Valle de Roncal

Where the River Ezka winds its way through deep beech forests and the vast, rocky expanse of the Larra massif, time does not move forward: it stands still. In the Roncal Valley, the atmosphere is felt in the slow transition from the forest’s shade to the peaks that hold up the horizon, and in the shared silence of seven villages that still bear the mark of transhumance and the ancient art of the almadías. It is a place where scattered barns and the constant murmur of the streams compose a barely audible melody. Everything here seems arranged so that the mountain reveals itself little by little.

What to see in the Roncal Valley?

The route becomes a way of interpreting the landscape and its history.  

• Larra Massif and Belagua Valley: A natural observation area where eroded formations and limestone create one of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe. Belagua is recognised as the only glacial valley in Navarre.
• Mesa de los Tres Reyes: At 2,428 metres, it is the highest point in Navarre and a landmark for mountaineering in the Pyrenees.
• Julián Gayarre’s Heritage: In the capital, Roncal , you’ll find the House-Museum dedicated to the tenor and his mausoleum in the cemetery, a marble and bronze work by Mariano Benlliure that won an award in Paris.
• Ethnographic museums: The Casa de la Memoria in Isaba preserves the history of the ‘golondrinas’ (mountain shepherds) and the shepherds, whilst the Museo de la Almadía in Burgui documents the technique of river timber transport.
• Foz de Burgui: A nature reserve that is home to a significant colony of rock-dwelling birds and offers a view of the powerful erosion of the Ezka.
• Religious heritage: Among others, the fortress church of San Cipriano in Isaba and the church of Santa Engracia in Uztárroz stand out; the latter houses the finest Baroque organ in the region.