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What to Do in Selva de Irati: Europe's Most Underrated Autumn Forest in Navarra

Sep 27
5 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

The Selva de Irati is the second-largest beech forest in Europe and the least known. It sits in the Navarran Pyrenees above the Irati river valley — 17,000 hectares of beech and fir at altitude, the colour running from green through gold to deep copper from mid-October into early November. No Japanese tour buses. No Instagram staging areas. Just one of the great autumn forest walks in Europe, almost entirely visited by people who live within driving distance.

October and early November are the colour window. Outside that window, Irati is still a genuinely excellent forest — snow walks in winter, wildflowers in spring, shade and rivers in summer. But November is when it earns the recommendation above everywhere else. Here's what to book.

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Best for First-Timers: Selva de Irati Guided Autumn Forest Walk

The guided walk through the Irati forest in autumn takes you through the beech groves that produce the classic colour — the canopy of a mature beech forest in peak autumn is something you experience differently to a photograph of it, and the guides who work the forest know which routes catch the light best at which times. The walk usually starts at the Orbegi reservoir and goes into the forest above, covering about 8 kilometres over four to five hours.

The colour window is roughly mid-October to early November and varies by year with the first frosts. Book the guided walk for late October or the first week of November and check conditions with the operator the week before. Waterproof boots essential — the forest floor is wet through autumn.

Best for Families & Kids: Roncesvalles Abbey & Camino de Santiago Cultural Walk

Roncesvalles sits at the foot of the pass into Spain from France — the main entry point of the Camino de Santiago for pilgrims crossing from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The 12th-century Augustinian monastery and pilgrim hospital complex is one of the most historically significant buildings in northern Spain, and the walk from the French border down to Roncesvalles through the Pyrenean pass (6 kilometres, 500-metre descent) gives you the most famous first stage of the Camino without the full commitment of the pilgrimage.

For families and worldschooling groups: this covers medieval monastic history, the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage tradition that shaped northern Spain for 1,000 years, and the Pyrenean crossing landscape in one four-hour day. The abbey museum has detailed exhibits on the pilgrimage history and the battle of Roncesvalles (778 AD, Roland, Charlemagne).

Best if You Only Have a Few Hours: Ochagavía Village & Irati Valley Drive

Ochagavía is the village at the heart of the Irati valley — a medieval stone village on the river, with narrow streets, a 15th-century church, and the valley forest rising above it on both sides. In autumn the drive up the valley from Ochagavía into the forest is one of the more spectacular road trips in the Navarran Pyrenees: the beech forest closing over the road, the colour changing as you gain altitude, the reservoir appearing through the trees. Two hours from the village, without a guide, and free.

Most Unique: Navarran Cuisine & Cider Tasting in the Pyrenean Villages

The villages of the Navarran Pyrenees — Ochagavía, Roncal, Isaba — have a food tradition distinct from the Basque cuisine 45 minutes away: lamb, trout from the Irati river, Roncal cheese (one of the great Spanish hard cheeses, made from sheep's milk in the Roncal valley), and apple cider from the mountain orchards. A guided gastronomy experience in the valley covers the cheese production (the Roncal DOP is one of the oldest in Spain), the cider pressing, and a meal in one of the farmhouses that serve by reservation only.

November is the right time: the apple harvest is just in, the new cider is pressing, and the Roncal cheese from the summer grazing is at its best.

Best Guided Experience: Pamplona City Tour & San Fermín History

Pamplona is 60 kilometres from the Irati valley and easy to combine with a forest day. The city is most famous for the San Fermín running of the bulls in July, but January through November Pamplona is a quiet, good-looking Navarran city with a compact medieval centre, the old city walls walkable in their entirety, excellent pintxos bars (the Basque influence runs this far), and the Plaza del Castillo as one of the better outdoor café squares in northern Spain.

A guided walking tour of the old city covers the San Fermín route (the actual streets where the bulls run, with the course explained), the medieval walls and gates, the cathedral, and the history of the Navarran kingdom. Better in November than July by a wide margin.

Looking for Somewhere to Stay?

Ochagavía is the atmospheric base for the forest — a handful of rural guesthouses, right in the valley. Pamplona is the practical city base for longer stays or if you want more restaurant and accommodation options. The drive from Pamplona to the forest takes about an hour. Browse hotels near Selva de Irati →

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