Narbalatz pass loop from Etxalar

A beautiful hike from a delightful Basque-Spanish village over the passes, with magnificent views on both sides of the border.

Details

2426412
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 532 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 534 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 523 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 97 m

Description of the walk

_ Start _: park near the Etxalar church.

(S/E) Take the NA-4400 road heading East then North. After approx. 600 m, turn right.

(1) 50m further on, keep left to follow the red-and-white signs, heading North-East.

(2) After about 1 hour's walk, turn right at the signs, then 20m further on, turn left towards Arxuria, uphill, still following the red-and-white signs.

(3) Reach the "palombières" trail and take it to the right. Pass between a large hunters' hut and a drinking-water fountain. Continue to border marker no. 50 at Col de Lakaingo.

(4) At the pass, turn right onto a downhill path. The sign reads "Etxalar".

(5) About 150m further on, turn left towards Arxuria. Always follow the red and white signs.

(6) After a farmhouse, notice an old lime kiln on the right and continue along this path.

(7) Further on, a sign indicates that the path goes off to the right. 250m further on, at a fountain and a grove equipped for picnics, turn left to climb up.

(8) About 1km further on, at a sign indicating Etxalar, turn right. The path immediately passes to the left of a sheep pen. Go downhill and when you reach the road, go straight ahead.

At a sharp left-hand bend, turn right, then 50 m further on, turn left. Continue along this path, which crosses the Arrun stream on a delightful little bridge.

Pass through a hamlet of typical Navarrese houses, past a wash-house and return to the road you came on.

(1) Turn left to return to the village centre (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 99 m - Etxalar church square
  2. 1 : km 0.54 - alt. 100 m - Carrefour de la boucle
  3. 2 : km 3.34 - alt. 423 m - Crossroads with signs
  4. 3 : km 3.77 - alt. 475 m - Pidgeon hunting hut trail
  5. 4 : km 4.44 - alt. 478 m - Lakaingo Pass
  6. 5 : km 4.61 - alt. 454 m - Left fork
  7. 6 : km 5.45 - alt. 413 m - Lime kiln.
  8. 7 : km 5.96 - alt. 443 m - Right to the sign
  9. 8 : km 6.91 - alt. 522 m - To the right of the Etxalar sign
  10. 9 : km 9.89 - alt. 218 m - To the right of the bend
  11. S/E : km 11.46 - alt. 99 m - Etxalar church square

Notes

_ Please note _: there aredDrinking water points before the Col de Lakaingo and in front
of the picnic grove.

Worth a visit

The village of Etxalar is well worth a stroll.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Zind
Zind

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hiking route in the mid-range mountains with magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and hills, and views of the beautiful village of Etxalar along the way. Halfway along the route, there is a very muddy section due to ongoing deforestation.

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machelé
machelé
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

1 - The Chemin des pidgeon hunting huts towards the Col de Nabarlatz is closed during the hunting season, between 1 October and 24 November 2025.
2 - The PR.NA 15 "Atxuria", north of Zulubi, is impassable for 800 metres due to forestry work.
3 - This same path, at the end of the circular loop back to Etxalar, is a dangerous and slippery 800 m steep slope.

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mayayi
mayayi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, perhaps not to be done in winter as there is a lot of mud. The return is a little tricky as it is very steep.

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miguel5364
miguel5364

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk, sheltered from the sun for the most part, but the end is a little tricky if the ground is slippery.

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Martine et Patrick
Martine et Patrick

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Most of the walk is in the forest, which is great for a hot day. Beautiful views from the pass over the landscape, in particular towards the Rhune and the Lizarrieta pass. A few people on the track coming from Les Palombieres, then no more. To be avoided in wet weather as the last part of the descent is likely to be very muddy.

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