the geopark of the Basque coast.
- Attention: Personalized attention, caring about the visitor, answering as many times as necessary to all our questions, in short, making us feel at home. Many members of the group were not sure how layers of rock that had been at the bottom of the sea horizontally could rise vertically in front of us. Finally, with the help of our guide, Lorea, and in front of one of these layers, all doubts evaporated.
- Theory/practice: The breakdown of the visit seemed to us simply perfect, 3 clearly dosed and separated stages. The first two, to learn new concepts, the last one, to get a different, global and fun point of view of everything seen before.
- Interactive: Both in the Algorri center, on the cliffs and on the boat, we interact with the elements of the environment. In Algorri with the fossils, rocks, sounds and smells, in the cliffs, with the Flysch and the elements of nature and during our boat trip with the sea and the samples that our guide Lorea showed us throughout the navigation.
- Price: Taking into account the quality of the activity and its duration, we can say that its price, 20€, maintains a good quality-price ratio.
- Tourism accreditation “TurismoVasco Tiketa”: The Geoparkea Geological Excursion has our exclusive tourism accreditation “TurismoVasco Tiketa”, accreditation that attests to the historical value of this incredible experience.
Geoparkea, the geopark of the Basque coast, offers a great number of plans for the whole family. If you have any questions about what to see in Geoparkea, what routes to do in Geoparkea or any other question, we recommend you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to send them to us. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!
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