Foz de Lumbier

The Irati river has cut a gorge about 1,300 metres long and up to 150 metres deep through a limestone ridge at Lumbier, and the walking route through it uses the trackbed of the Irati railway, an electric line that ran from 1911 to 1955 and passed through two tunnels cut in the rock; the rails are gone and the tunnels are walked, one of them unlit and about a hundred metres long. The walls hold a large griffon vulture colony, well over a hundred pairs, visible from the path throughout, along with Egyptian vultures and other raptors. A ruined medieval bridge, the Puente del Diablo, stands at the entrance. The route is flat and easy, returning the same way or by a loop on the rim.

The landscape

• The railway tunnels - two cuttings through the rock, one unlit.
• The vulture colony - over a hundred griffon pairs on the gorge walls.
• The Puente del Diablo - a ruined medieval bridge at the entrance.
• The narrow gorge - limestone walls up to 150 metres above the river.

When to go

March to June and September to November; spring is best for birds at the nest. Summer is hot and the car park fills at weekends. The gorge is short and works as a two-hour stop rather than a day.

Before you go

The route is short, about 2.6 kilometres return, and can feel slight for the drive. Parking is charged and limited. A torch is useful in the longer tunnel. Vultures are the main draw and are seen at distance.

Nearby

The Foz de Arbayun is a larger gorge to the north; Javier castle and Leyre monastery lie east.

Key facts