Bardenas Desert

The Bardenas Reales Desert, located in the south-east of Navarre, is one of the most striking landscapes in Spain - and even in Europe.

🏜️ A desert like no other

• Surface area : Approximately 42,000 hectares of semi-arid land, sculpted by erosion.
• Status : Natural park since 1999 and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2000.
• Climate : Scorching summers (up to 45°C), cold winters, very little rainfall — a true European desert.

🌋 Lunar landscapes and distinct areas

The desert is divided into three main zones:

• The Bardena Blanca : the most emblematic, with its badlands, ravines, fairy chimneys like the famous Castildetierra.
• The Bardena Negra : more wooded, with pine forests and green plateaus.
• El Plano : agricultural area to the north, milder and cultivated.

🦅 Fauna and flora

Despite its austere appearance, the Bardenas are home to :

• The griffon vultures, foxes, wild boars, and a wide variety of migratory birds.
• A flora adapted to drought, but capable of spectacular blooms in spring.

🐑 Human History

• Ancestral pastoralism : Pyrenean herds have spent the winter there for centuries.
• Legendary banditry : the outlaw Sanchicorrota, nicknamed “King of the Bardenas”, found refuge there in the Middle Ages.

This place is a true western setting, often used for filming, and offers a complete change of scenery just two hours from the French border.