Ganboa (1,412 m) is a summit on the

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...

n side of the

Aralar Range The Aralar Range () is a mountain range in the Basque Mountains of Southern Basque Country. The part of the range lying in Gipuzkoa was established as a conservation area called Aralar Natural Park in 1994. In addition to its natural features, sc ...

( Basque Country), the mount having long been held as the highest in the range, while nowadays it trails second to Irumugarrieta. The peak, crowned with a mountaineer postbox, is surrounded by grasslands, secondary peaks and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

terrain, where deep fissures are not rare to be seen.

Access points

Ganboa's central position at the heart of Aralar sets the summit far away and at a similar distance from any access point. * One route sets out in Larraitz following the classical beaten trail leading to

Txindoki Txindoki or Larrunarri is an iconic mountain (1,346 m) located in the region of Goierri, Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. Originally Larrunarri or Ñañarri (), the mount took on the popularized name Txindoki by extension aft ...

. After the zigzags ensuing the spring Oria (860 m high), a trail detaches to the right gradually ascending on the slopes of Aralar's highlands till the gentle fields of ''Alotza'' (1,182 m) are reached. The pastures provide the grass for the cattle in summertime (largely horses, sheep and cows), so drinking troughs, springs and sheep pens are easily found on the way. On arrival to the pass of ''Irazusta'' (1250 m), the main trail heading to the ''Igaratza'' plains must be left on the right, and a small valley lacking any noticeable path slopes up north-east to Ganboa. 2h30 hours walk and back. * Another one, the "Quarry Route", starts off at the neighbourhood ''Altunegi'' of

Amezketa Amezketa (Spanish ''Amézqueta'') is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Autonomous Community, in the North of Spain. It is located at the foot of Txindoki. References External links Official WebsiteInformation available i ...

, while a vehicle ride through a paved road leads to the very threshold of the valley of the quarries (''Minak'', 450 m high). After walking across the forest, the trail penetrates into a deep valley along the stream ''Arritzaga'' with fields all along. As the valley turns shallower, at the drinking trough of ''Pardeluts'' (1050 m), a valley going south-west must be taken in order to gain height up to the peak, on the right hand. 2h45 and back. * The access from the

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

se side at the ''Guardetxe'' or Ranger Shelter is less demanding as regards the altitude difference, since the ''Guardetxe'' stands at 1,035 m high, while the hiking distance remains long. The route heads north-west through a beaten trail, with the shelters of ''Errenaga'' (1,220 m) and the ''Igaratza'' plains lying halfway to Ganboa. ''Igaratza'' houses a megalithic site, with interesting

stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The be ...

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...

s and a

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be foun ...

. Taking the way left cutting across the southern side of the bulk Pardarri, the trail reaches the pass of ''Irazusta''.

External links

*
Details for hiking at Mendikat
Site in Spanish Basque Mountains Mountains of the Basque Country (autonomous community) {{basqueCountry-geo-stub