Day 2: Lesaka to Etxalar

From Lesaka this relatively short route runs high above the Bidasoa River Valley before gently ascending through woodland across a sparsely populated area of scattered farmhouses and verdant mountainous landscapes to the border ridge between the French Basque village of Sara and Etxalar on the Navarra side. This is the site of the ancient hunting towers and nets of Palomeras/Usategieta, used since bygone days to catch birds migrating southwards over the Pyrenees. From here a pretty descent through an ancient forest of oak and other trees brings us to the what many consider to be the best preserved of all the region’s villages – Etxalar, famous for its imposing church and cemetery containing traditional Basque discoidal headstones.

Overnight Etxalar

Day_2_Lesaka_to_Etxalar_basquecountrywalks

Day_2_Lesaka_to_Etxalar_basquecountrywalks

Day_2_Lesaka_to_Etxalar_altitude_gain_basquecountrywalks

Day_2_Lesaka_to_Etxalar_altitude_gain_basquecountrywalks

Distance/walking time/cumulative elevation gain:

15.6km / 4h05min / 670m approx