Balmaseda – Garbea – Kolitza

MTB cycling route starting from the old quarter of the first town in Bizkaia, Balmaseda, with the aim of reaching one of the most emblematic peaks of Enkarterri: Mount Kolitza, crowned by the Ermita Románica de San Roque (Romanesque Hermitage of San Roque), built on a cliff.

The 879-metre-high Kolitza offers an impressive panoramic view of Balmaseda and the neighbouring valleys. The visibility of the summit and its exceptional acoustics earned it designation as one of the five bocineros mountains in Bizkaia. From its summit, the General Assemblies of Gernika were called for cees nturies through bonfires and horn blasts.

Rugged terrain and steep slopes, but the views are stunning and more than worth the effort. Before reaching the summit, we will enter forests covered with oak and beech trees, and spots as beautiful as the Túmulo de la Garbea (tumulus). This peak, the easternmost of the Montes de Ordunte, was nicknamed ‘Enkarterri’s Balcony’, dividing the municipalities of Sopuerta, Balmaseda and Artzentales.