L'Autza from the Col d'Ispeguy and return via the Olhateko Kaskoa ridge

This is a very beautiful hike that takes us to the first peak over 1,300 m from the ocean. It passes through very varied landscapes along the way. At the Col d'Elhorieta, there is an important megalithic site (cromlechs) that is worth a short detour. At the summit, there is a beautiful 360° view. The return trip along the ridges is truly magnificent in good weather.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 747 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 740 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,304 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 657 m

Photos

Description of the walk

In Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, after the church, head towards the Col d'Ispéguy. Park at the pass, in the car park next to the venta.

(S/E) The car park overlooks the Ispéguy ravine, and the hike begins at its southern end. A well-marked trail in red and white (GR® cross-border) starts on the hillside towards the south-east. Initially open, this path winds its way through a magnificent beech forest for just under two kilometres on a gentle slope until it leaves the woods. The trail is well marked throughout. This brings you to the Nekaizeko Lepoa Pass (view of the Autza opposite).

(1) Pass to the left of an enclosure. At its end, leave theGR® as it is better to take a clearly visible contour line in the grass (south-west) on your left. This avoids going down into the ravine and climbing back up the other side. This contour line joins the Col d'Elhorrieta and theGR® left above.

(2) At the pass, leave the road on your left and climb the ridge, following the west-southwest and then southwest markings again, along the edge of the forest. The climb is very steep and at times runs close to the cliff, offering magnificent views. Leave the woods, then re-enter them a little further on. Exit the woods for good onto a grassy area to the right of the Haarrigorri peak after a fairly steep climb through the forest. You can visit the peak by climbing the grassy slope on the left.

(3) Head south-west towards large rocks.

(4) Take a south-westerly path, still marked in red and white, which joins the grassy ridge of Autza.

(5) Leave the cross-borderGR® trail, which descends to the left, and follow the ridge to the right (north-west). Initially grassy, it becomes stony. The climb is quite difficult in these rock piles. Many paths wind their way through, marked by numerous cairns, to the summit of Autza (splendid 360° view). Several secondary summits

(6) Descend the ridge in the opposite direction, taking care in foggy weather, as it is easy to stray from the south-east route (a compass or GPS track is really useful in this case).

(5) Follow the same route back to the Nekaizeko Lepoa pass.

(1) Then take a path on the left towards the Col d'Olate. Head north then north-northeast (orange marker posts).

(7) At the pass, take the path down to the left (north-west), then turn sharply right towards the north (orange markings). Descend the wooded border ridge via a well-marked path heading north and pass several pidgeon hunting huts. Leave the woods and, after about fifteen minutes, you will come to a fork at around 840 m. The path on the left, still marked in orange, leads to the Col d'Ispeguy in a different way.

(8) For the beauty of the landscape, take the path on the right, marked with a cross. Follow the ridge from Olhateko Kaskoa, with a series of small ascents and descents, to a small summit that you should not climb.

(9) Take the path on the right that descends into the woods (east-northeast). This path enters the forest and becomes quite steep and gravelly (be careful not to slip). When you reach the flat area and a sort of shelter, probably used by hunters, turn completely right at a right angle. A little further on, this path turns completely to the left and reaches a narrow passage still covered with dead leaves, where the trail becomes a little difficult to follow. You can see the ventas (shepherds' huts) of the pass below. Reach them without really following a path between the trees to get to the Col d'Ispéguy car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 670 m - Car park - Col d'Ispéguy (672m)
  2. 1 : km 2.31 - alt. 816 m - Col Nekaitz
  3. 2 : km 2.97 - alt. 831 m - Col d'Elhorrieta (831m)
  4. 3 : km 3.84 - alt. 1,086 m - Grassy area directly below - Harrigorri
  5. 4 : km 4.02 - alt. 1,125 m - Large rocks
  6. 5 : km 4.23 - alt. 1,143 m - Grassy ridge of Autza
  7. 6 : km 4.74 - alt. 1,303 m - Summit of - Autza
  8. 7 : km 7.66 - alt. 892 m - Col d'Olate
  9. 8 : km 8.2 - alt. 832 m - Fork
  10. 9 : km 8.57 - alt. 837 m - Unnamed summit
  11. S/E : km 9.17 - alt. 670 m - Car park - Col d'Ispéguy (672m)

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

4.9 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
lasserre
lasserre

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike with immense panoramic views. Return via the same route as on the way there.
No problems with the description using the app and GR markings on the "outward" route. Some steep climbs and detours due to fallen trees. Few people, one wild boar hunt but a few gusts of wind. I recommend it.

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LM64
LM64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Sunday hike in good weather, there were quite a few people but it was reasonable except at the pass where everyone comes in big cars and big motorbikes that make a hell of a racket... It's better to stay at the top! Beautiful 360° scenery!

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Domidu4054
Domidu4054

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, made easy by the presence of snow after the forest.
Strong winds at the summit.

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Petian64
Petian64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Return via the same route as the outward journey because it was raining on the way back and I wanted to avoid the ridges
However, the hike is listed as 9.17 km, but our pedometer showed almost 13 km

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Philippe Le B
Philippe Le B

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views during the climb and at the summit. Two very steep sections, at the entrance to the forest and the final climb, made even more difficult by the strong wind throughout the ascent. (After talking to local hikers, I learned that wind is very common on this summit). A pleasant return trip, with a mention for the passage at the unnamed summit on the ridge, where you feel like you're alone in the world.
The Viso rando route is clear and I was able to follow it without difficulty.
I recommend this hike despite the strong winds you may encounter near the summit

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cgarnier64
cgarnier64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A few rather steep climbs and descents, but it's worth the effort because even on a parish-specific to Brittany cloudy day, the views of the mountains and valleys were beautiful. The field of standing stones at the summit was quite astonishing. We encountered more sheep and spotted more vultures than hikers (3-4).

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baugustin
baugustin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a superb view.

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MICHEL.SOL
MICHEL.SOL

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The Basque Country is fantastic! The return trip along the ridge is magical and peaceful. A beautiful day with temperatures of 30°C in the shade down in the plains!

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Jean-François THOMAS
Jean-François THOMAS

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike in the Basque mountains.
Be careful on certain sections of the trail, which can be a little slippery.

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fdurinck@hotmail.com
fdurinck@hotmail.com

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

perfect hike:

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GSMN
GSMN

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route that should be done in good weather and without wind if possible, as it can be very windy up there!
The descent is quite challenging, especially when it's wet, so take it slowly to avoid getting your trousers dirty.
The last part of the return journey via the Olhateko ridges is superb and easy.
Thank you for this beautiful hike. When we got back to the car park, our legs were tired, but it was so worth it!!!

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GERMAINY
GERMAINY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with a mix of forest and open terrain. I followed the route in the recommended direction (see comments for the reverse direction) because the forest trail is magnificent in the morning light.
The climb becomes steep as you approach the summit. The path quickly becomes muddy, especially on the climb through the woods after the Elhorrietia pass. Quite busy even on this Sunday in January.

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Chrisana
Chrisana

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike. A magnificent 360° view of the ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range from the summit. We recommend doing the loop from Ispéguy, starting with the return leg, as described below by Altis.

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Thierry BORDABERRY
Thierry BORDABERRY

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike.
There is an error in the guidebook: on the way back, the fork where you have to take the cross (and not follow the orange arrows) is immediately at the edge of the woods and not a quarter of an hour later.
A few tricky sections due to the accumulation of dead leaves.

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naturaliste6942
naturaliste6942

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We were really pleased with this guidebook, which led us to a very beautiful summit in the Basque Country.
Many thanks

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