At the Aierdi VIII mine, part of the Lantz mining complex, a Palaeo-Hispanic inscription dating back around 2,000 years was found. It is considered the northernmost find of its kind in Navarre and the only find of its kind inside a mine on the Iberian Peninsula. In 2024, access restrictions for the mine were announced: visits were possible only in connection with research activities, due to its archaeological sensitivity. Check current access arrangements before travelling.
Three days of carnival
The Lantz Carnival takes place on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday; Tuesday is the main day. The story of Miel Otxin unfolds over two days: on Monday, his capture is reenacted, and on Tuesday evening, residents stage his execution and burning at the stake. The festival is recognised as an intangible cultural asset of cultural interest (Bien de Interés Cultural). If you would like to include the carnival in your trip, check the dates for the relevant year. This distinction can help you choose which day to attend: the capture takes place on the day before, while the main day includes the evening performance.
Architecture and archaeological traces
Lantz’s civil architecture includes large houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, some of which bear coats of arms. By contrast, the present-day parish church of Santa Cruz is a modern building. The town’s urban layout also follows a clear settlement typology from Roman times. The Lantz dolmen belongs to the Saioa-Loiketa dolmen station.
Another archaeological trace is the Roman road between Belate and Lantz. It is preserved, and the arrangement of its stones to improve the passage of people and carts is clearly visible. Ayerdi IV belongs to a group of ten karst caves in the Txorrostarrikoerreka gorge, on the slopes of Ayerdi and Otaño. The passages in the cave group were artificially worked for mining in Roman times.
Trails through forests and mountains
The Camino de Santiago Baztanés passes through Lantz on its route from Bayonne via Belate to Pamplona. It is one of the routes leading from France to Santiago. Two main tracks in Lantz lead to nature trails through beech, chestnut and oak forests in the municipality’s mountains. North of the town, a mountain hike leads via Errebelu and Okolin onwards to Saioa. A circular walk or hike in Lantz is described as taking two and a half to three hours and as not particularly difficult. The area therefore offers different kinds of routes: a long-distance pilgrimage route, forest trails and a mountain hike with a named sequence of waypoints.
Karst and traditional uses
The Lantz karst system features notable aragonite sinter formations. In places, they can have a bluish hue associated with copper deposits. The lime kilns in the Lantz mountains were built as pits lined with earth and stone. Limestone was fired in them, then crushed and used as a building material. This description adds another form of use of the mountain landscape to the archaeological traces: in addition to the worked caves and the preserved Roman road, the lime kilns are also part of the town’s history.
Discover more destinations: Arbizu, Lekunberri, Falces, Oderitz, Torres Del RĂo, Cascante, Villamayor, Basaburua
For the broader travel overview: Navarra.
