Zegama: Hiking Trails, Natural Landscape and Architectural History

Zegama can be explored through several clearly distinct themes: hiking trails, natural landscape, architectural history and an annual mountain marathon event. When planning your trip, it is worth keeping these themes separate: a circular route, a stage of the Camino de Santiago, the history of the natural landscape and historic buildings each offer different points of reference.

Hiking Trails and Natural Landscape

The Zegama–Murgizelai route is an easy, 1.5-kilometre circular trail through hamlets and beneath shady oak trees. The stage of the Camino de Santiago from Zegama to Agurain follows a different route: it begins in Zegama town centre and passes through Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Park. One walk is defined by its short distance and circular route, while the other is defined by its starting point in the town centre, Agurain as its destination and its course through the natural park. The trails therefore differ not only in their form, but also in the landscapes they take in.

The natural landscape is also evident east of Zegama. There, the Aizkorri-Aratz ridge drops steeply towards the town, accompanied by the Oria River. The route through the natural park and the relationship between the ridge and the river are two different geographical points of reference: one follows the course of a stage, while the other describes the landscape on the eastern edge of the town.

Anduetza Parketxea and Local History

Anduetza Parketxea is located in the Anduetza farmhouse. It conveys the historical relationship between Zegama and the natural landscape. Unlike a route description, the focus here is not on the course of a trail, but on this relationship itself. This makes the natural landscape tangible as a subject of local history, complementing the perspectives of trails and scenery.

San Martín: Architectural History and Altarpiece

San Martín Church is considered Zegama’s most imposing and remarkable building. Most of the building was developed between the 16th and 18th centuries. The church also contains an altarpiece by García de Berástegui dating from 1637. An altarpiece is a decorated altar backdrop; the term makes clear that it is a specific furnishing in the church. The dates refer to different scales: the development of a building over several centuries and a single, specifically dated work. The church can therefore be understood both through its long history and through a named work of art.

Water Channel and Energy History

The water channel on the Zegama–Canal route was built in 1925 to generate electrical energy. This detail adds a technical dimension to the natural and architectural history: water also appears here as the basis for earlier energy generation. This gives the route its own historical point of reference, distinct from the trails through the natural park and the church’s architecture.

The Zegama-Aizkorri Mendi Maratoia

The Zegama-Aizkorri Mendi Maratoia is an annual mountain marathon event; the 23rd edition took place in 2024. If the race is important to your trip planning, check the dates for your travel year. This lets you take the event dates into account when planning your schedule, without carrying the specific 2024 edition over to another year.

Discover more destinations: Zumaia, Mondragón, Legazpi, Zumarraga, Elduain, Astigarraga, Bergara, Usurbil

For the wider travel overview: Gipuzkoa.