- Region: País Vasco
- Province: Guipuzcoa
- Declared a Natural Park: 1998
- Park surface area: 2,910 hectares
- Towns and villages: Aya, Zarauz, Cestona, Orio
Points of interest
The relatively small protected area of the Pagoeta Natural park is formed by two estates, Pagoeta and Altzola which belong to the Provincial Council of Guipúzcoa. The objective was to create a forestry experimentation area and enhance its natural value, restoring its hardwood stands and protecting its fauna and flora. It is located close to the coast and just 20 km from San Sebastián.
Situated between the coast and the inland valleys the area has a very rugged terrain varying in height covered in natural forests (Beech) and scrubland. There are also extensive pastures high up in the mountains and around the farmhouses. Extensive reforestation is also noteworthy, especially those on the left bank of the Altzolaras erreka river.
There are also important prehistoric traces in the area such as the dolmens Otagain, Olarteta and Zaingo, burial mounds Muzin and Arreta and cave sites such as Erratia and Amalda in the Alzoralas valley.
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Centro de Visitantes de Iturraran (Iturraran Parketxea)
The Iturrarán reception center, Botanic garden and Agorregui ironworks and mills is located at Laurgain Auzoa Barreiatua, 12 in the village of Aia
El Parketxea is a beautiful 18th century farmhouse that maintains its original wooden structure and hosts a permanent exhibition that shows the physical, natural and ethnographic environment of the Pagoeta Natural Park and the relationship between nature and human activities in the area.
But without a doubt, one of the great attractions of Iturraran is the botanical park that surrounds the center. It has an area of 25 hectares of which 10 hectares are stocked with native vegetation. The rest of the collection of about 5,500 taxa is mostly made up of trees and shrubs from different parts of the world.
At one end of the Garden is the Biodiversity Garden, which has a good collection of endangered plants from the Basque Country.The arboretum has a path that runs through the botanical garden along a 3.5 km footpath allowing you to see thousands of species cataloged and classified in 8 different areas of oak, maple, mimosa, Mediterranean flora, heather, conifer, elm, cherry and palm tree habitats.
The other most interesting area to visit is the Agorregi mills and the ironworks (along the Agorregi route SL-GI 4001.)
The official website for the Pagoeta Natural Park is here: https://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/natural-areas/pagoeta-natural-park/aa30-12375/en/
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