Karrantza – Balgerri – Ordunte

Karrantza is the largest valley in Bizkaia, a spot where nature shows us its most fascinating side. It is located on the border with Burgos and Cantabria, sheltered by the Montes de Ordunte in the south and by the Parque Natural de Armañón in the north.

On this MTB cycling route we will opt for the Sierra de Ordunte, a ridge of more than 20 kilometers crowned by several peaks exceeding 1,000 m. We will start in the Concha neighborhood –the central nucleus of the municipality– heading south, towards Balgerri.

We will soon enter a terrain populated by forests, mountain pastures, heaths and peat bogs full of plants. On one side and the other we will see the remains of charcoal kilns, shepherd's huts and even the occasional megalithic monument. We will leave behind the most extensive beech forest in Bizkaia.

A 'mugarri' will indicate that we are in Burgos territory. We will descend to the Embalse de Ordunte (reservoir), which supplies water to Bilbao and a good part of Enkarterri. From here, we will take several mountain tracks to return to our starting point in Karrantza.