Society: Izki natural park
Izki, located in the south-east of Álava, was declared a Natural Park in 1998. In its 9,143 hectares it is home of a huge diversity of landscapes and is the third largest park in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.
Essentially, Izki is forest and rock. Mainly a marojal, but also beech, carrascales, alders, quejigales, mixed forests, birches, aspen groves, oak trees … cover much of this natural space. Small rivers – Izki, Molino, Berrón -, cross the valley.
In some points the water rises forming pools, trampales and incipient peat bogs. In these wetlands, apart from an interesting amphibian and bird fauna – small shark, larval horn … -, a valuable flora develops, such as the white water lily and a rich variety of carnivorous plants.
In the sky above the forest stand the slender figures of the royal eagle, the peregrine falcon, the vulture and the vulture, which rest and breed in the majestic cut limestones of the Izki peaks. The extensive pastures of the highlands, where cows, mares and sheep are fed, betray the presence of the human being. A wide cultural heritage transmits the history of these valleys and mountains: artificial caves, hermitages, fortified villages, tombs, caleros, castles, archaeological remains … and as a colophon the medieval village of Korres, the only inhabited nucleus inside the Park. Gastronomy, handicrafts, traditional festivals, pilgrimages and the existence of cozy rural houses dotted with villages near Izki increase the interest of the Natural Park.