Natural monument of Mount Santiago

ImprimirCitar

The natural monument of Mount Santiago is located in the eastern part of Sierra Salvada, in the Burgos region of Las Merindades, on the border with the province of Álava and the Biscayan enclave of Orduña.

Situated at around 900 m above sea level, there are two main ecosystems: a leafy beech forest, and wide heaths dotted with low scrub, typical of the Central Plateau.

The populations of vultures and birds of prey that nest in the ravines of the mountains are especially important, as is the community of amphibians that develops at the source of the Nervión river in Álava.

This is precisely the source of the Nervión River, which is nourished, although to a lesser extent, by the groundwater that runs under the karst in the area, which presents numerous subsidences or sinkholes as a result of erosion. All these soil waters form a river bed that creates a waterfall (Salto del Nervión) more than 200 m high in the territory of Álava, flowing into the Délica valley, in Orduña.

Another point of interest is the 937 m summit of Mount Charlazo, where the borders of the provinces of Burgos and Álava meet with the enclave of Orduña. At this point a large statue is erected in honor of the Virgin of Orduña. Nearby is also the Fraideburu (Álava), a curious rock formation named after it because it resembles the head of a friar, and which is an important nesting place for vultures.

It is also interesting to visit the remains of an old wolf colony: a set of walls built especially to kill wolves.