Short walks from Casas de Irati

The Casas de Irati, also called Casas del Rey, are the reception centre on the Salazar valley side and one of the most used gateways to the Irati Forest. They are 23 km from Ochagavía on the NA-2012, about 40 minutes of mountain road, 100 metres from the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves. They have regulated parking, an information point, a ranger service, a play area and picnic area, a bar-restaurant in the old Rangers' House, an exhibition room and bicycle hire with a small workshop. If you do not want to do the 10 km of the Cubo Waterfall, shorter walks leave from here.

Notice: because of improvement works, the access road to the Casas de Irati will be closed from 16 to 20 and from 23 to 27 November 2026. On those days you can enter Irati through the Irati-Abodi mountain centre or through Orbaizeta, in the Aezkoa valley.

The walks

The senses walk is the shortest: a circuit of about 2.3 km and barely 136 metres of ascent, with panels explaining the trees and shrubs along the way. It leaves from the Virgen de las Nieves area, passes the ruins of the Casas de Irati and the remains of an 18th-century fort, and the hermitage, built in 1954 with a traditional shingle roof and murals by Bartolozzi and Sotés. You have to ford the River Urtxuria, which carries little water in summer; if necessary, you cross barefoot.

The Urbeltza river path, which Visit Navarra presents together with the Cubo Waterfall route, follows the river from the same car park: you can walk beside the water and turn back whenever you like.

The old track of Casas de Irati links the Koixta reservoir with the hermitage along a wide, old timber-hauling track, with no difficulty. Halfway along, a 200-metre detour leads to the Akerreria viewpoint, at 1,150 m, over a cliff. Combined as a circuit with the old track to Koixta it is about 11.5 km and 715 metres of ascent: already a half-day excursion.

The Zabaleta forest trail is the long option: 8.3 km circular and about 400 metres of ascent, along the south slope of the La Cuestión and Zabaleta hills, with views over the narrow Irati valley, to the forestry house at the tail of the Irabia reservoir, and back among beeches.

The senses walk and the Urbeltza path are good for small children: short distance, dense forest and water close by. Ask at the information point for the map and the state of the paths.

Hours, services and fee

In November 2026 the information point is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00 and the bar-restaurant from 10:00 to 17:30, according to the Ochagavía tourist office. The Casas de Irati are open in spring, summer and autumn and closed in winter, when the road may be cut: check its state before you set out. In high season a maintenance fee is paid when parking; via Irati-Abodi and the Orbaizeta Arms Factory it is never charged.