To visit the Natural Parks of Bizkaia is a privilege. Nature worthy of being discovered. To go through its paths is an experience for the senses, an opportunity to discover the way of life of the people in the towns you find along the road.
Abrupt, green, rocky, and with the 1330 meters of Anboto mountain dominating the scene. That is Urkiola, a very Basque Natural Park. Legend has it that on the vertical wall of Anboto Mountain lived “Mari”, queen of all the genies.
In the park, apart from the valleys, precipices, and rocks, there is the Sanctuary of Urkiola, a pilgrim destination for those in desperate search of a partner. The ritual consists in going three times around the rock located there.
All these surroundings pivot around the mountain range of the same name, which is 854 meters high. It is located at Las Encartaciones, which shares a border with Cantabria. There are over 200 caves and chasms in the park, but the most famous are the Caves of Pozalagua, with the biggest quantity of eccentric stalactites in the world.
It is located halfway between Bizkaia and Araba. The central peak of the park also gives name to the surroundings. It is Gorbeia, which is 1482 meters high. It completes the green offering of the park with grassy areas, beech forests and oak woods. It also has caves, like Mairulegorreta, with over 12 kilometers of passages.
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