Otxandio is a small population of 1,300 inhabitants. But, however small it may be, it is of great social and cultural life, and on weekends there is always something on the street: a festive atmosphere on the main street and several options of food and drink in the city bars. It is a people of many associations, and the Otxandio have always had a great tendency to volunteer work and auzolan. In this regard, Otxandio’s neighbours and neighbours, working in the tourism, sports and agricultural sector, have started to make a joint offer to see what Otxandio can offer.

For forests

In Otxandio there are many forest and mountain tours. There are routes that can be carried out both on foot and by bicycle, in the area of Anboto or Gorbeia. It also passes through GR 98 or “Wine and Fish Route”. This tour starts in Oion and ends in Bermeo and Lekeitio. As the name suggests, the fishers used it to head south and the vinateras to head north. The road passes through Gutileano and Urkiola, and among them, of course, through Otxandio. Another purpose of our tour can be to go to the beginning of the Legutiano dam. It is a short walk from the beautiful Mekoleta neighborhood.

Bicycle boat

One option may be to take a path and get lost in the parking lot, and the other go with the driver. The friends of Bicigune know very well the tours that surround Otxandio. Bicigune is a space for renting and repairing bicycles where BTT exits and bicycle boats are also organized.

Close to the Oleta district, located in Aramaio, but two kilometres from Otxandio, young people from Otxandio opened a couple of years ago the Hontza Extrem adventure park on the banks of a stand. The tests are for children and adults: tree tour, archery, tree climbing... It's a decent place for the family and crew environment.

Learning from pastors

In Otxandio there is also the possibility of learning about cheese making. Very close to the urban center, there are three queserías. In Oleta makes cheese the wrestler Maider Unda, in the district of Kerexara the brothers Felix and Martín Ajuria, and in Mekoleta Aitor Padilla. These four pastors take people to teach them how they make cheese, and after seeing the process, they also organize cheese tastings.

Memory of the 36 bombing

The town of Otxandio has a special charm, and in the same main street, in Artekale, you can learn many things about the history of the town. The footballer and historian Koikili Lertxundi has held several sessions in which he explained that hours can be spent talking about the history of the locality. Lertxundi, who opened the hostel a year ago, works to offer an active tourist offer together with the members of two village rural houses and the general public.

Lertxundi has started his visits in Plaza ANDIKONA, where he has stayed until noon. It is a place of great symbolism, as it was bombed on 22 July 1936 during the festivities of Santamaña. This is the first bombing of civil society in the Iberian Peninsula, in which 57 people lost their lives. In memory of all the deaths in the attack, in the plaza is the monument of Nestor Basterretxea and a large plaque with names and surnames.

Town of Burdingile

The main plaza is also significant. It may seem too big for such a small town, but it should be borne in mind that Otxandio is in a strategic place. It was the stop of many merchants on the wine and fish route; they also had customs at the entrance of the town. Another particularity of the plaza is that: Source of Vulcano. Vulcano is the god of fire, and by the tradition of the steel industry in Otxandio, he has a place of honor in the village. In the 18th century, there were 80 stoves in Otxandio for the manufacture of nails and horseshoes and two others for locks. As it is often said, Columbus's boats had Otxandio's nails.

The water from the Vulcano fountain is not treated and contains a lot of iron: “That’s why we are so strong the otxandio,” jokes Koikili Lertxundi. We don't know if they're strong, but they're naturist and welcoming. The Otxandio otxandio itself makes a good place to visit.