Caves and Legends: Baltzola & Mairulegorreta

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If the outer landscape of Gorbeia is beautiful, what can be seen beneath its land is even more so. In the Gorbeia Natural Park, there are some of the most representative underground cavities in the region. Among them, those of Baltzola and Mairulegorreta, that keep in their interior an authentic natural paradise, conformed by impressive formations, divided in multiple galleries with precious stalagmites and stalactites.

BALTZOLA Y JENTIL ZUBI

The most suitable access is the one starting at the town Indusi, where we take the Trolley route that brings us to the Baltzola cave. On this path, we will find the Axlor cave, which contains a rich archaeological and faunistic material of the Mousterian period. We can also find there the arch known as Jentil Zubi (Bridge of the "Gentiles"), a limestone formation, which is the only witness of an old cavity that disappeared due to the erosion; and the Baltzola cave, where there are subterranean rivers, stalactites, and stalagmites.

Caves and

Legends

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INDUSI IS A PRIVILEGED ENVIRONMENT WHERE NATURE OFFERS US SEVERAL OPTIONS THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED

This last cave, where we can find inside strata from the Magdalenian period to the Neolithic, has always been a place of several little-related activities, from pasture to high-level climbing, including the archaeology and the spelunking.

Splashing about the water, listening to it, following a river, having a rest in the sun or in a shade, enjoying a postcard-like place...

As we walk along the Trolley route, a mythological halo involves us, since there are several legends taking place in the three scenarios above described. As the most obvious example, we found the Jentil Zubi, whose name; bridge of the 'gentiles' (gigants with a supernatural power living in the of mountains the Basque Country, whose favourite game is throwing stones from a mountain to another) mentions one of the mythological characters of the Basque culture.

MAIRUELEGORRETA

These caves with more than 12 kilometers of development are an ancient fossil upwelling of water that stored inside, in a beautiful maze of caves, a lot of traditions, legends, stories, etc.

Mairuelegorreta Cave has been and probably will continue to be, the school by excellence of the different generations of cavers of Araba. Until exploration of Ponata System Hayal was the cavity with further development of Araba.

The first historical quotes about exploring Mairuelegorreta, date back to 1900. In late 1958 the scans allow cataloging Mairuelegorreta Cave as the second underground network of the peninsula with 8 km. developmental.

It can be visited with a guide.

Visits to the Cave: Inguru Abentura 635 74 89 48

MAIRUELEGORRETA