Visit the Bardenas Reales desert in one day.

The Bardenas Reales Desert is a 42,000-hectare nature reserve located southeast of Navarre (northern Spain). It is simply the largest desert in Spain and Europe. The Bardenas Desert is rich in diverse fauna and flora (more than 25 species of birds of prey). This earns it the designation as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. 

The Bardenas Reales Nature Reserve is divided into 4 parts:  El Pano,  Blanca Alta,  Blanca Baja and  Plana de la Negra. We only had one day to visit the Bardenas, so we chose to focus on Blanca Baja. The most touristy part.

Blanca Baja is certainly the most touristy, but also the most unusual part of the Bardenas Desert. Indeed, in the middle of it, there is a military base. No danger if you stay on the paths and authorized areas.

The main entrance to Blanca Baja is through the Bardenas visitor centre, located about 20 kilometers from Tudela. We recommend stopping there to get a map of the nature park with the main information. A few meters further, the asphalt will turn into a beautiful gravel track, passable with a standard car (no 4x4 needed). The classic tour is a 35-kilometer loop and passes through all the must-sees of the Bardenas Desert. We advise you to take your time and stop regularly to enjoy the viewpoints and the available short hikes.

This desert expanse is beautiful, but also very fragile. Let's preserve it together by respecting the rules and not walking off the authorized paths.

Los Tres Hermanos is our first real stop after the tire change! We are overwhelmed by the beauty that nature offers us. This almost white clay land, eroded by rain and wind, offers us a very photogenic interplay of textures and shadows. We want to immortalize every corner of these geometric shapes.

We continue our journey and observe large mountain ranges that have the air of the American West. In its high cliffs, hides a cave that was the secret hideout of Sanchicorrota, one of the greatest bandits of the region in the 15th century. This famous cave can still be visited today.

Then, the scenery changes again, the greenery is less present and the path takes us through a small canyon: Blanquizales de Pisquerra.

Castildetierra is the postcard view of the Bardenas Desert and the must-see spot in the Bardenas. At the top of this beautiful fairy chimney, we can see the stone base of an ancient statue that miraculously holds on to the summit.

You can easily stop with your car in front and take advantage of it to walk around it and take your souvenir photo.

The Cabezo de las Cortinillas is a 360° panoramic viewpoint of the surrounding area. A path leads to its summit, requiring a 200-step staircase. These steps are no longer in good condition due to soil erosion below, and good physical condition is required. The arrival is spectacular, and we spend many minutes admiring the landscapes and its various reliefs under the golden light of late afternoon.

The sun will set soon and it's time for us to find a spot to sleep with the rooftop tent before nightfall.

The Bardenas Reales Natural Park enjoys a Mediterranean climate and can be visited all year round. We were there in late September and had a wonderful sunny day with temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees.

Entry to the Bardenas is free. The site opens at 8:00 am and closes one hour before sunset.

The Pisquerra, Rallon, Ralla, Gorra and Zapata areas (which represent 6% of the 42,000 hectares) are closed to the public from February to September, as they are protected during the breeding and nesting period of the vultures. To find out the exact dates, we recommend visiting the website www.bardenas-reales.net on the 'Tourist Info' tab, page 1.

We were with our rooftop tent during our stay in the Bardenas Desert and we chose to enjoy our last nights in nature. If we had to choose a hotel, we would go for the Hotel Aire de Bardenas which offers an immersion in nature with its suites. Of course, there are accommodations for all budgets and styles!

It is important to know that camping is prohibited in the Bardenas Reales Natural Park. We found two hidden gems that perfectly reflect the atmosphere of this unique European desert on park4night. Away from any major city, we enjoyed our evenings (a little cool) to observe the stars and the Milky Way. Magical moments we're not likely to forget.

The first spot is Mirador Punta de la Negra, located on a hilltop, where we watched vultures take flight a few feet from us as the sun set. The second spot is at Ermita de Santo Domingo, where we were surrounded by the typical clay soil of the region. We witnessed a magnificent sunset as we cooked our pasta.

We count on you to leave the place as you found it so that we can enjoy it for a long time to come.

We stayed one day in the Bardenas and we were able to see the must-sees of the Blanca Baja. If we had to do it again, we would stay at least 2 to 3 days to explore the other parts of the Bardenas Natural Park and discover the diversity of landscapes that the largest desert in Europe can offer us.

Are the Bardenas overhyped? We discovered this still little-known spot via Instagram and, upon arrival, were blown away by the beauty of the landscapes. These desert landscapes are unique in Europe. They have also been used as settings for one of James Bond's films (The World Is Not Enough), some scenes in the Game of Thrones series, and numerous commercials. We also think that the desert doesn't stop at the tourist area, Blanca Baja, and is full of hidden treasures in the other three parts.

We hope this article helped you prepare your trip to the Bardenas. It's a must-see during a road trip in northern Spain for us. To follow our adventures live, see you on our Instagram account!