Xorroxin waterfall and Inarbegi dolmen from Erratzu

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Beautiful hike in the Southern Basque Country (Navarra).
Discover a refreshing waterfall and a touching dolmen.
Beautiful farmhouses in pure Navarrese style.

Details

n°482319
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 388 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 387 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 600 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 328 m
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Photos

Erratzu
Main waterfall
Local ewes
the Navarrese countryside

Description of the walk

To get to the start by car:
Cross the border at Dantxaria, continue on the N-121B, which climbs to the Col d'Otxondo, then descends again, passing near Amaiur.
A little further down, reach Erratzu on the left of the road. In this village, turn right at the "Cascada Xorroxin" sign.
Shortly after the school, ignore the car park on the right and turn left into the Gorostapolo district.
Go as far as the small square with a fountain and a pediment to park.
Moderator's comment: see reviews for alternative car parks.

(S/E) Go back down the village street to the little chapel. Turn right, as indicated on the sign. Cross a river on a stone bridge.

(1) At the crossroads, go straight ahead. A little further on, at the three-way junction, keep to the right, then cross a 2nd bridge. Reach the first waterfall.

(2) If the water flow is not too strong, cross the river and turn left to reach the second waterfall, which is the most beautiful.

(3) If the water flow is too strong, do not cross and take a narrow path (slippery in wet weather) on the right, overhanging the river. 50m further on is a small lookout from which you can admire the waterfall. Make a U-turn and retrace your steps to the crossroads.

(1) At the crossroads, turn right (Yellow and White markings). Before an overhanging barn on the left, turn right down the path (marked).

(4) Cross a river on a footbridge, then the well-paved path rises. Ford a stream, the path undulates gently. Ford a stream again, and the path, still marked and paved, rises and joins a road.

(5) Take this road on the right. Ignore the 1st path on the left.

(6) Take the 2nd path up on the left, signposted Sorginetxoa, and the dolmen is immediately there. Immediately after the dolmen, go downhill to join the road, which continues on the left. After a few bends, take the 1st road down to the right.

(7) In a left-hand bend, take the track on the right, marked in Yellow and White.
Descend and cross the river, then climb the other side of the valley (Yellow and White markings). Ford a stream before reaching a barn. Continue on this Yellow and White marked trail.

(8) On a downhill slope, turn right off this signposted path and descend to the village (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 363 m - Small square near the pediment and fountain
  2. 1 : km 0.65 - alt. 353 m - Crossing with signs
  3. 2 : km 1.09 - alt. 373 m - First waterfall
  4. 3 : km 1.23 - alt. 379 m - Belvedere
  5. 4 : km 2.41 - alt. 425 m - River crossing (footbridge)
  6. 5 : km 4.32 - alt. 564 m - Junction with a road
  7. 6 : km 5.17 - alt. 600 m - Dolmen
  8. 7 : km 5.84 - alt. 527 m - Left yaw
  9. 8 : km 10.27 - alt. 465 m - Leave the signpost on the right
  10. S/E : km 10.88 - alt. 363 m - Small square near the pediment and fountain

Notes

Please note: there are plenty of streams to cool off in, but not to quench your thirst.

Beware: in wet weather, the small path overhanging the river to reach the lookout (3) can be risky
for some people.

Warning: the water in the fountain at (S/E) is not drinkable.

Worth a visit

The surrounding villages are very beautiful...Amaiur in particular is well worth a visit.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 41 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Didier Bigarrena
Didier Bigarrena

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We had trouble finding a parking space near the fronton. A woman at her window threatened to call the police if we parked in front of her house.

We moved on and had no further problems.

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Pa ger
Pa ger
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, accessible walk that follows the watercourse in shady surroundings, starting from the pretty village of Erratzu and culminating in the beautiful waterfall. Highly recommended in hot weather.

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Hijo
Hijo
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk.
Rather shady and not too demanding.
Marking not easy, you have to be careful not to miss the junctions.

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J-P 64
J-P 64

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Arriving at the village of ERRATZU at 9am, we had to be vigilant for the faint landmark. A good reading of the map and a good sense of direction helped.
The walk was in the opposite direction, so there was almost no traffic. And the passage of several streams made the walk pleasant.
We arrived at the waterfalls at around midday, where we were greeted by a huge crowd.

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Jean-Bernard
Jean-Bernard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

To be done in high summer as it is almost always in undergrowth. A bit of a drive but overall a pleasant walk with a dip in the waterfall if you find a place in the basin! Avoid bathing on the weekend.

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Emouvante
Emouvante

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The first part of the tour to the waterfalls brings visitors, but we're alone in the world for the rest of the way, and the forest is magical!

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alain947
alain947

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

now you can't go up to gorostapolo, it's a one-way street. i've been there before so i went anyway. i think you should go from erratzu. lots of people but they only go as far as the waterfall. after that there's no-one.

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Rando du mardi ou jeudi
Rando du mardi ou jeudi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Lovely walk. I can confirm that you have to start from the village of Erratxu. Parking well indicated. About 4 km of extra walking.

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Castelet
Castelet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a beautiful, little-used walk beyond the waterfall. But it's important to understand that the start is now from ERRATZU, so there are 4 km more.
Perhaps the walk should be done in the opposite direction, allowing you to walk in the open in the morning and in the shade in the afternoon... finishing at the waterfall. The description mentions a path leading up to a lookout on the other side of the river. This no longer exists following a landslide.
As for the dolmen, the covering stone has slipped to one side. Only 3 stones remain to form the walls of the central room.

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flojoal
flojoal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's not possible to park at the fronton (there's a no-parking sign as you leave the village of Erratzu), so you have to park at Erratzu (a large car park), which is also much easier. This adds around 4km to the return journey and a bit of a climb, but there's a signposted path out of the village that's really pleasant to follow and leads to the waterfall. On the way back, there's no need to make the diversions via Gorostapolo either, as the path continues directly towards the village. There are plenty of people up to the waterfall, but hardly anyone to do the long loop. A wonderful discovery!

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VL2
VL2

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with no major difficulties. I did, however, have a bit of trouble getting to the foot of the waterfalls because I hadn't understood that you have to go "round the back". Once I found the right path, no problem.

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IHATZEKO LAGUNAK
IHATZEKO LAGUNAK

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

You have to look for and find the markings (yellow) because the vegetation has covered them up....

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Ariane81
Ariane81

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a lovely walk in Spanish countryside, which the children really enjoyed: saying "ola" to the people we met made them very happy. On the other hand, you have to park at the cemetery and therefore add 2.5km to the walk, making a total of 5km: hard on the children's legs, but we were delighted to do this beautiful walk and see the waterfalls. The dolmen is disappointing though... remember to save some of it to visit Erratzu, which is magnificent, as well as the village of Arizkun across the road from the cemetery. Really lovely. Thank you

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mamoima64
mamoima64

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Most of the route is shaded, ideal for hot weather. You can swim at the waterfall. The signposting is average, and in Spain is often faulty, but with a good sense of direction, it's fairly easy to find your way around the two sides of the mountains on which you are walking, with the river in the middle. As for the description, Gorostapolo is a village, not a district, so you have to leave Erratzu, go to Gorostapolo and park there. This is a complicated task, as the village road is paved in the old-fashioned way, with narrow alleyways, so you have to park where you can.
Highly recommended, as the scenery is green and pleasant, and there is a total absence of motor noise or pollution.....only the birds and the waterfall can be heard.

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Teilaria
Teilaria

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

LOVELY WALK, A LITTLE CROWDED AT THE WATERFALL. I RECOMMEND DOING IT DURING THE WARMER PERIODS AS IT IS WELL SHADED.
FOR PARKING, PARK NEAR THE ERRATZU CEMETERY.

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