Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park, the jewel of Oieregi.

Get to know and enjoy the garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park, a magical corner of Navarra.

The garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park is one of the many charming corners hidden in the Navarrese Pyrenees. This ecological, architectural and historical jewel enchants all visitors who decide to visit each of its “txokos”. Although the garden is only a small representation of all the attractions hidden in this Navarrese landscape, it is essential to understand the history of this Natural Park.

The garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park is more than 100 years old and has more than 120 species of trees, shrubs and flowers, which, surrounding the Bertiz Palace, form one of the most stately and elegant places in the north of Navarre. For experts in the field, this garden is a great showcase where you can admire the beauty of native and exotic trees, and is that the natural maze that forms around the cypresses, sequoias, cedars and company impresses even the most ignorant in the matter.

To the natural richness of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park Garden we must add the beauty of the buildings that compose it, buildings among which stand out the Palace, the chapel or the viewpoint among others, authentic architectural jewels.

The Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park is the prelude to the more than 2,000 hectares of pure nature that we find in Oieregi, about 50 kilometers from the capital of Navarre, an area of the western Pyrenees of Navarre, located on the banks of the Bidasoa River, well worth a getaway.

Location: The Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park, is located in Oieregi, in the Navarrese mountains, in the Navarrese Pyrenees, a unique space where beauty resides in every square meter of wild nature. Its garden, located at the entrance of the Natural Park, next to the parking lot and the Rural Tourism Center, has good accessibility thanks to its proximity to the NA-121 road, a location that makes it a perfect tourist attraction for all those who are in the Baztan Valley or in the Bidasoa area.

History: Bertiz and its great natural potential have existed since ancient times, but the concept and ownership of the Lordship began its adventure in 1392, along with the appearance of its first owner, Pedro Miguel Bértiz. Pedro, better known as Micheto, was responsible for the coat of arms that we find today, composed of a “lamia”, a mythological being of Euskal Herria and the main protagonist of the audiovisuals that we find during the visit to the Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz. After his death, one after another, his heirs occupied Micheto’s place until practically the 19th century, when a series of purchase and sale operations took place, finally ending up in 1898 in the hands of its last private owner, Pedro Ciga and his wife Dorotea Fernandez.

The fact that the property has been privately owned for most of its history has contributed significantly to the fact that this space has been preserved in a natural way, without great human presence, without major modifications.

Pedro Ciga, was the main promoter of the recovery of the original state of the Señorío de Bertiz, work that helped, and much, so that today we can enjoy one of the most impressive beech forests in the Iberian Peninsula. In addition to protecting nature, Pedro restored and built different structures that we find today in the garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park, giving it a greater charm.

Natural Park: In 1984, Bertiz became a Natural Park thanks to the wishes of its last owners (Pedro Ciga and Dorotea Fernandez) and the presence of a deep ecosystem with mature forests and forest fauna derived from it. A space of great beauty, which, thanks to the title of Natural Park has managed to keep intact the spirit and natural presence that Pedro Ciga dreamed of. We must emphasize the importance of Don Pedro Ciga’s will in this respect, since it states that he bequeathed the Señorío de Bertiz to all Navarrese men and women, and therefore to the Provincial Council of Navarre, on one condition only: to preserve it without modifying its natural structure and landscape.

Price: 3 €, a symbolic price, an affordable rate for all budgets. There are also special rates for groups such as minors or retirees, people who are exempt from payment. There are also other rates for groups that we recommend you to consult directly with those responsible for the park. It should be emphasized that only the visit to the garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park is paid, the access to the forest area is totally free, as expected.

Visit: It all starts in the parking lot (free) of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park, it is here, where after passing the bridge over the Bidasoa River, we begin to discover the beauty of this enclave of Navarre. Next to the parking lot and the tourist office, on the way to the welcome hut, we find the impressive Bertiz Cedar, a tree over 30 meters high and 5 meters in perimeter declared a Natural Monument in 1991 by the Government of Navarra.

Once in the welcome hut, we will have the opportunity to know in detail the possibilities of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park. It is here, where we must buy the tickets in case we want to visit the garden, together with the tickets we are given a guide map with all the information about this incredible place. We continue our way until we reach the entrance of the Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz, a small walk in which we go around one of the ends of the garden to find the first of the buildings of the complex, the Nature Interpretation Center. It is here, where, once shown the tickets, we explain the route to follow, the good part begins. We enter the Nature Interpretation Center to know in detail every corner of this Natural Park and its majestic garden. The tour through the Interpretation Center, dynamic and original, leads us to contemplate the charms of the Señorío de Bertiz through most of our senses, literally, smell, touch, see, hear, hear … feel.

We leave this center behind to enjoy the model of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park and the audiovisuals that await in the old garage of the palace, a strategic stop where we gather more information about this wonderful place. Next stop, the chapel. This small temple of the eighteenth century, we fall in love thanks to its porch of metal structure and striking tiles, among many other aspects.

Just a few steps from the chapel we find another of the great jewels of the Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz, the viewpoint. This impressive structure, inspired by Japanese pagodas, offers a beautiful view of the Bidasoa River.

We finish with the buildings of the Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz with one of the most important spaces, the Palace and its fountain. The former residence of Pedro Ciga and Dorotea Fernandez, now restored and adapted to host meetings, trainings and exhibitions, can only be visited on the first floor, a space dedicated to temporary exhibitions of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park Garden. As for its fountain, a beautiful circular stone formation, it is located on one of the sides of the house, next to the garden, at the beginning of the sensory itinerary.

We move on to the natural route, to the garden itself. Although Pedro Ciga expanded and improved the Botanical Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz, the original garden is not his design, this magical space was the work of a French gardener, a work of art dating from 1847. It is here, where the strength of the water and the trees traps us, makes us fall in love. Throughout the tour we find places to interact with, places that are part of the sensory itinerary of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park Garden and where we recommend you to stop, feel and enjoy.

On the native side we must mention the presence of beech trees, while on the exotic species side we highlight elements as striking as bamboos or Chinese Ginkgo. We do not want to reveal many more details, it is better to be surprised with every corner of this beautiful place, remember, touch, hear, see, feel.

Information points: In the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park there are several information points where we can consult all the doubts that come to mind. The first information point that we find on our way is the tourist office that is located at the entrance of the parking lot, an office in which they are specialized in the generic attractions of the area in which we are and Navarre in general, gastronomy, culture, history and much more! The second place we find is the Natural Park Reception Hut, the people we find in this small prefabricated hut are specialized in the Señorío de Bertiz and its garden, the place where we must buy the tickets. Once in the garden of the Señorío de Bertiz, in the interpretation center, there is another small stand where they will show us the specific attractions of this place. As you can see, if we miss something for lack of information it will not be for lack of information.

Natura 2000 Network: The Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park is part of the European Special Areas of Conservation RN2000. The sole objective of the Natura 2000 network is the conservation of wild plants and animals, as well as their habitats. Most of the surface area of this conservation network is made up of beech and oak forests mixed with the occasional pasture area. The fact that the 7 species of woodpeckers existing in the peninsula live in this environment is a clear indicator of the good environmental health found in this Natural Park.

Area: The Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park is located in the municipality of Oieregi, next to Etxalar and the Baztan Valley. Ideal location to taste the typical traditional cuisine of northern Navarre, as well as to enjoy the small and beautiful villages in the surroundings, among which we must highlight Lesaka, Elizondo or Leitza among others. All this, combined with the majesty of its nature makes this area a must to visit in any visit to Euskal Herria. The most common and abundant type of accommodation are the rural houses, although there are also hotels such as Baztan or Elgorriaga.

If you are near Oieregi, do not hesitate to visit the Garden of the Señorío de Bertiz Natural Park, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the Natural Park. A magical place, very pleasant to visit, with a great value for money and with some corners worth admiring. Enjoy it.