Parque Natural de Urkiola · Ayuntamiento de Abadiño

Potholing in Urkiola

Sima de Larrano or Urrekazulo

Degree of difficulty: Medium-high

Risk: Medium-high

Located in the north face of the Karst de Anboto at 800 metres high, the Sima de Larrano is perhaps the most popular and best-known Anboto cave as, unlike La Dama de Anboto which is difficult to reach, this is next to the path that leaves from Larrano to the summit along the northern slope, and is therefore a route used by many day-trippers and occasional walkers.

When the cave was being explored, we became aware of the large amount of rubbish in the cave and we decided to do something. In conjunction with the Urkiola Natural Park, the GEMA Potholing Group cleaned up the cave in 2003. We had to set up several different types of installations to be able to remove the waste during the work that lasted over various weekends. A total of 500 kilos of rubbish was extracted. Glass accounted for over 300 kilos, which thanks to the Urkiolako Lagunak collective, we were able to take to Pol-Pol in a special collaboration day that was organised on the last day of that cleaning campaign.

How to get there:

Set off from Urkiola and climb up to Pol-Pol, where you will come to a crossroad from where the tracks lead off to Anboto, Urkiolamendi, Atxarte and Larrano. Take the latter and it will take you approximately 10 minutes to reach the col. Then take the path to Antobo, which you will easily find if you just go N. In just over 2 minutes, you will see the large entrance to your right.

Description:

This natural cave was used for mining for many years. It has a regular entrance that is 15 metres wide, that is easily visible as it is next to the edge of the path and close to a spring where mountaineers stop to quench their thirst.

The bottom of the depression leads off to the N down a ramp that opens up progressively and becomes a joint. That is the point where the cave divides into two, with the top of the 25-metre sink at one end and a mass of small mining galleries on the other. These use the natural zones of the cavity and they will gradually take you along a spiral shape and along small projections that are no longer than 8 metres to the base of the aforementioned sinkhole. You will come across many forks in the path that may make you wonder which way to go, but there is no risk whatsoever. Once there, you will come to a small room filled with agricultural waste and an odd trunk or two. You will also see a small water spring that flows towards the next sinkhole. This is a beautiful 20-metre sinkhole in the form of bell. Halfway along, there is a parallel gallery excavated some 15 metres by the mining, and which we are still not sure how to reach it.

As you go down, you will come to La Sala de los Faquires, thus called due to the large amount of broken glass on the floor. Another mining gallery leads off to the N, which stops after just 12 metres and turns into an upward ramp. A few metres later, you will come to a small ramp that links up with other similar ramps and will take you in a NW direction to the last 11-m sinkhole, which end is a narrow redoubt through which water trickles to 74 metres in depth.

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