One of the many reasons why this trip is so attractive is because it takes place in two valleys that do not have a strong tourist presence. For this reason, there are not many hotels, although most of them offer a good service and are very welcoming.

We ourselves have spent many years of our life hiking in these valleys and we have been regular customers of these accommodations for a long time. We have been able to compare and choose them personally. That's why we know that they are good quality accommodations and that they are the ideal places for our trip.

The chosen rural hotels in both valleys are very small, with very few rooms, which makes the customer service more direct and personalised. These accommodations have everything you need to make the stay truly comfortable and pleasant and their beautiful rustic decoration makes them very cozy. Most of them have their own restaurant where you can enjoy a fantastic dinner after having hiked a wonderful route in these beautiful mountains.

The dates for this trip are flexible and depend on two factors:

1. The available dates of the client
2. Whether the guide who organizes and leads the trip is also available on the same dates

The procedure to arrange the trip is as follows:

1. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to Walking North Spain (info@walkingnorthspain.com) indicating the dates when you wish to come. Ideally, you should indicate as broad a date period as possible, that is to say, as long as possible:
   • If you can only set very specific dates, indicate exactly what they are but,
   • If you are flexible over a longer period of time (e. g. several weeks, several months or even any time of the year), please indicate this in your request.
2. The objective is to be able to form a group from the people who are interested in making a particular trip. Therefore, the greater the flexibility in the dates you indicate, the easier it is to match up the dates available, both of the guide and of other clients.
3. When Walking North Spain receives the first request for a trip, it will check the availability, both for the accommodation, and for a guide for those dates. One of the following two cases may occur:
   • There is no accommodation and/or guide available for those dates: in this case, Walking North Spain will inform the interested clients about this event and ask as to what other dates might be possible.
   • Both the accommodation and guide are available for those dates: in this case, in principle, the trip will be made on the requested dates by those clients who first sent their request to the agency but:
     • If the number of clients interested in this first request is 4 or more people, then those dates can be considered confirmed and the trip will be made on the requested dates.
     • If the number of clients interested in this first request is less than 4, the agency will try to organise the trip for those dates, but will not be able to confirm this until after some time has passed in which it will try to add other potential clients. Once a minimum group of 4 people has been reached, or if Walking North Spain has decided to make the trip, even if it is with fewer clients, the trip will be confirmed to the clients who have signed up for it.
4. As can be seen, in principle, the minimum number of people is 4 but, even if your request is for fewer people, we recommend sending us your request as early as possible because, depending on the availability of the guide, it is possible that the trip can be made for a smaller group, even for just one couple. In addition, if you are the first to request the trip for specific dates, the agency will do everything possible to meet your request.
5. For this reason, it is important that you send us your request as soon as you can, indicating the widest possible period of time in which you could make the trip.
6. If a group of 4 or more people sign up at the same time, it would be possible to adapt the trip to their preferences, for example, regarding its duration or the number of days to stay in each place.
7. Finally, it is quite possible that, if there are enough requests, this trip will be made several times in the same year, so there may be a better chance of finding dates to best match your schedule.

PRICES (*)

(*) Prices are per person and based on two people sharing a twin or double room

(**) Easter and other special days are also considered high season

Included:

This is an ALL INCLUDED trip:

• Pick up in San Sebastián and transfer to the first rural hotel.
• Information meeting to explain the programme of the trip, show the routes to be followed and resolve any possible doubts.
• 3 nights accommodation in the rural hotel in Hecho valley.
• 2 guided hiking routes in Hecho valley.
• Transfer to the second rural hotel in Belagoa valley, with a sightseeing visit along the way.
• Lunch in a restaurant on transfer day.
• 4 nights accommodation in the rural hotel in Belagoa valley.
• 3 guided hiking routes in Belagoa valley.
• Breakfast each morning.
• Picnic lunches on walking days.
• All dinners (3 in Hecho valley and 4 in Belagoa valley), menu including house wine and other drinks.
• Baggage transfers between accommodations.
• Transfer back to San Sebastián at the end of the trip.

Not included:

• Flights or any other means of transport to/from San Sebastián, starting and ending point of the trip (*). For more information, see the "How to get here" section of the "Information" tab.
• Insurance.
• Tickets to visit places of tourist interest, if any of these additional visits are made.
• Any extra drinks, apart from those already served on the menus of the 7 included dinners. These additional drinks should be paid for directly at the restaurant.
• Any extra night in San Sebastián or Bilbao, at the beginning or end of the trip (**).

(*) Possibility to order private transfers from/to Biarritz or Bilbao, at an additional charge

(**) Possibility to organize additional nights of accommodation. Please contact us if you are interested.

Do I have to make any reservation or do anything myself?
The only thing you have to look after is your round trip to and from San Sebastian (remember that we can advise and help you with the arrangements). Everything else is included so you don't have to worry about anything, we look after everything. You just have to worry about coming here and enjoying your trip to the fullest.

How can I get to the area?
Today, the Basque Country is a highly developed area that has very good communications by land, sea and air making it easy to get to San Sebastian. There are several options to fly to our different airports and our cities are connected by modern motorways. You also have the option of coming by bus, train and even by boat if you come from Great Britain. For more information, see the "How to get here" section of the "Information" tab. Once in San Sebastian, we pick you up and take you to the valleys of the Western Pyrenees where this trip takes place. At the end of the trip, we bring you back to San Sebastian so that you can return home or continue on your trip from here.

What currency and language is used in the area?
As in the other countries of the European Union, the currency used is the euro. With regard to languages, Spanish is widely spoken in these valleys of the Pyrenees. However another language is also spoken in each of them:

• In the Hecho valley, Cheso is spoken, a dialectal variant of Aragonese that is still spoken by a mere thousand people.
• In the Belagoa valley, Basque is spoken, the language of the Basques, one of the oldest and most mysterious languages in the world. While you are here, you will often hear and see Basque and we will tell you some curious facts about this ancient language.

Is it a safe area?
Yes, fortunately this area is very safe and visitors do not usually have any problems on their trip.
However, we recommend taking the usual common sense precautions against theft.

Can I book a single person trip?
Yes, as long as there are other people on that same trip. Walking North Spain cannot offer guided trips for a single person. There will be an individual supplement for single person reservations.

What is the best time of year to make this trip?
This trip can be made at any time of the year although the best dates are probably from May to October

What are the routes like? Are they very long or difficult?
Both the Hecho and Belagoa valleys offer many different routes of different lengths and levels of effort. In general, the selected routes for this trip are between 12 and 16 kilometres, with a height gain of between 600 and 1,000 metres, so that everybody accustomed to hill-walking and is reasonably fit can hike our routes without any difficulty. Walking North Spain is also able to choose those routes that best suit the preferences and characteristics of the group.

Will it be possible to shorten some routes?
The group will be led by a single guide if there are 8 or fewer clients. With just one guide the group cannot be divided and everyone will have to follow the same itinerary. There will be 2 guides leading if there are 9 or more clients in the group making it possible to shorten the routes for part of the group.

I have some dietary restrictions, is it possible to take this into account?
Of course, although one of the main attractions of this area is its gastronomy, every year we welcome people who have dietary restrictions. In these cases, we inform all the accommodations and restaurants we visit so that this is taken into account.

If you have any other questions, please click here and send us an email with your query. Thank you very much.