Hoxahandia and Azkonbegi from the Col des Palombières

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This beautiful hike offers 360° views of many of the peaks of the Basque Country.

Details

n°1916745
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.98 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 366 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 373 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 571 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 208 m
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Photos

Departure
Rocky descent
Chapel of Saint Cyprian of Carthage
Wild horses

Description of the walk

By road, coming from the coast, take the D918 towards Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. After Itxassou, turn left to cross Louhossoa towards the Baïgoura leisure centre, continue and reach the D22. Turn right, pass Irissarry and Suhescun. After about 1.5 km, turn left towards Col des Palombières. Park in the Col des Palombières car park.

(S/E) Take the path on the left that climbs north-west, along the pidgeon hunting huts. A small yellow sign indicates Azkonbegi; follow this colour. After about 100 metres, go around the fence on the left. Cross a crossroads. The path climbs steeply. Pass the Haltzako lepoa track junction. At the second fence, go around it on the left and continue climbing to reach a plateau.

(1) Just before a small pigeon hunting hut, take the path that climbs gently to the left and passes through an archaeological site. Climb towards the summit of Harribeltza. The prehistoric site is nearby (not easy to spot).

(2) From the top, look for a horse enclosure made of galvanised metal, slightly below and to the north. You will arrive at a crossroads with the Ixtilzarreta trail. Go past it and continue along the horizontal trail. You will reach a three-way junction a few metres further on

(3) Go up to the right. This path will climb and pass over the ridge to reach the summit of Hoxchandia.

(4) Then descend along the south-east path. Caution: the descent is steep and rocky for a while. At the bottom, reach the junction with the track.

(5) Take it to the right, heading south-west. Continue along this track, ignoring the adjacent paths. You will reach a large fork at a place called Pagotto, just after the houses of Lakoko Borda.

(6) Descend to the right along the wide track and reach Azkonbegi.

(7) At the end of the village, cross the small road and take the small shaded path opposite, heading south, which then climbs up to the edge of the woods, heading south-east. Follow this path until you reach the Palombières car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 338 m - Car park at the Col des Palombières
  2. 1 : km 1.71 - alt. 499 m - Fork in the road before the plumber's shop
  3. 2 : km 2.15 - alt. 521 m - Prehistoric site
  4. 3 : km 2.79 - alt. 507 m - Three-way junction
  5. 4 : km 3.99 - alt. 571 m - Hoxchandia summit
  6. 5 : km 5.08 - alt. 343 m - Junction with the trail
  7. 6 : km 6.09 - alt. 277 m - Crossroads
  8. 7 : km 6.89 - alt. 208 m - Exit the village
  9. S/E : km 8.98 - alt. 338 m - Car park at the Col des Palombières

Notes

There is no shelter or water outside the village.
Check the wood pigeon hunting season in the 64 department.

Worth a visit

When leaving the car park, note the masts used to hold the nets for wood pigeon hunting.

(1) Note: To be honest, the prehistoric site is disappointing and can be avoided by continuing along the track to the small pidgeon hunting hut.

(5) On the left, a few trees provide shelter from the sun and wind for picnickers.
From the same spot, the more adventurous can climb Mendibile; the direct, steep route is obvious.

(7) The small village of Azkonbegi is charming. You can ask for the key to the 12th-century Church of Saint Cyprian at the Alegera house.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 29 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
lasserre
lasserre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, easy with fabulous scenery.
Used the app, so no problems with the route.
Beautiful sunny day. Informative encounter with wood pigeon hunters using nets.

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Fremen
Fremen

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with sublime views. For the route, it's best to start at the right place, as the yellow markings are much more visible. But for the steep climb over rocks (before point 4), it's best to do this hike in reverse. I recommend it! Done in very good weather.

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Mano33
Mano33

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that can be done in reverse order to the description.
Once at the top, there is a 360° view of the Pyrenees.
The small, well-maintained cemetery in Azkombegi is a place worth discovering.

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yannthai
yannthai

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with varied landscapes. We did it in the opposite direction, which allowed us to see that there are yellow markings. At the summit of Hoxahandia, there is a 360° panorama and you can see all the peaks. We descended directly, heading east without turning back. Of course, this shortens the route by a kilometre and a half. The path is fairly well marked. The Ascombegui chapel can be visited by asking for the key as indicated on the door, but what is really worth seeing is the cemetery with its ancient tombs.

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Olivier G.
Olivier G.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route, easy. I imagine the views are magnificent, but rain and clouds were the order of the day. No problem finding a spot in the car park by the pidgeon hunting huts.

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pastrouver
pastrouver

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

3.5 hours (with a snack break) Beautiful hike: stunning scenery, pottoks, sheep, even a vulture. It had rained the day before, so the ground was sticky and slippery in places. Take care on the rocky descent. A little physically demanding, but not too much. The GPS track is very useful at times (as is often the case). Perfect

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Marc bouchs
Marc bouchs
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 01, 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 short hike under a slightly overcast sky, which unfortunately limited the view of the Pyrenees, but there were still some beautiful views of the beautiful Basque countryside. We did the route in reverse to climb up the rocky path, which was quiet, very pleasant and peaceful

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Benoit Marly
Benoit Marly

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 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 route with superb views, herds of cattle and pottoks, and a really enjoyable finish in the shade of oak and beech trees. Two points to note: the start is a bit tough and there are no water points. Definitely worth doing again!

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Emouvante
Emouvante

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first part of the descent was chaotic. The scenery was magnificent, and it was a pleasure to see all kinds of animals, both four-legged and winged. The return through the forest was very poetic

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Lorenzinho2310
Lorenzinho2310

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route with magnificent views of the Pyrenees.
Very easy to follow (except perhaps between points 2 and 3).

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Vincent Lafori
Vincent Lafori

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent outing to shake off the cobwebs. No difficulties, very pretty views.

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Patrick Itxassou
Patrick Itxassou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Trip taken yesterday (17 December) in very sunny weather.
Beautiful landscapes and views.
This is a hike best enjoyed in winter as there is little elevation gain and the summit is not very high.
A little short for a day: 9.5 km for about 3 hours and 50 minutes

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xiberotarra
xiberotarra

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note: in a few days, and until around 11 November, the Lantabat net hunting season will prevent you from doing this hike. This route is a little more challenging than the one suggested by Taboulechat in the opposite direction. Both are interesting, with superb 360° views from the summit of Hoxahandia: Ossau, Pic d'Anie, Orhy, Jara, Baigura, Crêtes d'Iparla, Artzamendi and the view towards the ocean. This hike is fairly easy in all seasons. Thanks to Jacques Bomassi for this suggestion.

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annette aupy
annette aupy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

pleasant tour in this beautiful region

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PJP Bidache
PJP Bidache

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An interesting route with beautiful views of Bayonne and other sights at certain points. The route is very quiet
and therefore poorly signposted. You will need GPS to avoid getting lost

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