Flora and fauna of the Basque Country, 7-day Guided hiking tour from Bilbao
Join Pablo, your UIMLA-certified guide, as he takes you on this 7-day guided hiking tour exploring the flora and fauna of the Basque Country, a world-famous region known for its diverse natural beauty and spectacular landscapes and terrain.
Private
7 Days
All year
Low
Highlights
- Explore the vast and wonderfully diverse flora and fauna of the Basque Country!
- Whale watch in the Bay of Biscay from the town of Bermeo
- Visit the myriad of wetlands, lagoons and waterways
- See the countless species of flora and fauna all around the region
Description
I will guide you on this fun and special 7-day hike discovering the flora and fauna of the Basque Country, where we will run the full gamut of its jaw-dropping natural beauty, from whale watching in the ocean, to lush green forests and plains, to majestic and huge mountains and an amazing variety of animal and plant species.
The Basque Country is an autonomous region located in the North of Spain, with Bilbao its largest city. It has its down distinct language and a fiercely rich and proud sense of identity distinct from Spain itself, and contains a wild variety of flora and fauna, with several micro-climates across the region.
We meet on the first day by transferring from Bilbao Airport to our B & B country house.
The second day is spent whale watching from the quaint and idyllic town of Bermeo, a slice of paradise on the Bay of Biscay.
The subsequent 3 days are spent hiking, trekking and walking around the postcard-pretty countryside, as we discover the myriad of farms, caves and forests that dot the region, each with their own distinctive flowers orchids and plants. The Urdaibai biosphere reserve and area of Gorbea are particularly impressive highlights.
If we are lucky we will encounter animals such as deer, vultures and countless species of birds, and the Urkiola Mountains loom large over many settings.
The final few days are spent birdwatching and visiting the famous La Guardia Lagoons, before we head back to Bilbao on the last day with a head full of brilliant memories and a newfound appreciation for this exquisite part of the world.
This trip around the Basque Country will provide memories to last a lifetime – book now to experience!
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Price details
- Guided service is 170 Euros+VAT total per day for a group of up to 6 people.
Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer
Transfer from Bilbao airport to accommodation in B&B country house in Urdaibai. Time permitting, a visit to Ogoño or the tidal flats may be organized additionally.
Day 2: Whale watching
Whale watching out of Bermeo in the morning and a visit to Gernika or tidal flats in the afternoon. Time of year, state of tides and availability of whale watching boat all need to be taken into account.
Day 3: Trekking
Trekking in Urkiola completing a route designed to end in a country house where lodgings are to be found for the night, not before a visit to Alluitz Natura, where visitors are shown local farming traditions and methods.
Day 4: Excursion
Excursion around Gorbea until Itxina, time permitting visiting the caves of Baltzola or Jentilzubi. Accommodation in previous night’s lodgings.
Day 5: Birdwatching
Birdwatching, mainly necrophagous,in Unza. Afternoon visit to the Abornikano oak forest in Urkabustaiz. Transfer and accommodation to La Guardia in the afternoon.
Day 6: Lagoons
Visit to La Guardia Lagoons and enjoy the experience of an afternoon lunch in Casaprimicia.
Day 7: Finish
Return and tour of Bilbao, Vitoria or Salburua on the way back.
FAQs
What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?
About the guide
Pablo
Mountain Leader
Pablo is original from the Bay of Biscay, so that makes him a passionate ocean lover, but close enough to the nearest Basque, Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains to be able to enjoy them while climbing, ski touring or hiking.
Pablo has traveled and works in some of the most thrilling mountain ranges in Earth, but he reminds that those ones close to home are his favorite ones.
A high biodiversity makes the north of the Iberian Peninsula an unbeatable place, where to discover whales in the morning, head some alpine peaks in the afternoon, and delight a fine red wine watching the sunset at the prairies in the late evening. This intense two hours’ drive is not only fulfilled with stunning species of flora and fauna, but also with a vast amount of cultural and gastronomical heritage, that Pablo would love to share with you.
He is particularly keen on birds and wild flowers, but he is also very knowledgeable about large mammals, surfing, kayaking and fly fishing, as well as he knows pretty well some of the best hikes in the north. Other destinations such as Alaska, Canada, Patagonia, Greenland and New Zealand are also well known for him.
Please feel free to contact with Pablo for any enquire and he would be joy to reply you as soon as possible!
Languages
English
Certificates
AEGM | UIMLA
What people are saying about Explore-Share
Man
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
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Joshua
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
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Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
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