Antsestegi – Burdiako kaskoa – Lizartzu – Mailarreta – Meatzetako Bizkarra

A series of five headlands near the Otxondo Pass offering lovely views of the Baztan and the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.90 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,237 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,237 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,615 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,169 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Take the N121B from Dantcharia towards the Otxondo Pass.
When you reach the pass, take the road on the left towards Gorramendi, which passes through a cattle grid.
Head to the starting point, which is a car park on the left-hand side of the road, just past a house.

(S/E) From the car park, head back onto the road heading west, then take a wide path branching off to the right.

(1) At the first junction, head straight on along thePR®-NA6 path.
At the next fork in the road, take the left-hand branch to reach the pass.

(2) Turn right towards the Antsestegi summit, following the ridge; climb over a fence using a ladder and ignore a path on the right (not shown on the map).
To reach this first summit, you’ll need to negotiate a few stepped sections on the rocks.

(3) Continue north-eastwards to make a large hairpin bend which is not marked on the ground, although it appears on the map.
The tip of this bend is the Antsestegi summit at 803m, marked by a bizarre sculpture.
Head back down to the left to go round a magnificent cluster of trees, then descend towards the pidgeon hunting huts.
At the plateau, head back up opposite, northwards towards the Burdiako Kaskoa summit, following the ridge line.

(4) Continue northwards to the next flat area, situated next to a cattle grid.

(5) At the junction, take the track on the right, then turn left at the next Fork in the road and climb north-east along the ridge towards the summit of Lizartzu.
The summit is marked by a triangulation point belonging to the Spanish Geographical Society.

(6) Descend via the same route and continue straight on towards the summit of Mailarreta.

(7) Descend back to the cattle grid you passed on the way up.

(5) Take the track on the right, then the first track on the left. At the top of the hill, the track becomes tarmac and rejoins the route taken on the way up.

(2) Take the path on the right towards the summit of Meatzetako Bizkarra.

(8) Head back down due south towards the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,169 ft - Car park by the roadside
  2. 1 : mi 0.31 - alt. 2,254 ft - First junction on the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 0.74 - alt. 2,320 ft - Second junction on the circular loop
  4. 3 : mi 1.04 - alt. 2,569 ft - Summit - Antsestegi
  5. 4 : mi 1.82 - alt. 2,297 ft - Summit - Burdiako kaskoa
  6. 5 : mi 1.98 - alt. 2,175 ft - Third junction on the circular loop
  7. 6 : mi 2.58 - alt. 2,575 ft - Summit - Lizartzu
  8. 7 : mi 3.05 - alt. 2,270 ft - Summit - Mailarreta
  9. 8 : mi 4.43 - alt. 2,359 ft - Summit - Meatzetako Bizkarra
  10. S/E : mi 4.9 - alt. 2,169 ft - Car park by the roadside

Notes

There are no water sources on this route.

Worth a visit

The Otxondo Pass is the starting point for a number of superb hikes offering beautiful views of the Basque coast and the Baztan Valley

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 2 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Jean-François Cimolino
Jean-François Cimolino

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk completed in 2 hours and 4 minutes

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cgarnier64
cgarnier64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike of moderate length; it climbs a little but isn’t difficult, with lovely views of the surrounding mountainous countryside and the ocean in the distance. We walked an extra kilometre: we had to weave our way through the cows to avoid getting too close to any of them, as there were so many and not all of them were particularly calm. Plus a few pottoks and sheep.

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