Mendialdea

To enjoy

Surrounded by forests and fields and sheltered beneath the Aralar and Urbasa mountains, the green valleys of Larraun, Basaburua, Imotz, Araitz, Ultzama, Leitzaran and Urumea make up a stunning natural landscape.

This is the ideal place to enjoy beautiful surroundings while staying in welcoming places, places to encourage calm and relaxation. Amid picturesque countryside and beauty spots to awaken all the senses. An essential starting point for some fascinating visits and excursions.

A distinctive culture, history both ancient and modern on all sides, satisfying cuisine and more. To revive both body and mind in direct contact with nature.

Timeless and hospitable, mendialdea is there to be enjoyed at any time of year, whether to get away for a short break or for longer stays to experience the attractions of all four seasons. Immerse yourself in the changing colours of our landscape and climate. We invite you to enjoy them.

The forests of Aralar and Mendialdea

We are in the north of Navarre, in a region divided into green valleys formed by the main rivers and surrounded by the mountains of Aralar, Urbasa and Andia.

These mountains and valleys, cloaked in an immense series of forests, form an exceptional natural setting in which people and nature have co-existed, shared, fought and worked since time immemorial.

This relationship has resulted in a way of being, a culture and a way of understanding nature and interpreting life which have made their mark over the years and continue to do so.

Forests of beech, ancient oak, chestnut and hazel, alive with wild boar, deer, owls and foxes; where people have left their traces in the form of ancient monasteries and dolmens, as well as pastures grazed by Latxa sheep, cattle and horses; magical woods hiding villages and hamlets, inhabited by people with a special way of understanding the world around them.

Walking, cycling or horse riding, or touring this exceptional landscape by car, talking to its people, experiencing its culture and observing its way of life are among the pleasures awaiting visitors.

What and where to eat

• Our valleys have attractions to awaken all your senses: beautiful places, the green textures of the landscape and evocative smells and tastes.
• You can see the powerfully distinctive traditional architecture in the small towns and villages dotted around the countryside.
• You can take in green meadows surrounded by forests of beech, oak, ferns, holly and hawthorn; flocks of sheep, cattle or horses alternating with wild board, deer and foxes; rivers and channels in which crystalline waters run; caves and crevasses revealing the bowels of the earth; protected areas and more.
• You can visit museums, farms, cheese makers, craft workshops and visitor centres, as well as going a little further afield to visit unique cities like Iruñea-Pamplona, Donostia-San Sebastian, Bilbao or the seaside towns and beaches of the Basque coast.