Who has never dreamed of sleeping in a tree? Who hasn't fantasized about climbing branches and admiring the stars from a secret cabin? It is said that a child will never stop living in the heart of a traveler because he keeps his curiosity intact, his eyes open and his backpack ready. And all of them will find in this enchanted forest and its tree houses the perfect weekend getaway.
We talk about Otzarreta, an impressive centennial beech forest surrounded by legend and mystery, located in the Gorbea National Park, in Vizcaya.
WAKE UP IN A TREE
It may be that from that dream until today we have grown older, but that also has its advantages, and the main one is called glamping. The beech forest (which we will describe below) is surrounded by the Gorbea forests and very close to the town of Zeanuri.
Precisely there is where our unique accommodation is located, a proposal for responsible, ecological and sustainable tourism, with eight cabins located high up in the trees.
“One of the great attractions of spending the night in a cabin in this charming corner of the Basque Country is the feeling of freedom and intimacy it offers. Wherever you look, you feel surrounded by the tranquility transmitted by the song of the birds and the murmur of the secrets that the forest hides” , they explain in The cabins of the Basque Country (Zuhaitz Etxeak).
Waking up in a tree looks like this
“The idea is to offer travelers tired of the pace of the city a unique experience, comforting, fully slow, sleeping in a tree in a little wooden house. Every child's dream come true, an experience of communion with nature, away from noise and pollution. Only the tree, oneself and the surrounding forest”, they tell us.
The feeling of receive breakfast in a wicker basket raised with a pulley in the midst of so much nature it is, to say the least, overwhelming.
The cabins are built with untreated natural wood, covered in chestnut (that withstands the weather well) and with interiors and structure in larch, a beautiful and highly veined wood (the hardest of the conifers) .
Breakfast is served like this
The tiles are also made of larch and have a special cut for rain, and the terrace and stairs are personalized with heather and strawberry tree branches to integrate the cabin with the natural environment and, in this way, achieve a fusion with the forest.
They are also well insulated from the cold and all of them They include breakfast, bedding, blankets and towels, bottles of mineral water, lanterns, candles, heating and a dry toilet. Some of them have own shower and electricity, and in the farmhouse (which serves as a reception) there is Wi-Fi, a living room with a fireplace and a cafeteria. Prices vary between 140 and 290 euros per night, depending on the season and the cabin chosen.
Amalour (which means mother earth in Basque) is “the smallest and the most integrated: a nest of love say their owners. Elaia (the term for swallow) and Txantxangorria (that's how they say robin in Basque) are hanging 17 meters from the ground, with the view that it offers.
For its part, the suite oooh! (onomatopoeia transcend languages) It has a terrace all around it with a 360º panoramic view. ; Y If the plan is with the family, the ideal is hontz (or what is the same, owl), with the size of a house and very comfortable to stay with children.
The cabins are fully integrated into the natural environment
THE PLAN: VISIT TO THE MAGICAL FOREST
The cabins are located in Douglas Fir Forest (by the way, an ideal type of tree for the installation of these constructions), at the foot of Mount Gorbea and a few kilometers from the Otzarreta beech forest, one of the most magical and photographed places in the Basque Country.
Seems a fairytale forest designed by man, as if someone had intentionally placed each tree, each curve of the Zubizabala stream, each squirrel and each stone. Its physiognomy changes during the year and although autumn is one of its most popular seasons (the red blanket of its leaves is an almost mystical spectacle), the truth is that e n spring it acquires a superlative green color , exuberant.
This is a small but intense forest, thanks to the hundreds of beeches that inhabit it. It is easy to go through, but not fast, since it awakens an irrepressible impulse of take pictures of everything
“The hours of light are increasing, the frosts are falling behind little by little, and the splendid vegetation appears to us with vivid colors”, describe those responsible for the cabins.
Although its autumns are famous, the explosion of spring color in the beech forest is impressive
To visit the beech forest from the cabins you can go on foot or by car. By car, from the reception farmhouse, you have to go out on the road National 240 towards Bilbao and enter the gas station area. once here, you have to cross the road to access the forest track where is the path to the beech forest. We will park and there is about a 20 minute walk. There is another car park closer to the beech forest, but it is usually busy. Walking, The most affordable and recommendable route is the one that lasts 1.5 hours and would be along the same forest track where the cabins are.
It is an area with the influence of the two natural parks of Gorbea and Urkiola. The first thing that impresses is the composition of its trees. beeches, Normally, they extend their branches horizontally: they are large, robust trees with a lot of shade. However, something strange happens here: its very long branches grow vertically, as if wanting to touch the sky.
This mysterious effect is due to the trade of the old charcoal burners in the area. A century ago, from the month of September, they pruned the branches of the beeches to obtain firewood for winter. This gave rise to a new and capricious species, the beech pollards. Today the trees are protected and the trade almost extinct, but the beech trees bear the scars of that time.
The adjective magical is given by its strange beauty but also because of the many legends who live in the forests of Gorbea. here live the unrepentant , mischievous geniuses; the lamias , some forest nymphs with duck feet that seduce with their beauty to drown their prey; or the lord of the woods, Basajaun , protector of the shepherds. They cohabit with them wild horses, roe deer, countless birds and many squirrels. Here the plan is to walk and enjoy the disconnection offered by this wild and silent paradise.
Who is capable of resisting a picnic like this?
WHERE TO EAT: FARMHOUSE OR PICNIC
One of the great pleasures of traveling is eating, and here we have two equally valid options.
The restaurant of the Cabañas en el Árbol farmhouse offers a quality menu based on local products, like asparagus stuffed with spider crab or cream of seasonal vegetables among its starters, and hake in marinara sauce, veal cheek a la jardinera or puntaletes with sautéed tofu and vegetables as the main course.
The farmhouse also follows the line of respect for the environment and uses energy-saving light bulbs, wood heating, and thoroughly recycles all waste.
The picnic option is a good plan if time permits. it's possible order an Ecopicnic pack which includes a panini, a salad, a fruit and a drink for 12 euros and enjoy the siesta under the trees.
“We are in the middle of two natural parks (Gorbea and Urkiola) and that makes our environment privileged, natural and full of native fauna and flora. Just walking through the forest is already a pleasure”, they tell us in Zuhaitz Etxeak.
"Before coming, We always remember that we are in the mountains and that they should bring warm clothing and appropriate footwear. Springs in the area are usually quite cool”, they recall.
Ecological outdoor spa
IN THE EVENING: OUTDOOR ECOLOGICAL SPA AND ROMANTIC DINNER IN THE CABIN
Next to the farmhouse, in an intimate part of the garden, there a Finnish wooden sauna and a round bathtub for private use (heated with wood at 38º), which can be booked for one hour for two people.
One last treat to round off the day: dinner for two in the cabin. “We think that cooking should be attractive, surprising, healthy and pleasant for everyone. Being faithful to our way of understanding the world, We are committed to the use of ecological and fair trade products, promoting artisan procedures, local productions (km 0) and sustainability with the environment”, explained in Cabañas del Arbol.
The menu is made from organic products, there are options for vegetarians and its price is 28 euros. It includes drinks and, yes, it is necessary to book seven days in advance.
And a priceless dessert: observing the night sky from the top of a tree. Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better: we don't say it, Albert Einstein said it.
"Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better"