Sare walks

This beautiful hike will allow you to discover the most famous peaks of the Basque Country as you climb, as well as enjoy a wide view of the ocean.

With the beautiful village of Sare as its starting point, this hike showcases the built heritage, old stones, history and landscapes in a very varied loop where there is no room for monotony. From a sporting point of view, the climbs and descents follow one another without transition, never very long, but admittedly with a few steep sections that are sometimes quite tough. It takes a little effort to complete this varied circuit between the town hall square and the heights of the Col de Saint-Ignace. But above all, there are discoveries to be made along the way. Walking along the cobblestones of the old galtzada (medieval road) is a poignant introduction to the area's heritage, followed further on by an old wash house, the remains of Napoleonic redoubts and traditional houses and barns.

Starting from Sare, a beautiful little village in the Basque Country, a short hike allows you to discover the beautiful landscape around the village.

This is a short walk with no other aim than to spend a pleasant moment in a superb landscape and enjoy the peace and quiet of the wide open spaces of the Basque Country.

A very beautiful hike that climbs from Sare towards La Rhune and passes from pass to pass, offering remarkable views of the mountains, countryside and ocean.

Another way to climb La Rhune. You won't have to contend with the crowds on the more popular trails. Here, there are very few people, except for the locals.

Take a short tour of the Basque pig farm that gave rise to the Kintoa designation, with a picnic at the Ascain sheepfold.

This circular walk takes you to the Napoleonic redoubts used by Marshal Soult's army against Wellington's British troops in 1814. You can enjoy beautiful 360° views. Magnificent hundred-year-old oak trees line the route.

A hike that will lead you to one of the primary summits of the Pyrenees, offering you a view over the entire Basque country, French and Spanish.

La Rhune in a wide loop below Miramar. A little-used path to the Col des Trois Fontaines. A little longer, but easy and with much better views.

Starting from refreshing streams, a warm-up walk through chestnut and oak woods gradually reveals the other side of the Rhune, towering above the foggy plains iridescent with the first rays of the sun. After following a small canal, the route climbs into the open, widening the view of the hillsides. The slope becomes steeper along the edge of the forest, then along the border, before levelling out onto a wide, beautiful lawn. It is then time to climb the last slopes leading to the summit of Ibanteli. This summit offers a breathtaking 360° panorama of the Basque countryside, the ocean, the Rhune, the Col d'Ibardin, the Peñas de Hayas and, to the east, the Pyrenees and Atxuria. In this direction, you can also see the Lizarrieta border pass, which may be waiting for you for a refreshing break or a typical, hearty lunch..

A lovely, easy hike. Beautiful view from the summit.

A beautiful hike that allows you to admire many legendary peaks of the Basque Country and gain a better understanding of wood pigeon hunting.

Un itinéraire en boucle à travers les vallons qui entourent Sare en passant par la Redoute en étoile de Santa Barbara.

This beautiful loop, which takes you from the bottom of the valley to the peaks of Suhalmendi and Esnaur via the Basque pig trail, will allow you to discover many facets of the Basque Country.

This hike takes you up the Suhalmendi for a magnificent 360° view of the Pyrenees and the ocean. You'll also discover the Basque pig that makes such delicious hams and other charcuterie. There's also a nice little picnic area where you can enjoy your picnic.

This hike passes by a Basque pig farm, which produces Kintoa charcuterie and cured meats. Mount Esnaur offers a beautiful view of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ascain.

This is a short walk we did in October to discover the Esnaur and then gather some chestnuts along the pretty Arraioko Erreka stream.

A double loop around Bizkartzun allows you to discover this often overlooked waterfall.

A short detour takes you past the bottom of Esnaur, then Suhalmendi and finally up Bizkarzun, two peaks in Ascain dominated by the Rhune.

Route on the heights of Ibarron with a beautiful view of the Nivelle valley.

A beautiful walk around the village of Ainhoa, passing by an old fish farm

A pretty loop passing by the Santa Barbara cross with a view of the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Atxuria or Peña Plata is a beautiful peak with 100-metre cliffs on its southern face. Magnificent views of the Spanish mountains and the northern plains. There are numerous caves at its base. The most famous are those of Sare and Zugarramurdi, which were inhabited in the Palaeolithic era.

Starting from the caves of Sare (which are well worth a visit), the climb to this proud summit offers a magnificent panorama. The climb up the French side, which is sometimes steep, quickly takes you close to the summit ridge, which you follow to reach the top of Atxuria. The route continues opposite the village of Zugarramurdi, the village of witches, before plunging down the Spanish side. A wild crossing precedes a steeper descent back to the French side, passing at the foot of cliffs made up of countless brown-red ledges: overhanging, they serve as a refuge and nesting place for colonies of griffon vultures that fly over this idyllic pastoral landscape. As you approach the forest, the hundred-year-old beech trees and the refreshing company of streams give this gentle valley an enchanting air.

This is a very pretty hike that takes you up Atxuria or Peña Plata, a rocky peak above the caves of Sare. We will start near the caves. Etymologically speaking, Atxuria comes from aitz-xuria, meaning "white rock". To the south, it is called Peña Plata, or "silver peak", which comes from the light colour of the rock when the sun shines on it. This peak is a border peak. During this hike, we will be in Spain, in the part that goes around the peak.

These are three peaks, Bizkartzun, Zuhalmundi and Esnaur, clearly visible from Saint-Jean-de-Luz and located behind Ascain. Emblematic of the nearby hinterland, they each offer a superb 360° view of the coast, the Rhune and the Pyrenees further east. This route takes you up these peaks one after the other on an easy trail with steep sections, flat sections, scree, a bit of tarmac and dirt tracks, all in a stunning setting.

This hike allows you to discover Lake Saint-Pée, where there is a small beach where you can cool off before the last part of the route.

Nice hike to the top of La Rhune, along the pigeon fields, on the south side, avoiding the crowds and the little cogwheel train.

A lovely walk starting from the beautiful village of Les Sorcières. Magnificent views of the Basque peaks and the ocean in the distance.

This route starts at the Lizarieta Pass and goes around Ibanteli without passing through the Xokobia car park (the lowest point of a long loop). It offers the possibility of a half-day hike, without missing out on the magnificent views of the Basque valley and some legendary peaks.

This is a short version of the pidgeon hunting hut circuit (the long version starts at the bottom of the valley). Starting from the pass, the elevation gain is greatly reduced, but this does not detract from the magnificent views of the surrounding peaks, the valleys (French and Spanish) and the coast (Basque and Landes) in the distance. Information boards also provide a better understanding of wood pigeon hunting.

A beautiful hike offering superb views of the surrounding peaks and the ocean in the distance. In addition, you will pass through a fascinating archaeological site.