Boat trip along the Jaizkibel cliffs

For an hour and a half, the boat follows the Jaizkibel coast, the wildest in Gipuzkoa: cliffs, layers of flysch and the paramoudras, sandstone formations with rounded outlines that can only be seen properly from the sea. It costs €15 for adults and €11 for children, with a discount from 10 people.

Scheduled departures are at 16:00 on the days marked on Jolaski's booking calendar. It leaves from Hondarribia marina on the Higuer catamaran, which holds 64 passengers; confirm the exact meeting point when you book.

What you see from the water

Jaizkibel runs parallel to the coast between Hondarribia and Pasaia, with a ridge of about 545 metres. On the sea side, the cliffs drop sheer for up to 240 metres, according to Bidasoa Turismo, and the rock is flysch, the same layered formation that runs through Ulia and Igeldo. From the ridge road you can peer over at the viewpoints, but the whole wall only makes sense from below, from the boat.

The strangest things are the paramoudras: Jolaski describes them as geological sandstone formations, spherical in shape, that exist in only a few places in the world. This coast has coves such as Los Frailes, Kapelaundi and Artzuportu, several of them hard to reach by land according to Bidasoa Turismo, and yellow-legged and lesser black-backed gulls nest on the cliffs.

Prices and booking

• Adults: €15, or €13.50 in a group.
• Children: €11, or €9.50 in a group.
• The group price applies from 10 people.

The website does not say up to what age the child fare applies: ask when you book. You book online, choosing the day, time and number of passengers on the calendar, or on 622 427 388 and at [email protected]. Outside the scheduled departures, Jolaski organises private trips, mostly for groups, schools, associations and companies, and hires out its boats from €250 an hour.

Tips

The boat goes out on open sea, beyond the bay: if you get seasick, take something beforehand and stay on deck looking at the horizon. Bring a jacket even if it is sunny, because it blows harder on the water. The website does not say whether dogs are allowed on this trip; check. In bad weather the departure may change: Jolaski's confirmation is what counts.

Before and after

The afternoon fits well after a morning in the old town and a lunch in the Marina. If you then want to see Jaizkibel from above, drive up the Guadalupe road to Mount Jaizkibel. The same company runs the boat to Hendaye, which crosses the bay in seven minutes.