The true stars at this time of year are the forests
Did you know that Navarre has the second largest beech forest in Europe? The Irati Forest. Just picture the show it puts on in autumn. But that’s not all, there are other, lesser-known forests that are equally spectacular at this time of year: the Urbasa Nature Reserve, Basajaun Forest in Orreaga/Roncesvalles, Mata de Haya in Belagua, Quinto Real, Orgi in Ultzama, the Altsasu/Alsasua oak forest, the monumental oaks of Jauntsarats in Basaburua, the thousand-year-old oak trees in Etxarri Aranatz or those of the Señorío de Bertiz Nature Reserve. Another seasonal secret hiding in the forests of Navarre is its precious wild mushrooms, so appreciated in the cooking of Navarre. They are protagonists of the autumn kitchen, combined with other seasonal products, like the famous piquillo peppers from Lodosa that are also harvested around this time. And all paired with some of the best regional wines that you can sample on a tour of some of Navarre’s wineries during the wine harvest season, which happens in the autumn too!