Las Bardenas Reales, an isolated semi-desert area to the south of Pamplona, straddles the regions of Navarre and Aragon. That particular Saturday, we decided to go hiking. The weather forecast for the Basque Coast said that the skies were going to be overcast, but 200km further south we were sure to have great weather.
Les Bardenas Reales, a total change of scenery just 2hr30 from Villa Kaioa
With a little foresight, we set off armed with a guide book even if it was rather old and dog-eared. We prepared our picnic and, although it was only the month of March, a full bottle of water for each hiker, some good walking shoes and we were ready to go!
Getting there was a piece of cake – motorway all the way and the journey went very smoothly until 20km from our destination. There the GPS flipped and sent us along roads that we were never supposed to find. Finally, we arrived from the south instead of arriving by the north!
Access into the park is via a small, rather secretive road.
And there, suddenly we saw incredible rock formations and spectacular chimney rocks, the results of years of wind erosion; they have a kind of other-world appearance. We were all amazed by the unforgettable landscape that stretched before our eyes.
I was also surprised to see so much greenery – the plains are irrigated.
Listed as a Natural Park and a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO, the Bardenas Reales is comprised of 2 natural reserves– Rincon del Bu and Caidas de la Negra – and 3 geographical areas. We chose to explore the Bardena Blanca, in the centre and the “El Rallon” itinerary, which is supposed to take about 4 or 5 hours. This itinerary can also be followed on foot or by bike, which, I must say, made me feel rather confident about the difficulty of the track.
We left the car at the side of the narrow road and set off to walk on the path that runs along the Barranco de los Cabrones. The Barranco reminded me of a dry river bed: all twists and turns. Some people talked of a ravine. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was magnificent. We walked on the hard sand in the steppe-like terrain. The path was uneven and we came across the gullies that have given the area its Spanish name, barranco.
Then we were facing the Rallon…
According to our map, the path took us around the Bardena Blanca before it started climbing. The ascent was not so difficult and definitely worth the effort. The sun didn’t feel so hot because the wind is still cool – indeed, such sculptures weren’t carved out just by chance.
The countryside is absolutely magnificent. To our right we had the Bardena Blanca, which bears its name well. The landscape is beige and pale under the sun, in a stark contrast with the blue sky. But it is the mountainous relief that really takes your breath away. It seems as if the mountain has been folded like a piece of fabric, patterned with patches of colour and even brownish and dark red stripes that led me to suppose that the soil is rich in minerals here. The Bardenas that we could see a little further away seemed almost white. Some areas were pointed and others were flatter, but everywhere seemed to be carved out into a festival of shapes and forms. We all compared our impressions: one person saw the head of a dog, and another made out a king and queen looking down on their subjects… we were all very creative! Everyone added their thoughts, their feelings…
Our walk along the Bardena Blanca was very pleasant because we were sheltered from the wind and, before we knew it, we had arrived at the end of the Bardena and got ready to penetrate the interior of this magic landscape. It was amazing to think that we were going to be able to adventure into the heart of those chiselled rocks.
A stone staircase climbed up to a promontory and it seemed quite steep – too much for me to want to attempt it. I preferred to be among the rocks rather than contemplating the view.
And in any case, I was beginning to get hungry…
We made several attempts along different tracks that climbed up between the rocks. We didn’t find the right one. Doubtless our guide book was too old.
Picnic in the heart of the Bardenas
The hunger pangs started getting the better of me. We sat down at the highest point and gazed out over the breathtaking scenery that we had just climbed: the mountains sculpted by wind, and probably eroded by the rain too, are absolutely extraordinary. We ate our picnic and left feeling restored, with light hearts and a full stomach!
We decided to take the stone staircase up to the promontory. Did I say staircase? Some steps were completely tilted; others were simply hanging out over the void as if they were doing some sort of balancing act with nature. Climbing up was somewhat intimidating and to be honest I didn’t make it to the top. I was more drawn by a track I had spotted along an inner cirque surrounded by mountain slopes. I waited there. It was hot and I felt soothed by the calm atmosphere of this magic place.
We finally climbed down the magnificent stone staircase and when we reached the bottom, we realised that it was already 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We didn’t have time to finish the circuit and we ended up by going back along the path we had already taken. We thought this would be rather frustrating but we discovered a different landscape on the return leg of our hike. The light had changed, the sun had already gone down and the mountain relief was no longer visible. We found ourselves in a magnificent and peaceful world.
Once we got back to the car, we thought it would be a good idea to leave the park on the opposite side to which we had entered it. But it wasn’t to be our day – we didn’t find the right road!
It really didn’t matter one jot! We had already decided that we would go back for more Bardenas adventures. With just a 2-hour drive from Villa Kaioa, the Bardenas Reales are easily accessible!