The Irati Forest: connect with nature

One of the prettiest villages in Navarre and winner of the "Maravilla Rural" (rural wonder) award on its own merit.

 At the head of the Salazar Valley, at the confluence of the Zatoya and Anduña rivers, stands Ochagavía at an altitude of 764 metres, with a history dating back to the 11th century, no less.

 The Plateresque outdoor cross by the river Zatoya welcomes you to this village of cobbled streets. Its houses are an unmistakeable - and unforgettable - example of the Pyrenean architecture in Navarre. During your strolls around the village, the 18th and 19th century houses emblazoned with their coats of arms, and the bridge over the Anduña are sure to catch your attention.

A cobbled path starts at the top of the village, taking you as far as the 12th century Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Muskilda.

Note its oak panelled ceilings. You won't have seen many like this!

Right in the village centre, next to the Tourist Office there's a place that holds all kinds of information on the Irati Forest.

This three-storey building offers tourist and environmental information on the area, including geology, fauna and flora, an ethnographic exhibition with traditional utensils and tools from the Salazar Valley. It also organises different types of tours around the village and to other places in the valley.

Ezcároz, the capital of the valley, is also beautiful. It has the characteristic charm of the mountain villages, featuring excellently conserved traditional buildings with round-arched doorways and double-pitched flat-tiled roofs. Look at the coats-of-arms on the houses and try and find the shield of the valley, depicting a wolf with a lamb in its mouth.

Jaurrieta, is the highest village in the valley, at an altitude of 913 metres and is one of the municipalities in the valley, together with Oronz, Esparza and Igal, among others. Pyrenean architecture, Gothic and Romanesque buildings and disc-shaped funerary stelae are all to be found in these predominantly cattle farming villages.

In the heart of the Irati Forest stands the most important example of industrial architecture in the area. Constructed in the 17th century to supply King Charles III with ammunition and arms, it owes its location to the wealth of wood, the presence of iron ore mines and the water courses in the area.

Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, its ruins now shape a really mysterious and enigmatic landscape.

The newly restored Orbaizeta Palace Kultur Ola offers activities in this setting. 

The Aezkoa Valley holds 15 of the 22 raised granaries in Navarre, all of which have been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. These constructions are complementary to the house, with a similar shape and building materials. They served to store the grain, protected against humidity and rodents. Stroll leisurely through the villages and try and find them.

In Abaurregaina/Abaurrea Alta, the highest village in this valley and in all of Navarre, the old village cemetery has been musealised. This is an important archaeological site from which more than thirty medieval stelae have been recovered. A unique, gardened area and with a labyrinth that aims to evoke the cycle of life and its tortuous path towards death.

The valley has a complete network of waymarked trails. Many of these are simple, didactic trails intended for enjoyment of nature as a family. While other trails are former historical paths, used in the past by hunters, charcoal makers and the transhumant movement of shepherds. There are also far longer trails for athletes with steep inclines, in which the effort made is amply rewarded by the stunning views offered.

Another option is to explore this valley by doing a tour of the information viewpoints. These will bring you closer to the landscape, nature, history, ethnography and unique features of this wonderful and surprising valley. They're easy to access and will give you some incredible panoramic views. All the same, if you suffer from vertigo... then think twice before you get going.