Ochagavía – Danzantes, Muskilda and the Selva de Irati

In Ochagavía, the Danzantes de Ochagavía perform every year on 8 September in front of the hermitage of the Virgen de Muskilda. The Fiestas of Ochagavía last from 7 to 11 September; their main event is the performance by the Danzantes. Their repertoire comprises four expressive stick dances, a handkerchief dance and a Jota; the dancers are led by the masked, two-faced Bobo. Towards the end of every summer, the residents of Ochagavía recreate what life in the Pyrenees was like a hundred years ago at the Orhipean festival.

When booking a holiday apartment in Ochagavía, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions can be checked separately. This information provides a practical supplement to the cultural, scenic and hiking-related themes that are visible in the various facets of the town. Depending on the travel plans, these three details may be given different priorities. Objective accommodation features and the town’s themes can therefore be considered separately.

Nature and landscape

The Selva de Irati covers more than 17,000 hectares belonging to the valleys of Salazar and Aezkoa, and is one of the largest and best-preserved forest areas in Europe. In the Ochagavía area, there are around 8,900 hectares of beech forest, located mainly on the foothills of the Sierra de Abodi. The SL-NA 65 “Camino viejo a Irati y Muskilda” hiking trail begins behind the church of Ochagavía; a paved road rises there towards the upper houses of the town.

The figures distinguish between the extensive forest area of the two valleys and the beech forest in the Ochagavía area and on the Sierra de Abodi.

Culture and history

At the entrance to Ochagavía, a Plateresque stone cross over the Zatoya River welcomes visitors to the town. Ochagavía has cobbled streets, including a medieval bridge over the Anduña River. The area of Ochagavía in the Sierra de Abodi is home to the Bortubizkarra dolmen.

The parish church of San Juan Evangelista houses three monumental altarpieces from the 16th century, works by Juan de Villarreal, Juan de Lasaga and Juan de Anchieta. The main altarpiece of San Juan Evangelista is considered one of the most monumental works of Navarrese Renaissance sculpture.

The Romanesque hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Muskilda is located four kilometres from the Pyrenean town of Ochagavía in the Salazar Valley in north-eastern Navarre and was built in the 12th century on the summit of the 1,025-metre-high Mount Muskilda. It houses a 60-centimetre-high Gothic statue of Muskilda made of gilded and polychromed wood from the 15th century.

Local insights

Ochagavía’s nature interpretation centre shares a three-storey traditional stone building on the banks of the Anduña River with the tourist information office. It includes an ethnographic exhibition featuring traditional household objects and tools. Erletxo offers various tastings, including cheese, oils and pâtés.

Further destinations

Other places: Izalzu, Garísoain, Corella, Barásoain, Lesaka, Sunbilla, Roncal, Oláibar

To the overview of the wider destination: Navarre.