Binding Two Sides of Navarre

A mountain passage between borders, valleys, and centuries

Donibane Garazi —Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in French— has long stood at the threshold of journeys. A fortified medieval town, remarkably preserved, it is known today as the symbolic starting point of the Camino de Santiago. For a brief moment, we walk its cobbled streets alongside pilgrims, tracing footsteps laid down over centuries by travelers from across Europe.

Leaving the walls behind, the route follows the river into Baigorri, where a short, unhurried walk along the Nive des Aldudes reveals a quieter rhythm of life shaped by water, stone, and time. From here, the landscape begins to change. The road rises gently, then decisively, winding through forested slopes and open mountain views toward a high pass that once marked a political and cultural frontier.

Crossing the ridge, the descent opens into the Baztan Valley. Soft green hills, scattered farmhouses, and an enduring rural order define this side of Navarre. In Elizondo, its noble capital, history is not displayed but lived — embedded in architecture, daily routines, and the land itself — before we return through secondary roads, carrying the sense of having crossed more than a border.

Some journeys are not about distance, but about understanding how landscapes shape history — and how history still lives within them

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