↔️ Distance: 17.2 km
📈 Unevenness (+640 m), (-580 m) 📉
🕒 Time: 4h55min (walking time non-stop)
⚠️ Difficulty: An easy stage between Burguete and Villanueva de Aezkoa. Part of the stage runs along tracks. The signposting is excellent.
The old route of the GR 11 ran through Roncesvalles and climbed the Ibañeta pass. This route has now been transferred to the GR12, with the GR11 running further south.
📌 (0h0min; 0kms) Burguete (890m). Next to the church of San Juan Bautista, the town hall and the pelota court, the red and white waymarks of the Senda Pirenaica start to the east. We follow a track that crosses the Aetzubi stream as soon as we leave it, which is crossed by a speed bump and a footbridge. Just after this we leave the track and turn left onto a path that climbs gently through the beech forest (Oiarburu path). About 2.5 kilometres from the start, on the edge of a meadow area, the path crosses a wire fence and turns sharply to the left. Pay attention at this point.
📌 (1h15min; 4.8kms) Nabala (1.013m). The path joins the track coming from Roncesvalles. We follow it to the right, going along the southern slope of Ortzanzurieta (1,566m), until we reach the...
📌 (1h40min; 7.2kms) Collado de Usateguieta (1020m). The track forks. On the left, it descends to the old Orbaizeta arms factory; on the right, it continues towards Aria. We leave it to continue straight on along a path that enters the pine forest. The path becomes steeper and thus reaches the highest point of the stage, near the top of...
📌 (2h20min; 9.3kms) Latxaga (1,210m). The path descends, joins a track and then crosses a small road at Aizartea, a wide hill occupied by fields of crops. Once again in the forest, you pass a pylon that you leave below on the left. The track has turned into a path that descends rapidly towards...
📌 (3h45min; 13.8kms) Orbara (750m)in the Aezkoa Valley. The marks cross Orbara and continue descending in search of the river Irati, which we cross over a beautiful medieval bridge. From here the path will be all uphill until the town of...
📌 (4h45min; 17.2kms) Hiriberri/Villanueva de Aezkoa (920m).
At the beginning of the stage, in Burguetewe recommend Pedroarena House (Tel: 848992525 / 948 13 08 89 / 619 444 207 / 680 879 679; ruralpili@gmail.com). Breakfast is offered, possibility to wash clothes by hand or machine.
4 kilometres from Orbara, in Aribethe Hotel Rural Aribeoffers the possibility of picking up walkers in Orbara or Hiriberri if requested in advance and taking them back the following morning.
At the end of the stage, in Hiriberri/Villanueva de Aezkoa: Aguerre Rural House.
- Alpina: Irati and Aezkoa Valleys (Scale: 1/25.000).
- SUA edizioak: Orreaga (Scale: 1/25.000) and Irati Forest (Scale: 1/25.000).
with everything you need to know before undertaking the Pyrenean Path
