Unforgettable landscapes, charming farmhouses, beautiful
Romanesque churches such as
Santiago Itxasperri at Egiarreta with its strong belfry, good cuisine, traditions that have become festivities, and many services. That is how the essence of
Sakana can be summarised. It is a corridor that runs parallel to the A-10 highway from Irurtzun to Vitoria and is protected on the north side by the Aralar mountain range and on the south by the Urbasa-Andía Natural Park. Both offer a wide range of excursions for
mountaineering and
trekking enthusiasts.
The
Sierra de Aralar is a large karst massif with two access routes, one from Lekunberri and the other from Uharte-Arakil. If you take the second you arrive at the
Romanesque monastery of Zamarce, a 12th-century historical-artistic monument and a fine example of rural Romanesque architecture. A cemented track starts here towards the left, leading - along a 17-kilometre-long path - to the
Sanctuary of San Miguel de Aralar. The small church contains treasures such as a Baroque image of San Miguel (St Michael) and 12th-century Romanesque altarpiece that is considered one of the best examples of enamelwork of its type in Europe.
Following the Arakil valley we reach Etxarri-Aranatz, home to the
Route of the Dolmens. There are two circular routes through oak and beech forests and along cool streams. The difference between them lies in the distance and the number of dolmens you can visit. The longer (over 15 km) includes 10 of these prehistoric monuments, with the other (9.7 km) just having two.
The
Urbasa-Andía Natural Park combines meadows and leafy beech woods. The landscape is karst and there are several chasms and crevices, sources of turquoise-blue water and viewpoints over fantastic scenery. The land recalls the lives of people who lived here over the centuries: hunters, shepherds, lumbermen and charcoal burners. It is worth starting the visit in the
Park Interpretation Centre to get information about its flora and fauna and its numerous paths.
One of the most popular excursions in the park is the ascent of
Monte Beriain (1,493 metres above sea level), also known as
San Donato for the chapel on its summit. Its imposing profile can be made out from far away. The mountain recalls a gigantic ship that has run aground and has the highest peak in the
sierra de Andía. Although it can be climbed by several routes, the most used one starts at
Unanu. The street of the church in this village leads to a forest track that takes you up to the south-west face of the mountain. You need to be quite fit because there are some steep slopes to be climbed. (Approximate time needed: 3 hours 30 minutes).
Gastronomy Do not forget to try the most typical traditional products of the area. Its sheep's
cheese is protected by the
'Idiazabal' designation of origin, shared by Navarre and Guipúzcoa.
Txistorra, a sausage meat made from pork, can be roasted or fried, and Sakana produces the best txistorras in the country. The selection of gastronomic products is completed by other delights such as succulent meats or refreshing cider.
Festivities and traditions In Altsasu/Alsasua the main festivity is in honour of
Santa Águeda and is characterised by youthful exuberance and music and dances such as the
zortziko. Then there is the
carnival, with the
momotxorros - characteristic figures that seem to come from a prehistoric ritual - or the livestock fair in October, among other things. Another well-known festivity in the valley is the
Artzai Eguna [Day of the Shepherd] at Uharte-Arakil, which includes the Sheepdog Championship of Navarre and a competition to choose the best cheese.
We should make a special mention of one of the most outstanding features of the culture and idiosincrasy of the area:
euskera (the Basque language). It has been transmitted down through the generations and has official status along with Spanish in this area.
P.N Urbasa-Andía
