What to do in Navarra: Hiking in the Irati Forest

The Los Paraísos-Erlan route is a quiet circular route that begins at the Irabia reservoir. In approximately one hour you will travel six kilometres between beech trees, forest tracks and old lumberjack trails. To reach the starting point you must pass through Orbaizeta, a pretty rural village located in the Merindad de Sangüesa, and from there, follow the signs to the reservoir, where you will see how the waters of the Irati River are collected.  In the first section of the route you will skirt the reservoir and continue along a path that will allow you to enter the green slopes of Mozolotxiki. A simple and easy stretch. In the second part you will ascend a path that will take you to the wooded Ermuñoa pass, where you will have a perfect panoramic view of the reservoir and an immense area of slender beech trees at 940 metres. When you have finished photographing the landscape, you will begin the descent until you return to the start of the route.

After resting your feet a bit and regaining your energy, you will head towards the Elkorreta cave, the cave that inspired the legend of Gartxot, a curious triangular opening deep in a rock. For approximately one kilometre you will walk through lush oak and beech forests with a great panoramic view of the Salazar valley under the Abodi mountain range at your feet. It might be a bit of a surprise to see cattle grazing peacefully right by your side!After reaching the cave, the trail starts to descend along a fenced path until you get to a dirt track and then make your way down through stands of oak trees until you find yourself back at the pretty hamlet of Izalzu.As you have been able to read, Navarra has magic within it. From legends so old that no one even knows when they began, to popular routes that remain almost intact to this day. Choose your route and get ready to explore the Irati Forest and experience an adventure that will seem like a fairy tale.