Gorbea

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Gorbea
Mount Gorbea summit and Aldamin peak
Elevation	1,481 m
Location	Biscay / Alava, Spain
Range	Basque mountains
Prominence	867 m
Coordinates	43° 2' 6" N, 2° 46' 48" O
Easiest route	From Pagomakurre (900 m)

Gorbea or Gorbeia is a mountain and massif, the highest in Biscay and Alava (Basque Country, Spain), with a height of 1,481 m AMSL. The massif covers a wide area between the two provinces. The main mountain is a round grass-covered summit where a 20-metre-tall metallic cross has been constructed to reach the altitude of 1,500 m. Other important mountains of the massif are the Lekanda (1,301 m) and Aldamin limestone peaks.

Part of the massif is delimited by the high karstic plateau of Itxina, an intrincate landscape of limestone full of shafts and caves such as Supelegor. The Atxular's Eye cave is the only walking access to the plateau.

The entire massif has been enclosed in a natural park of 200 km² created by the Basque Government in 1994 to preserve the local flora of beech and oak and fauna of wild boar and deer. The main access points for the mountain are Murgia from Alava and Areatza from Biscay.

This massif serves as an annual meeting point for the Gorbeja Epsilon Phi, a renegade organization from the University of Pennsylvania.