{"id":6544,"date":"2022-07-12T10:32:21","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T08:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/sorrounding-area\/senderismo-en-urdaibai\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T18:52:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:52:03","slug":"hiking-in-urdaibai","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/sorrounding-area\/hiking-in-urdaibai\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking in Urdaibai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A walk through marshland, along the estuary, amidst the mountains\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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One of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of Urdaibai<\/strong> is to walk along the trails on offer in this Biosphere Reserve<\/strong>, the only one of its kind in the Basque Country.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the trails are circular and easy to follow, and information panels have been set up at the starting points. Hikers can download leaflets with details of the different tracks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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More information<\/p>\n\t\t

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Nip into any of the nearby tourist offices to pick up a copy of the Urdaibai hiking brochure or download the maps of the tracks here<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Routes on foot from Gernika<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The PR-BI-181 circular path<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Itinerary<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Starting out from the town centre, we will climb up the old road towards Kosnoaga, whose peak was once graced by an Iron Age hillfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The path leads us towards the Armotxerri neighbourhood, where the hermitage of San Cristobal and the Urdaibai Tower stand, before continuing on to Forua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After it runs through the Roman settlement of Forua, the path leads down to the footbridges over the upper estuary and the reed beds that grow on the banks of the river Oka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the bridge to cross the river, we then head towards the Barrutia neighbourhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winding its way through pastureland and farmhouses, the route crosses through Barrutiabaso until it reaches the Barrutia neighbourhood, which is where we head back to Gernika, following the right bank of the Oka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Information<\/p>\n\t\t

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Km:<\/b> 12,5 ( loop)<\/p>\n

Gradient:<\/b> 260m<\/p>\n

Duration: <\/b>3 1\/2 hours<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Download the route<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A route that follows the estuary to the Bird Centre<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Itinerary<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At the Renter\u00eda bridge in Gernika, which is where our journey begins, you will see a wooden panel pointing the way to Kortezubi (3.7 km).  This path, which runs parallel to the river Oka, will take you to the church of Kortezubi, but if you prefer, you can walk a little further to the Urdaibai Bird Centre. On your way back, cross over the wooden footbridge that joins the two banks of the river Oka and return to Gernika along the riverbank walkway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Information<\/p>\n\t\t

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Km:<\/b> 10 (go and return)<\/p>\n

Gradient:<\/b> 50m<\/p>\n

Duration:<\/b>2 1\/2 hours<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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GR 38 Wine and Fish route: Gernika-Bermeo stage<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Itinerary<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Starting in Gernika, this route follows the old royal road that leads to the San Cristobal de Forua neighbourhood, where the hermitage of the same name and the Urdaibai tower<\/strong> stand. We walk down towards the quarry where we take the path that climbs upwards, running parallel to the river Upeta and skirting the Axbiribil mountain on the left. When the path brings us to the Karabizurieta neighbourhood road, we cross it to take the old road that connected Forua to Altamira in days gone by. On our way down, we will enjoy spectacular views <\/strong>of the estuary, somewhat different perhaps from what we have become used to. Busturia in particular stands out, with its neighbourhoods, marshes and the Axpe crag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route continues its descent to Altamira, where, after crossing the neighbourhood, it continues along the banks of the river Mape before beginning the ascent towards the Goierri area of Busturia. On the way, we can visit the Sorbituaga menhir<\/strong>, a magnificent relic from the megalithic era. From Urkiobe the GR 38 climbs up along the megalithic route to Mount Katillotxu before it descends to Bermeo<\/strong>, passing through the rural neighbourhood of Demiku.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Information<\/p>\n\t\t

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Km:<\/b> 19,2 (one way)<\/p>\n

Gradient:<\/b> 330m<\/p>\n

Duration:<\/b>5 1\/2 hours<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James): Gernika- Bilbao stage<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Itinerary<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This route starts out from the Town Hall Square and passes the Church of Andra Maria. Here we head towards the Assembly House and the Tree of Guernica<\/strong>, the symbol of Basque freedoms. We leave the town centre behind, passing by the hermitage of Santa Luc\u00eda <\/strong>and climbing up Mount Bilikario. We then wend our way between a number of farmhouses until, after passing under a road (there\u2019s a proper underpass) and crossing another, we reach the top of Gerekiz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embedded in the walls of the hermitage of San Esteban <\/strong>are several quite remarkable Roman funerary stelae which are well worth a look. On our way down towards Goikoelexalde, we follow the signs along country roads and forest tracks punctuated by a number of farmhouses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Information<\/p>\n\t\t

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Km: <\/b>29.8 (one way)<\/p>\n

Gradient: <\/b>897 m<\/p>\n

Duration: <\/b>8 hours<\/p>\n

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After a well-deserved refreshment break beside the church of San Emeterio and San Celedonio, we follow the pavement towards the medieval village of Larrabetzu<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we turn right at the town square, leaving the town centre. We continue on our way, initially along the pavement and then, taking all due care, along the narrow shoulder of the road to Lezama<\/strong> where we cut through the town centre before continuing straight ahead. On our left we\u2019ll see the church of Santa Mar\u00eda and then, before we reach Zamudio<\/strong>, we\u2019ll pass by the Santo Cristo hermitage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving the town centre behind, we turn left in front of the church of San Mart\u00edn and after crossing a small industrial area and passing over the motorway, we continue uphill until we reach a road that we cross with caution. Afterwards, if we look carefully, we\u2019ll see a few traces of an old road that can still be seen under our boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the top, there\u2019s a panoramic view<\/strong> of Bilbao that is well worth enjoying. Moving on, we cross the Iturritxualde recreational area and then, at the car park, we turn left to continue our descent towards the Basilica of the Virgin of Bego\u00f1a<\/strong>, the patron saint of Bilbao and Vizcaya. The streets of the Mallona neighbourhood will lead us to the Cathedral of Santiago<\/strong> in the heart of Bilbao\u2019s Old Quarter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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More information about all the stages<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James)<\/a><\/p>\n

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The so-called Coastal Way, which runs along the coastline of Gipuzkoa before entering the western limits of Vizcaya, is one of the most ancient pilgrimage routes to Compostela.<\/p> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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GR 38 (The Wine and Fish Route)<\/a><\/p>\n

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From the vineyards of Oyón to the port of Bermeo, the GR 38 crosses the Basque Country from south to north.<\/p> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A walk through marshland, along the estuary, amidst the mountains\u2026 One of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of Urdaibai is to walk along the trails on offer in this Biosphere Reserve, the only one of its kind in the Basque Country.   Most of the trails are circular and easy to follow, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":6334,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/page-alrededores.php","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-6544","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6544"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15670,"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6544\/revisions\/15670"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gernikainfo.eus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}