Alkurruntz from Col d'Otxondo

Beautiful ascent to an accessible summit offering 360° views of the sea and mountains.

Details

363146
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.09 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 332 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 333 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 910 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 567 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Cross the border at Dantcharia. Continue on the N-121-B and climb a few kilometers to the Col D' Otxondo. Start to descend into the Baztan valley and after 500m turn right at a picnic area. From here, turn left onto the small NA-4453 road, follow it for 700m and find a small car park on the left. Leave the cars.

(S/E) Turn left to the South-East on a track that runs horizontally into a forest. After about 2km, come to the "Baztan" information sign.

(1) Leave the track and go straight ahead (North-West) on a path which, after 150m, rejoins the track and saves you a tedious switchback. Continue uphill.

(2) On the left, you'll see a "shooting camp" sign, and 50m further on, a welcoming hunters' hut that can be used as a shelter if required (leave it clean if you want to keep it freely accessible). A drinking water point is also available. Return to the trail and continue uphill. 100m further on, at a fork in the road, take the right-hand turn and continue up this track. The Alkuruntz is in sight! 70m after a round barbed-wire fence, turn right onto the zig-zag path leading up to the summit (934m).

(3) Near the summit, reach the entrance to a pedestrian tunnel marked "fortaleza", a vestige of the surveillance line erected by Franco's army. With a flashlight, you can enter this tunnel and reach two watchtower rooms with loopholes. Come out again. To the right of the tunnel entrance, near the ruins of former weapons rooms, a path rises to the summit marked by a large cairn.

Go back down to the tunnel entrance and turn right (South-West) onto the path leading to the pass (818m). Turn right onto a path that runs horizontally northwards and reaches two menhirs.

(4) The path crosses a boulder pile and then descends steeply on the ridge to the cars (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 582 m - Parking by the road NA-4453
  2. 1 : km 2.29 - alt. 707 m - Baztan sign opposite
  3. 2 : km 2.68 - alt. 751 m - Hunters' hut
  4. 3 : km 4.07 - alt. 896 m - Fortaleza
  5. 4 : km 5.39 - alt. 754 m - Menhirs
  6. S/E : km 6.09 - alt. 582 m - Parking by the road NA-4453

Notes

Start: Cross the border at Dantcharia. Continue on the N-121-B and climb a few kilometers to the Col D' Otxondo. Start to descend into the Baztan valley and after 500m turn right at a picnic area. From here, turn left onto the small NA-4453 road, follow it for 700m and find a small car park on the left. Leave the cars.

Facilities: Drinking water and shelter at the hunters' hut : 700m before reaching the starting point at the picnic area: barbecues, stone tables and benches, drinking water and toilets.

Gears: Bring a torch to visit the "Fortaleza" tunnel.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 27 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 6978815

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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Murielle Biez
Murielle Biez

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful hike! No difficulty at all. Well signposted. The bunker is well worth a visit. The mountain is magnificent!
In short, it was a superb hike.

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Gibi64
Gibi64

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike offering magnificent views of the Basque coast. However, strong winds prevented us from reaching the summit of Alkurruntz safely.

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User 21229135
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike!
We followed the route using the map.
We did it in the opposite direction to the one suggested: we preferred a steeper, more direct climb and a gentler, more relaxing descent.

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mizel.
mizel.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
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 a few interesting sights
Easy to access, easy hike, beautiful views of the valley and the coast

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Raphaël33
Raphaël33

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike to do with children! The climb is gradual and the path is very easy to walk on. Surrounded by sheep, pottoks and cows 😁
Magnificent view of the surrounding Pyrenees mountains and the sea.
Camp at the foot of the peak and enjoy a superb sunset.

A useful tip for the return journey from the peak (as there are quite a few different paths to take): descend to a signpost and follow the directions for Lizarmeaka.

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beñatugartemendia
beñatugartemendia

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very well applied, precise, perfect!

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User 26387447

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with my two daughters, aged 4 and 7.
It took us about two and a half hours (including breaks) to reach the summit. We camped at the top, at the entrance to the tunnel. I can confirm that there is a water source near the hunting cabin.
At the summit, there was a magnificent view of the mountains, the Rhune and the sea. We were all alone.
Then it took us an hour to get back down to the car park.
I highly recommend it!

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Jean-François Cimolino
Jean-François Cimolino

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful hike that took 2 hours and 5 minutes. Don't forget a headlamp for the tunnels at the summit, which are very interesting.

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Jean-Bernard
Jean-Bernard
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a very nice, easy walk that takes you to the summit and allows you to enjoy the superb views all along the way. A headlamp is essential for the tunnel crossing (15/20 min), which unfortunately I didn't have.

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Lannemi
Lannemi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy 2.5-hour circuit via the summit of Alkurruntz. There was virtually no shade the whole way. We weren't able to get very far into the tunnel because of the strong smells and muddy ground caused by the ewes that had been there.
A morning walk to finish with a good picnic and barbecue at the picnic site.
The walk can start at the picnic point if you don't mind walking an extra 700m to the starting point and 700m back.

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JLG64
JLG64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A simple, pleasant walk in sunny weather. The children loved visiting the sentry boxes at the end of the tunnel on the Alkurruntz.

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Noni
Noni

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Weak explanation of the route. We weren't able to do the proposed loop, as the explanations were not sufficiently precise given the average visibility. So we returned the same way.

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Castelet
Castelet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fantastic walk with magnificent views. The climb is easy and the descent a little steep. We saw potioks, a pair of mila, a family of vultures... Don't be afraid to enter the gallery that leads to two blockhouses. You can get through with the telescope, but it's a bit tight!

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balade montagne
balade montagne

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

it would have been a very nice walk, if the descent to the cars was very difficult to find, especially from 4 onwards, even
even if you followed the route with the map on your phone.
After climbing up and down to find our way, we managed to find the path back to the start! Too bad

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