Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve & Mundaka Estuary
Gernika sits at the heart of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-designated estuary and wetland system that is one of the most biodiverse corners of Atlantic Europe. Within 10 minutes of the town centre you can be watching spoonbills wade through mirror-flat tidal channels.
The Estuary Trails
The Gernika marshes — locally called Urdaibai — are threaded with well-marked walking and cycling trails that follow the Oka River down to the sea. The 4 km path from Gernika to the village of Murueta is flat, easy and rewards walkers with views of herons, egrets and, in winter, large flocks of migratory waders that use Urdaibai as a critical stopover on the East Atlantic Flyway.
The Urdaibai Bird Centre (Centro de Interpretación de Urdaibai) in nearby Gautegiz-Arteaga has observation towers, telescopes and knowledgeable staff who can tell you exactly what is on the water that day. Entry is inexpensive and the hides are well-positioned for photography.
Mundaka and the Surf Beach
Follow the estuary all the way to its mouth and you reach Mundaka, a picture-perfect fishing village famous among surfers for producing one of Europe's longest and most powerful left-hand barrel waves. Even if you are not surfing, watching the wave from the church promontory above the harbour on a big autumn swell is genuinely spectacular.
The beach of Laida, a broad arc of fine sand on the opposite bank of the estuary accessible by a small seasonal ferry from Mundaka, is one of the cleanest and least crowded beaches in the Basque Country. Arrive early in summer or visit in shoulder season for near-solitude.
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