In the pre-Pyrenees basin is Ecay de Lónguida, a town within The Original Basque territory which, due to its location, is ideal for discovering the charms of the environment prior to the Pyrenees of Navarra.
Here you can enjoy attractions as varied as the French route of the Way of St James that passes through Navarra, excursions to the Lumbier and Arbayún gorges, as well as bird watching and other local fauna.
Foces, the beauty of vertigo
Carved by the river, the first gorge that we suggest you visit and whose geology is based on limestone, is the Lumbier gorge. It is a circular route that can be done on foot or by bike, and has magnificent views of the Sierra de Leyre, as well as following the course of the Irati River, of great beauty between mountains.
On this tour you will enter the dark tunnels through which the old railway line passed and jagged walls that cause vertigo. This is the home of the griffon vulture, among other birds, so if you are a lover of wildlife observation, it is the ideal place.
In addition to the Lumbier Gorge, formed by the force of the Irati River, the Arbayún Gorge is also found in this area, but this time its formation is due to the Salazar River, which flows down forcefully from the most Pyrenean valleys.
Here the walls are more than 300 meters high and their wild beauty is due to the fierceness of their cliffs. Vultures also live here, which dominate the landscape. We recommend you take the route from the foz to the Iso viewpoint, with fabulous views.
The force of the water crossing valleys and formations of great beauty.
These two gorges next to the Sierra de Leyre were declared Nature Reserves in 1987. In the area there are adventure companies that offer different activities not only in the gorges, but also in the Irati y Salazar river and other points of great natural beauty in the zone.
Visit the abandoned sawmill
The Ekai sawmill is one of the most spectacular abandoned places in Navarra. Here the wood from the Irati beech forest was exploited, which was transported through the river and the train.
To get to know it, all you have to do is follow a simple circular route of 2 km that starts from Ekai and passes by the well-known Romanesque church of San Martín de Tours (13th century), highly recommended to visit.
This is an area very rich in activities, both because of the adventure companies with which you can contract some of them, as well as because of the routes and the natural beauty of surroundings as impressive as the gorges.
The Original Basque gives you its recommendations so that you can stay near these attractions with ease and comfort:
- Hotel Ekai
- Hotel Akerreta
- Hotel Torre de Úriz
- Hospedería Santa Fe
- Arrobi Borda
