Olatz and Lastur valleys
Valleys that enclose ancestral traditions
We are committed to the environment and work towards sustainable tourism.
That is why we are taking measures in this direction. More information
We transmit to our visitors the values of a UNESCO Geopark.
- You will learn about the geological phenomena of the tidal flats and the biodiversity of the area, a unique ecosystem inhabited by more than 250 species
- The activity is based on the interpretation of the natural environment, observing and discovering how the different species live in this complex ecosystem
- We transmit how to conserve and protect the different forms of life with small day-to-day actions.
Karst paradise, where silence can be heard
Not everything is flysch and cliffs in the Basque Coast Geopark. It is enough to drive a few kilometers away from the coastline and enter the most rural Euskadi, in a completely different environment, in a completely different world. We enter fully into the world of karst.
Here silence reigns, here reigns the limestone and the constant erosion caused by watercourses, streams and torrents that with great patience and precision, have perforated and modeled on a whim karst valleys such as Olatz (Mutriku) and Lastur (Deba-Itziar). These small valleys, dotted with bends and sinkholes, are known as "closed" valleys, as they apparently have no natural and visible outlet for the waters that flow through them.
The secret lies in the subway limestone labyrinth that underlies the striking green mantle that covers the valleys, which makes the different watercourses ?lost? in caves and chasms that lead to a world that is still not fully known today.
Undoubtedly, this geological enclosure has always conditioned life and human activity in these valleys dotted with hamlets, places where agricultural and livestock activity continues to be the main source of sustenance and food.
Symbiosis in such an abrupt environment is not easy, it is not easy to coexist in places where time seems to have stopped forever.
However, time, calm, isolation and quiet are the best allies to preserve ancestral traditions: Get ready to learn about the history of the Plazaola mills in Lastur, living witnesses of ancient rural forges that harnessed the power of water, and that today are still used to grind corn and obtain flour, the main ingredient of talo (corn flour cake typical of Euskadi), for centuries one of the main foods in the farmhouses of Euskadi.
Walk through the Olatz valley towards the foothills of Mount Arno, a limestone pyramid under which the latxa sheep of the Goienetxe farm graze. There, where the asphalt ends, Maitane and Beñat produce one of the best cheeses in Euskadi. If you like tranquility and want to escape from the most typical and crowded spaces, we encourage you to enjoy the valleys of Lastur and Olatz, and their activities, traditions and flavors so linked to the mysterious world of karst.