Zumaia is a charming mariner village where we will visit the famous church, and also the iconic Chappell of San Telmo, a recent icon from some well-known movies and television series, including Games of Thrones and Spanish Affair. But Zumaia is even better known for the famous geological folding features of the ocean cliffs called “flysch”. Geologically speaking, this is a well-known and important spot due to the two golden spikes in the Geopark. Golden spikes mark the start of a geological period, as defined by the first appearance of a fossil species. As well as being geologically fascinating, this is also an extremely attractive location for hikers. Our hike starts in Zumaia town, where we will explore the old part and the church. Then we will walk along the spectacular cliff tops, which are actually part of the famous “Camino Santiago Norte”, a pilgrim route along the northern coast of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. We will finish our walk today in Deba, where, if the weather is good, we will take a guided boat back to Zumaia, in order to appreciate the cliffs from the water. This evening after the walk, we will be having dinner in a local restaurant called Urberu Sagardotegi, or we may visit a Txakoli white wine winery. Length: 15,5 km/ Elevation gain: 550 m/ Hours: 5 hours hiking, 30 minutes’ boat ride

The Aizkorri mountain is the largest mountain of Gipuzkoa province, and indeed the tallest in the Basque Country. We will start our walk at the Arantzazu monastery and head up to the Urbia alpine meadows, where a local farmer makes and sells handmade cheese, which we will sample. After a pleasant picnic we will continue our round walk down to the Arantzazu monastery, where we will enjoy the ambience. A few minutes’ drive down the road from here, we will also visit the Gomiztegi cheese making school and factory, where they will show us how they make the famous Idiazabal cheese. Afterwards we will take the minibus back to the Hotel in Zumaia, where we will have dinner.

Day 4 will be a rest day. This day off provides several opportunities for the visitors. Either they can relax near the hotel or they can take a train, bus, or taxi to San Sebastian. There are numerous options for the most adventurous guests, such as travelling by train to San Pedro, a charming mariner town. There you may be interested to visit the Albaola museum, where there is a hand-made replica of an old wooden whaling ship once found in eastern Canada. From here, you can keep walking west towards San Sebastian, along the cliffs of Ulia mountain. After taking time to enjoy the old town, beach and of course the famous Basque Pintxos of San Sebastian, you can return to the hotel by train. For those who do not wish to travel so far afield, you may prefer to visit the Balenciaga museum, in the nearby town of Getaria. Here you can also experience the natural wonder of San Anton, a mountain peninsula attached to the mainland only by a breakwater. This half-island is also known as Getaria’s mouse, due to its outline. For those wishing to enjoy a serene day outdoors, you could visit the Chillida sculpture park and outdoor museum, on the outskirts of San Sebastian. The group will have dinner together at the Hotel in Zumaia for the last night in Gipuzkoa. Length: 8,11 km/ Elevation gain: 170 m/ Duration: 4 h

The Tologorri Mountain stands as a sentinel between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranaen Sea. Water runs off the north face of the mountain through the Nervion valley and on into the Cantabrian Sea, in the Bay of Biscay. Meanwhile, water running off the south face of the mountain flows into the Ebro river, whose delta is on the Mediterranean Sea. Tologorri is an excellent place to watch many birds of prey. We will be traversing through woods and grasslands, to a breath-taking view atthe very top of the mountain, before completing a circular walk on our way back down to the minibus. Afterwards we will visit the Valle Salado de Añana, a natural salt landscape that is over 7000 years old. You will see the brine wells and salt pans that are used to collect the salt from the natural brine springs. We will then move on to our new hotel in Alava, where we will have dinner. Length: 10,84 km/ Elevation gain: 650m/ Time: 5 h

We will hike up Toloño mountain in a terrain where the continental Mediterranean climate region meets with the Atlantic Euro Siberian region, thus creating enormous biodiversity and a wide variety of habitats. The mountain is located in the Sierra Cantabria range, through which runs one of the most important natural passes used historically for fish and meat trading, between the coast and the Spanish interior. At the top of the mountain remains the ruins of an old castle where we will have a fantastic vista of the Rioja Alavesa, the best place for red wine in the region, as we will discover right after. We will have a fantastic barbeque of local meat cooked with pruned vine branches and with the local wine for lunch, and afterwards we will visit the medieval town of Laguardia, and its ancient wineries of Casa Primicia. After enjoying the barbeque in the vineyards and visited the winery, we will move on to our hotel in Alava. Dinner tonight will be in the hotel. Length: 11,22 km/ Elevation gain: 639 m/ Time: 5 h

The Gorbea mountain is one of the most iconic mountains in the Basque Country. Its round summit shares the two provinces of Biscay and Alava, but this time we won’t reach the summit because we will instead focus our attentions on the most scenic part of the mountain, the Itxina karst formation. This rock formation has been created by the erosion of highly soluble calcium carbonate by rainwater over millennia, resulting in a series of spectacular fissures, caves and underground conduits. Our walk today will be circular, starting from Pagomakurre, in Biscay and discovering different habitats along the way related to the traditional human past of the Basque people, such as the farming, the charcoal production and the abandoned hospital. Then it will be time to return to the hotel, where we will have our final evening meal together. Length: 8,73 km/ Elevation gain: 476 m/ Time: 5 h

Depending on the flight schedule, on our final day we could visit the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a spectacular wetland estuary just outside Bilbao, offering a rich diversity of wetland birds and beautiful scenery. Alternatively, we could explore other historical features, such as the “Puente Colgante” or “hanging bridge”. This is the world’s oldest aerial transfer bridge and spans the mouth of the Nervion river, with a gondola suspended high above the river that can transfer people and cargo from one side of the river to the other, whilst tall ships can continue to pass beneath the bridge. This would also be an opportunity to visit the centre of Bilbao, if time did not allow for that on the first day, before the visitors are returned to Bilbao airport in time for their departure.