The villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees.

Visiting the most beautiful villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees, traveling through forests, mountains and rivers, is, in our humble opinion, an obligatory experience in every trip to Navarra.

 

The villages of the Navarre Pyrenees, located between mountains and full of charm, represent one of the most popular destinations in our geography, one of the wildest and most authentic places in Navarre. Although there are many urban centers that we find in the Navarrese Pyrenees, in this article we are going to highlight a small route to know some of the most beautiful and striking. An adventure that takes us directly to museums, caves, forests and many other attractions of this small earthly paradise located in the north of Navarra. The route that we propose, has Otsagabia as an intermediate point of all the villages we visit, and is that this urban center, not only is one of the most visited villages of the Navarre Pyrenees, it also represents the heart of the Navarre Pyrenees and one of the most beautiful places in this environment. Of course, it is not the only place that we can take as a reference point, as headquarters, and Orbaizeta, Orreaga – Roncesvalles, Auritz – Burguete, Aribe or any of the villages of the Maple Valley are also clear candidates for this position. The aim of this route is to feel the nature, to know the culture of this land, to taste the typical gastronomy of the Navarrese Pyrenees and, of course, to mix with its people. In short, relax and enjoy the Navarrese Pyrenees. In addition, if you do this route in winter, we recommend you to enjoy the smell and warmth of the chimneys of the Navarrese houses while the snow and the mountains act as a backdrop, simply wonderful.

The villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees, authentic survivors of a climate and a somewhat extreme geography, form a landscape that has been preserved intact for centuries. A space of more than 2,000 square kilometers, located at the eastern end of the Pyrenees, offers one of the most spectacular areas of our territory. Its border location allows us to enjoy Navarre and Iparralde (French Basque Country) with total freedom, thus opening the door to a great rural getaway to visit places as striking as the Arpea cave, the Irati Forest or the Larrun train, places that share the limelight with high quality gastronomic products such as Roncal cheese or the incredible Basque Cake made in Iparralde.

Although it is likely that most people who do not know the villages of the Navarre Pyrenees have only heard of the Roncal and Salazar valleys, where towns like Otsagabia and Roncal take all the limelight, we must emphasize that they are not the only charming urban centers that we find in the north of Navarre. Other villages such as Orbaizeta, Auritz/Burguete or Aribe keep a great charm among its streets and squares, we strongly recommend to visit all the villages of these valleys and not get stuck in only 2 of them, all of them are worth it.

We propose a route by car through the Navarre Pyrenees with the sole purpose of knowing in a pleasant way some of the most charming villages in this area. Unfortunately, it is necessary to have a private vehicle to make this route, as we will stop in different villages along the route. The route can be adapted to perfection depending on where we are, in principle, trying to lose as little time as possible in displacements, the route would be as follows: Burgi, Erronkari / Roncal, Isaba, Otsagabia, Abaurre Alta, Orbaizeta, Auritz/Burguete, Orreaga/Roncesvalles and the villages of the Arce Valley. Depending on the location of each person, we recommend to consider dividing this route in 2 or simply take another starting point. On the other hand, starting in Burgi or in the Aezkoa Valley is not important, choose the one that suits you best.

 

 

Captained by villages such as Burgi, Auritz / Burguete, Otsagabia and Orbaizeta, the villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees offer a great setting to feel and experience nature. The route that we show you today, includes strategic stops to know the gastronomy, culture and history of this corner of Navarra, places that, fused with the different rural houses that we recommend, create a getaway that you will not easily forget.

The houses of the Navarrese Pyrenees, typical of the traditional architecture of the area, made of stone, with steep roofs, shields and chimneys, keep with great strength the traditions of these villages, where agriculture and livestock represent two of its most important pillars. At the same time, these same houses are presented as the best option to stay during our trip, providing a cozy space from which to visit places as impressive as the Irati Forest (one of the largest beech forests in Europe) or the granaries of the Aezkoa Valley.

 

Burgi: This village is the entrance to the Roncal Valley, a small Pyrenean village where the Roman bridge that presides over the town and the dam that is upstream, once a year host one of the most important events in Navarra, the day of the almadias. A very special day, in which one of the hardest and most traditional trades of these Pyrenean valleys is remembered, that of almadiero. Many people will ask you what is this job, simple. The almadieros were the people in charge of guiding the almadias, large boats built with the logs that they wanted to transport downstream. A dangerous job, in which they risked their lives every time they transported these constructions along the rivers of the villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees.

 

Erronkari / Roncal: Nestled in the center of the valley of the same name, this small village invites us to stroll through its streets around the river and enjoy its gastronomy in local restaurants. If you are looking for a restaurant in this village, do not hesitate to try the menu of the day at Suargi restaurant, a restaurant that surprises locals and strangers with the presentation of its dishes and its great cheesecake, one of the best we have tasted during our travels through the Basque Country, Navarra and French Basque Country. We recommend making a strategic stop on the road between Burgi and Erronkari / Roncal to know, taste and buy a good Roncal D.O. cheese at the Enaquesa cheese factory, where they make the great Ronkari cheese. It was here, where we did a generous tasting of Roncal D.O. cheese, a very didactic and pleasant tasting that undoubtedly encouraged us to buy several units of this cheese.

 

Izaba / Isaba: Its narrow cobbled streets form a small labyrinth that traps us inside, discovering buildings of noble materials that we fall in love with as we pass. Located on a hillside, this municipality of the Roncal Valley is one of the most important of the region. In addition, Izaba / Isaba is the entrance to the valley of Belagua, a destination that we can include in this route and that in winter represents one of the most beautiful points and of greater conflict due to the great snowfalls. If you decide to enter the valley of Belagua, we are sure you will love it, especially the karst massif of Larra. From this village we continue on our way to Otsagabia along a very charming road, where we enjoy the stone bridges and the great variety of fauna and flora that we find on our way. A narrow road, double lane and with many curves where cars and cows are found quite naturally.

 

Otsagabia: O tsagabia is one of the villages that houses the Salazar Valley, an urban center that can be considered the jewel in the crown of this great natural environment. Its medieval bridge, its cobbled streets, the stone houses and the nature that surrounds it, accompany us during our stay in this beautiful village in the Navarrese Pyrenees. In it, we find stores, small supermarkets, bars and everything you need to stock up during our trip. We want to emphasize the beauty of the high part of the town, point from where several routes around Otsagabia start and from where we can appreciate a nice panoramic view of the whole town. Otsagabia, together with Orbaizeta, is one of the villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees from which we can access the Irati Forest, one of the most spectacular beech forests in Europe.

 

Abaurrea Alta: It is in this village of the Navarrese Pyrenees, the highest in Navarre, where we find the Museum of the Stelae, a small outdoor corner that shows us the way in which the ancient inhabitants of the Navarrese Pyrenees lived through their stelae. A recommended stop. If you are interested in visiting this museum we recommend reading our article “Stelae Museum of Abaurrea Alta“.

 

Aribe: The Irati river, the forests, mountains and the impressive stone houses that we find when we walk through the streets of this village, give this small Navarre area a very special charm. In addition, if you need to buy something, the gas station of this village has a small grocery store, one of the few we found on our route.

 

Orbaizeta: In our opinion, Orbaizeta is one of the star points of this route, one of the most charming villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees. And we do not say it just to say it, in this case, our opinion is more than argued. We believe that the Arms Factory, the Arpea Cave, the Irati Forest, the incredible routes offered by its surroundings and the gastronomy of the area (we recommend visiting the Mendilatz restaurant) are more than enough to justify this statement.

 

Auritz / Burguete: This village follows the line of all its predecessors, small, charming and quiet. It is a pleasure to walk along the narrow road that crosses the village, and is that the typical houses of the Navarrese Pyrenees, full of color, accompany us through this beautiful urban walk. At the end of Auritz / Burguete, on the road that leads to Orreaga / Roncesvalles we find a small supermarket where we can buy everything we need for our little getaway in the Navarrese Pyrenees.

 

Orreaga / Roncesvalles: One of the best known places of pilgrimage of the French Way of St. James, a small village located in the shelter of the Ibañeta pass that offers a beautiful guided tour throughout its collegiate church. During the guided tour, you will visit places full of history such as the cloister, the Chapter House, the museum, the church of Santiago or the Silo of Charlemagne. You can find more information about Orreaga / Roncesvalles in our article: Orreaga / Roncesvalles, what to see and what to do.

 

Arce Valley: This is one of the least known pre-Pyrenean valleys in Navarre, a perfect place for all those looking to relax in the middle of nature. Its villages, scattered on both slopes, surprise us with the incredible routes and views they provide. A place to take into account in high season, when the rest of the valleys are more crowded. The rural house Monaut, located in the village of Saragueta-Saragüeta, is a clear example of this, peace and relaxation in a natural paradise, highly recommended. The villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees that we have mentioned are just a small representation, we recommend getting lost in each of these valleys knowing in detail the secrets of its historic towns. As you can see, the natural environment and the gastronomy of the villages of the Navarrese Pyrenees catch us with its charms, we recommend you to go into this great area of Navarre and succumb to all its charms.

 

There are several restaurants where we have been lucky enough to eat during our trips to the villages of the Navarre Pyrenees. We leave you a small list in which we find restaurants with a nice value for money among which we highlight Mendilatz (Orbaizeta) and Suargi (Roncal).

 

The rural houses of the Navarrese Pyrenees are the most demanded type of hotel establishment in this mountainous area. We leave you 4 examples in which we are sure you will feel at home. Remember that you can book online at the best price from here.

We highly recommend this route to know in person all the charms hidden in the villages of the Navarre Pyrenees, a different getaway, which guides us through this incredible rural environment. We remind you that you can leave us a comment in this article with the doubts and suggestions that you find appropriate regarding the Navarrese Pyrenees. Ondo pasa!