Stage 2: Roncesvalles → Zubiri

Beginning & Atmosphere

Mist still hangs over the walls of Roncesvalles as the bells of the Real Colegiata fade. Your breath steams in the morning air, your hands are cold from the night’s dew. Behind you lies the mighty crossing of the Pyrenees, before you opens a new day: forests, meadows, small villages, two passes, a descent that will cost you everything. The Camino is quieter, gentler—and yet its severity lurks in the last kilometers. You step out, one step after another, through the Sorginaritzaga forest, whose trees roar above you like a cathedral of green.

Route & Elevation Profile

• Distance: 21.5 km (official)
• Time: approx. 5.5 hours
• Elevation gain/loss: approx. +430 m / –830 m
• Difficulty: medium – easier than the Pyrenees, yet with ascents to Mezkiritz and Erro and a dangerous descent into Zubiri.

The way does not run in a straight line, but is marked by a constant up and down. Small climbs and hollows follow one another quickly, like the restless pulse of the landscape. The Camino here does not feel straight and predictable, but alive, full of rhythm and breath—almost as if the ground itself were breathing with you.

Variants

The stage ends in Zubiri. But many pilgrims continue further to Larrasoaña, about five kilometers along the left bank of the Río Arga. A quiet path, through hamlets and over small bridges, as an outlook toward Pamplona.

Description of the Way – With All Senses

You leave Roncesvalles on a soft ground covered with needles. The light filters through the trees, birds call, the forest breathes you out. It smells of moss and damp wood. After a few kilometers the land opens and reveals the view of Burguete. Heavy stone houses with balconies filled with flowers. At the small cemetery you pause briefly—a place where the history of the villagers and that of the pilgrims are inseparably interwoven.

Between fields and watercourses the way leads you further to Espinal. Here the roofs shimmer red, it smells of coffee, voices fill the street. A short stop—bread, café con leche, a friendly “Buen Camino.” Then the ascent begins. The path winds up to the Alto de Mezkiritz. Stones crunch under your boots, breath grows heavier, gaze narrows. But at the top you are greeted by a stele of the Virgen de Roncesvalles. The air is clear, and for a moment the soul widens.

The descent leads through cool woods to Viscarret, a village with a bar and a small shop. Here is the last reliable supply point. Voices echo from the tavern, plates clatter, pilgrims fill bottles and provisions. The Camino turns back into the forest. Step by step you carry yourself toward Lintzoain. It is a quiet place, hardly more than a few houses, a spring murmurs softly. You take a sip and feel how the freshness gives you strength.

Then the climb to the Alto de Erro. It is demanding, winding in switchbacks, while the forest closes in. Your heart beats loudly, your legs burn. At the top stands a stone, simple and silent: the memorial to Shingo Yamashita, a pilgrim who lost his life here. For a moment it grows still within you, as still as the wind among the pines.

And then—the descent. Steep, relentless, dangerous. Every step must be measured, your knees ache, your muscles tremble. Rain turns the path into a slippery trap, dust into dry steps. It is the part of the Camino that grants nothing but demands everything.

At the valley floor, Zubiri finally welcomes you. You hear the rushing of the Río Arga, see the arches of the Puente de la Rabia. You walk over its stones, place your hand on the old masonry. Legend tells: animals, led three times around its pier, found healing. You smile wearily—and feel that your arrival is also a form of healing.

Intermediate Places & Particularities

Packing & Shopping Tips

• In Viscarret, last opportunity for supplies—absolutely refill.
• 1.5 liters of water required, especially for ascent and descent.
• Poles are indispensable for the passage to Zubiri.
• Pay attention to weather: rain makes the descent extremely slippery.

Food & Accommodation

• Roncesvalles: Albergue Real Colegiata (183 beds, €14), hotels, apartments.
• Burguete: Albergue Lorentx Aterpea (42 beds), Hotel Loizu.
• Espinal: Camping Urrobi, Albergue Haizea, Albergue Irugoienea.
• Zubiri: Pilgrim hostel (72 beds, €15), El Palo del Avellano, Río Arga Ibaia, Segunda Etapa, Suseia, Zaldiko.

The Special Feature Today

The Puente de la Rabia is more than a bridge—it is symbol, myth, and destination. Three times farmers led their animals around its central pier, and healing was expected. Even if you do not believe in miracles—the thought that stones preserve stories carries you across the river.

Reflection

In the evening you sit by the Río Arga. Your legs are heavy, yet your head is clear. You have definitively left the Pyrenees behind. What remains is the feeling: every descent is also an approach. Every pain in the knee is part of a greater movement. The Camino takes, and it gives. Today it gave you the valley.

Overview

🌌 Camino of the Stars

Roncesvalles → Burguete → Espinal → Viscarret → Lintzoain → Alto de Erro → Zubiri

Call to Action

How did you experience the descent to Zubiri? Share your experience with other pilgrims—your impression can help others to walk more safely and consciously.

About the Author

investigasteve

Administrator

Visit Website View All Posts