# Bardenas Reales

A desert of clay and gypsum in southern Navarre, with a 25 km track around the Bardena Blanca, Castildetierra and trips by 4x4, buggy or on horseback.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/navarre/bardenas-reales · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## What the Bardenas are

The Bardenas Reales are 41,845 hectares of semi-desert land with no villages in the southeast of Navarre, between Tudela, Arguedas, Carcastillo and the border with Aragon. They have been a Natural Park since 1999 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2000. It rains little, about 350 litres a year, and water and wind have carved the clay and gypsum into hillocks, plains and ravines.

The park has three zones. The Bardena Blanca, in the centre, is the depression of pale, bare soils: the one in the photos, with Castildetierra, the Pisquerra and the Rallón. El Plano, to the north, is an almost flat terrace of cultivated land. The Bardena Negra, to the south, has large limestone plains with pines and kermes oaks that darken the land. In the middle of the Blanca is the Air Force firing range, about 2,244 hectares that are not part of the park and cannot be entered.

It is not an abandoned place: for centuries the territory has belonged to twenty-two "congozantes", villages, valleys and the monastery of La Oliva, which manage it as the Comunidad de Bardenas Reales. That is why you will see flocks, crops and working tracks closed to visitors.

## How to get there and where to enter

The usual entrance is Arguedas, on the N-134 between Tudela and Pamplona. From the village, the park road leads to the information centre, at the Aguilares estate, about 7 km away. That is where the track of about 25 km around the Bardena Blanca begins: Visit Navarra gives it about two hours by car with stops, and it is the best first visit.

Approximate times to Arguedas, estimated by road: from Pamplona, about an hour along the AP-15; from Zaragoza, an hour and a quarter along the AP-68 or the A-68 to Tudela; from Logroño, a little over an hour along the AP-68; from Soria, an hour and a half via Tarazona and Tudela. From San Sebastián or Vitoria-Gasteiz it is more than two hours, better with a night.

There are other entrances. From the north, from Carcastillo, the El Paso track descends to join the Blanca's perimeter track; after this autumn's storms, the park warns of a closed stretch between the Perimetral and El Paso. The Bardena Negra is reached from the N-125 at Ejea or from Fustiñana. Next to the El Ferial reservoir, on the N-121 between Tudela and Caparroso, there is another area for tourist use.

Without a car, the visit is not practical: there is no public transport inside the park and distances are long. The 4x4 companies in the area pick you up in nearby villages, less than 25 km away.

## Where to park and what the rules are

You park at the information centre and in the marked places beside the authorised routes, never in the middle of the track or off it. The park's rules are few and are enforced:

Hours: from 8:00 until an hour before dusk. Visit Navarra advises leaving before 16:30 in winter.

Cars and bikes, only on the marked tracks. Leaving them is forbidden, as is walking cross-country over hills and slopes.

Maximum speed of 40 km/h and groups of fewer than five vehicles.

No camping, sleeping in a motorhome, lighting fires, flying drones or climbing.

Dogs always on a lead, with a leash of 3 metres at most, and never inside buildings.

The track is earth and an ordinary car can drive it with care; Visit Navarra advises against sports cars and very low cars. In persistent rain the park recommends not entering: the clay turns to mud and the tracks get damaged.

## How much time and when to go

Half a day is enough for the Blanca track, Castildetierra and the short walk in the Cortinas ravine. With a full day you add a guided trip to the Bardena Negra, a horse ride or the Sendaviva park, and you sleep in Arguedas or Valtierra to see the sunset.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons. In summer the heat arrives early and there is no shade: enter at 8:00 and leave before midday, or come back for sunset. In winter the days are short, but the low light on the hillocks is very good for photography. Before going, check the notices on the park's website: there are one-off closures because of storms, bird nesting in El Plano and events, such as the one for the eclipse of 12 August 2026.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Curious Places, Game of Thrones Locations, Unusual places to stay in Spain, Horse riding routes in Spain
- Cerca: Olite (a 33.7 km), Tarazona and the Moncayo (a 37.8 km), Irati Forest (a 93.2 km), Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa (a 97.4 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Driving loop around the Bardena Blanca** (2 h · 25 km · First visit, families · On your own · free): This is the visit to do first. From the Los Aguilares information centre, about 7 km from Arguedas, a dirt track of some 25 km circles the Bardena Blanca, the most eroded and most photographed part of the park. Visit Navarra allows about two hours by car with stops.
What the route is like
The track skirts the outside of the firing range, which is fenced off in the centre and cannot be entered. Along the way you see the clay and gypsum landforms, the dry ravines and the white badlands, with the silhouette of Castildetierra near the start, beside the Cortinas ravine. There are signposted lay-bys for stopping; outside them you may not park or leave the track.
What car you need
An ordinary car, driven calmly. Visit Navarra advises against sports cars and very low cars. The maximum speed is 40 km/h and you may not drive in groups of five or more vehicles. After heavy rain the clay turns to mud: the park recommends not entering if it rains persistently.
When to go
First thing or last thing, with a low sun and less heat. The park opens at 8:00 and closes an hour before dusk; in winter, set out before 16:30. Inside there is no water, no bars and no petrol stations.
A filming landscape
Visit Navarra reminds visitors that the Bardenas have been the setting for adverts, series and films, among them Game of Thrones and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, and that you may recognise the Pisquerra from one of them. There is no marked filming spot and nothing set up for fans: what you recognise is the terrain, the landforms and the white plain surrounding this track. Respect the fencing of the firing range and check the notices on the park's website before setting out, as it publishes tracks closed by rain or storms and one-off closures.
- **Castildetierra** (30 min · Everyone · On your own · free): Castildetierra is the inverted-funnel landform that identifies the Bardenas Reales: a clay chimney protected on top by a layer of harder rock. It stands in the Bardena Blanca, next to the Cortinas ravine, at the start of the perimeter track, and the Comunidad de Bardenas itself describes it as the most photographed landmark in the park, receiving hundreds of visitors every day. It is the essential stop on any visit, however short.
How it formed
The Bardenas are a fill of clays, silts, gypsum and sandstones that was deposited in large lakes between 21 and 15 million years ago, when the Ebro basin was closed to the sea. Since the Ebro found its way to the Mediterranean, erosion has not stopped. Where a hard layer of sandstone, limestone or conglomerate protects the clays beneath, landforms and plateaus remain standing, such as Castildetierra, Pisquerra or the Rallón. According to the Comunidad, Castildetierra is the most extreme example of this phenomenon, and its researchers calculate that it formed within the last 10,000 years.
The clay is soft and every storm carries off a little. Because of this risk of collapse, the Comunidad announced as early as 2004 a wooden perimeter fence to limit access to its base, and in 2011 commissioned a full scan of the landform that would allow it to be rebuilt precisely if it falls. Wikipedia records estimates that, at the current rate of erosion, it could last about four decades.
How to see it
You can see it from the track and from the signposted walk along the Cortinas ravine, which starts from the same car park. Park in the marked space and approach on foot along the path: you may not climb it, go round it across country or touch it. Beside the landform there is a fixed stand for taking a phone photo with the best framing and QR codes with information in several languages about its geology.
The park opens to visits from 8:00 until one hour before dusk. In morning or afternoon light the rock takes on colour and the shadows pick out the relief; at midday in summer the light is flat and the heat strong. In the Bardenas the use of drones for recreational purposes is forbidden, here too.
Getting there
From Arguedas, take the NA-134 towards Tudela and, after a kilometre, past a petrol station, the paved lane on the left: at 5.9 km is the information centre and at 10.5 km Castildetierra, all on tarmac, so any car can get there. From here the loop along the perimeter track of the Bardena Blanca begins, which circles the military range and passes close to the Pisquerra and the Rallón.
With children and with a dog
It is a short, flat stop, perfect with small children: the path from the car park is brief and there is nothing to climb. Dogs may come, on a lead of 3 metres at most. There is no shade or fountains: bring water.
- **Walk along the Cortinas ravine** (40 min · 1.2 km · Families · On your own · free): The Cortinas ravine is one of the signposted walking routes in the Bardenas Reales natural park and the easiest of all: just over a kilometre, with no appreciable gradient, along the floor of one of the deep ravines of the Bardena Blanca, with a starting panel and wooden posts. It starts from the car park at the foot of Castildetierra, so it is the best way to round off the stop at the Bardenas' most famous landform and to see up close how erosion works here.
The route
From the car park you take a track west and go down into the ravine by a short, steep slope. At the bottom, the walk follows the dry bed looking for the best way among the tamarisks on the floor, with clay walls on either side. On reaching an old dam, a steeply sloping track on the left leads out of the ravine, and you return along the top, skirting the ravine at some distance from the edge to avoid landslides and falls. Between half an hour and three quarters of an hour is enough, with time for photos.
According to the Comunidad de Bardenas, the ravines of the Blanca, such as the Barranco Grande or the Cortinas one, are very dynamic: they advance several metres a year and open new branches. Every visit is a little different.
When to go and what to bear in mind
The park opens to tourist visits from 8:00 until one hour before dusk. The official guide warns that the route is not recommended after rain: the clay floor turns to mud and can become impassable. There is no shade either, so in summer it is best to go first thing or late in the afternoon and to carry water. Always keep to the path: in the Bardenas it is forbidden to leave tracks and trails, to climb and to use drones for recreational purposes.
The neighbouring path that used to climb to the Cortinillas landform is closed because of the risk of rockfalls; the Comunidad asks people to respect the signs. Do not try it.
Getting there
From Arguedas, take the NA-134 towards Tudela and, one kilometre from the village, past a petrol station, the paved lane on the left: at 5.9 km is the information centre, where they give you the map and warn you of closures, and at 10.5 km Castildetierra, where the perimeter track of the Bardena Blanca begins. Park in the marked space at the foot of the landform; the walk starts from there.
With children and with a dog
It is short and almost flat, suitable for small children, although the initial descent and the final climb are steep: hold their hands. A large-wheeled pushchair only makes sense when the ground is dry and helps on the slopes. Dogs may come, on a lead of 3 metres at most, and they may not enter the park buildings.
- **Guided 4x4 tour of the Bardena Blanca** (3 h · Families and groups of up to 6 · Desde 160 € per vehicle (up to 4 people)): Any car can drive the perimeter track of the Bardena Blanca with care. With a local guide you go further: they take you along the tracks that reach the landforms in the interior, stop at them so you can get out and walk, and explain why the clay crumbles like this, which birds live on the steppe, who works these lands and what a firing range is doing in the middle of the park.
The Rallón, the Pisquerra and Castildetierra
Enjoy Bardenas' Bardena Blanca route lasts about three hours, counted from when you get in the vehicle. It is private: a seven-seat air-conditioned 4x4 just for your group, with a qualified guide. The three fixed stops are the Rallón, the Pisquerra and Castildetierra, and at each one you walk for a while through the desert while the guide talks about the wildlife, minerals and plants. They pick you up from your accommodation if it is within 25 km of the park, and the route includes a drink and insurance. Guides speak Spanish, French and English.
It costs €160 per vehicle for up to four people, and €10 for each extra person, up to two. When booking you pay 30%, €50, and the rest, €110, before starting.
When the sun drops over the landforms
The same company has a sunset outing of about two and a half hours. It begins about two hours before sunset, so the time changes with the season and is agreed with them by phone, WhatsApp or email. It passes through the best-known spots of the Bardena and ends with the light already low. It costs €150 for up to four people, with €10 per extra person up to two, and the deposit is €35.
From Valtierra, without driving yourself
Bardenas Buggies Tour, the buggy company in Valtierra, also runs 4x4 outings with a driver-guide for up to four people: €150 for the two-hour one and €220 for the three-hour one. It includes guide, fuel, insurance, park access and a snack with a drink.
If you are torn between a guide and your own car
On your own you can do the loop around the Bardena Blanca: about 25 km of track from the information centre, in around two hours with stops. The guided outing is worth it if you do not want to put your car on dirt tracks, if you are travelling with children or older people (the routes are designed for them) or if you want to understand the landscape. Since you pay per vehicle, it works out better in a group of four to six.
The rules apply just the same with a guide: no leaving the track, no climbing the landforms, no taking stones. The park is open from 8:00 until an hour before dusk, and the information centre, in autumn, from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00. For a full Sunday with lunch in Tudela, see the plan 4x4 through the Bardena Blanca and vegetables in Tudela.
- **Guided buggy tour of the Bardenas** (3 h · Driver from age 25; passengers from age 5 · Desde 230 € per buggy (1–2 people, afternoon route)): With Bardenas Buggies Tour you do the driving. Each buggy is a Can-Am Maverick Sport Max with four approved seats, 1,000 cc and about 100 horsepower, and you travel in a line behind the guide, who drives his own vehicle throughout the route. The company does not rent buggies without a guide, and nobody leaves the authorised tracks: in the natural park it is forbidden and punishable by a fine.
A three-hour morning or a two-hour afternoon
There are two sessions. The morning route runs from 10:00 to 13:00 and the afternoon one from 17:00 to 19:00. The company is based in Valtierra, about 5 km from the park, and sends you the meeting point by GPS when you book; the route starts and ends in the same place. Arrive with time to spare: they ask you to be there at least a quarter of an hour earlier to put on your helmet and listen to the technical and safety briefing.
The route is not fixed. It changes with the day, the state of the tracks and the group, and stops at some of the most striking corners of the Bardena. Each vehicle carries binoculars and a telescope for watching birds, especially raptors, and on the route there is a snack with a drink. There are no toilets on the way.
Who drives and who rides as co-driver
To get behind the wheel you need to be 25 and have held a B licence for at least two years, and bring the original licence. On the longer routes driver and co-driver can swap, if both meet the requirements. Children can ride as passengers from age 5, in an approved child seat that the family brings. Nobody gets in under the influence of alcohol. If you are under 25, you are a passenger.
What a buggy costs
You pay per vehicle, not per person:

Morning route: €320 with one or two people and €390 with three or four.
Afternoon route: €230 with one or two people and €280 with three or four.

This includes the guide, safety equipment, vehicle and civil liability insurance, fuel, park access and the snack. To book you leave a €100 deposit per buggy. If you cancel more than seven days ahead you get 70% back; with less notice, you lose the deposit. The tour goes ahead even if it rains, with waterproofs for everyone, and is only cancelled if the weather makes it dangerous; then everything is refunded.
Up to four buggies and one 4x4 set off at once, about 20 people. If nobody in the group wants or is able to drive, the same company runs 4x4 tours with a driver-guide.
Clay, sun and helmet: what to wear
The track kicks up clay dust. Go in clothes that can get dirty, closed shoes and several layers, because the temperature changes during the route. Bring a cap that fits under the helmet, sunglasses with a cord, sun cream and at least a litre of water per person; a scarf for your mouth helps. No sandals or jewellery, and keep your phone well secured.
If you are sleeping at Cuevas de Bardenas, you are in Valtierra itself. For lunch afterwards, Restaurante 33 in Tudela is open at midday every day.
- **Horse riding in the Bardenas from Landazuría** (3 h 30 · Riders with some experience and teenagers · Desde 150 € per person): On horseback you reach corners of the Bardenas Reales that you do not see from a car: ravines, plateaus and nature reserves far from the perimeter track, at a walking pace and in silence. The park only allows riding on the routes marked for horses, so the most practical thing is to go with a local company that knows them. Bardenasaventure, from Arguedas, runs guided rides that leave from the stables beside the Landazuría hut.
The routes
Bardenasaventure offers six routes, each with a different character:

El Vedado de Eguaras, a nature reserve with vegetation in the middle of the steppe, which leaves directly from Landazuría.
La Pisquerra, the azagadero of the Cambrones ravine and the Rallón, past some of the best-known landforms of the Bardena Blanca. The Cambrones pass is also known as the "deer pass" or the "pretty ridge".
The Rincón del Bú nature reserve.
La Nasa, Tripa Azul and the Bardena Negra.
The Bardena Negra via Punta del Alba, Val del Chan and the La Negra trail.
In summer, a swim with the horses in one of the Bardenas reservoirs.

Duration and price
The three-to-four-hour ride costs €150 per person and the five-to-six-hour one, €220, VAT included. There are also sunset rides and routes with a night in a bivouac and a return the next morning, with prices on request, and three- or four-day treks for €300 per person per day, with luggage transport, meals, accommodation and horses included.
On the treks the horses sleep in enclosures with water and feed next to the Landazuría, Cubilar and Nemesia huts, and the bivouac is set up in a spot in the desert or near the huts, which have a toilet, shower and electricity. A 4x4 carries the equipment and tents, and the food can be prepared by a cook with typical dishes or by the riders themselves.
Level, age and rules
The website does not publish a minimum age or required level for the guided rides; tell them about your experience and the age of any children when you book. They only rent horses without a guide to riders of a good level who respect the animal's welfare. During the birds' nesting season some routes change, because the park closes sensitive areas; in 2026, for example, the El Plano and Blanca Alta SPA zone did not reopen on foot until 16 September and remains closed to horses.
The company's rules are the park's: always stay on the marked tracks, make no fires, take your rubbish with you, do not disturb livestock or wildlife and do not pick plants.
Booking and getting there
Book through the contact form at bardenasaventure.com, which publishes no phone number or email. The company will tell you how to get to the Landazuría stables. Before or afterwards you can call at the Bardenas information centre or go up to see Castildetierra.
- **Sendaviva, the nature park in Arguedas** (6 h · Families with children · Desde 24 € per child aged 5 to 11 (adults from €32; under 5s, free)): Sendaviva is a nature and theme park in the municipality of Arguedas, on the Virgen del Yugo road, with the Bardenas in view. It combines animals, a birds-of-prey show, rides and performances, and has restaurants inside. It is about 80 km south of Pamplona, 103 km from Zaragoza and 107 km from Logroño.
A park that opens seasonally
It is not open all year. It runs from spring to autumn on a calendar that changes each season and is published on its website. In autumn 2026 it opened on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 20:00, with a Halloween theme from 3 October to 15 November, the last day of the season. The 2027 opening date is not yet published: check it before planning your trip.
Animals, raptors and haunted houses
The park is toured by zones, with animals and rides spread along the way. The fixed show is the birds-of-prey exhibition from around the world, on hunting techniques. At the Restaurante de las Aves you eat while watching the show "Tierra de Leyenda", with a set menu. There are also lemur encounters and guided nature walks for groups, which are booked separately.
At Halloween the park sets up themed passages and scenes, such as the Beetlejuice house, the witch's train or the Enchanted Mansion, and a fancy-dress contest.
What it costs to get in
A day ticket costs from €32 for ages 12 to 64 and from €24 for ages 5 to 11 and over-65s; under-5s go in free. Online it gets cheaper the earlier you buy: €8 less with more than 30 days' notice, €6 from 29 to 8 days and €3 from 7 days to 48 hours. A second consecutive day costs €12 more if you buy it online with the first, or €16 at the ticket office.
The half-day ticket is valid from 16:00 and is only sold at the ticket office that same day: €22 adults and €19 children and over-65s. Large families and single-parent families get a 20% discount with the official certificate, and anyone who returns in the same season pays half price for the second visit, by calling 948 088 100.
One day at the park and another in the desert
With children, the plan that works is the loop around the Bardena Blanca early, before the heat, and Sendaviva the next day. The park has its own accommodation and motorhome parking with nine spaces; very close, on the Arguedas road, is the country house La Alberca, 3 km away. In the village you can also see the Arguedas caves.
- **Tudela, the cathedral and the old town** (2 h 30 · Everyone · Museo de Tudela and cathedral, €4): Tudela, the capital of the Ribera de Navarra, is 14 km from the Bardenas and has what the park does not: vegetable restaurants, hotels and an old town to stroll around when the sun goes down over the desert. In two or three hours you see the cathedral, the palaces and the square.
The cathedral is seen through the Museo de Tudela
The cathedral of Santa María has been a National Monument since 1884; its best-known doorway is the Romanesque Last Judgement Door. You do not enter through the church: tourist access is through the Museo de Tudela, in the Deanery Palace, a 16th-century palace with medieval, Renaissance and Baroque sacred art, goldwork, altarpieces and painting. From the museum you go through to the cathedral and its Romanesque cloister. If a service is being held, the tourist visit does not take place.
Autumn 2026 hours: Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and Saturdays from 10:00 to 13:30. It is closed on Sunday. Last entry is recommended half an hour before closing. Entry costs €4; €3 reduced (retirees and pensioners, youth card, people with disabilities, ICOM and groups of 15) and €2 for ages 7 to 12. There are guided visits for groups and individuals with a booking, on 948 402 161.
Palaces you can see inside
A few steps away, in the old town, are two palaces you can visit inside and a Renaissance house with exhibitions:

Palacio del Marqués de San Adrián, 16th-century Renaissance, with a courtyard and a painted staircase. Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 21:00; Saturdays from 11:00 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 19:00; Sundays from 11:00 to 13:30.
Palacio del Marqués de Huarte, 18th-century Baroque, with a dome, imperial staircases and an 18th-century carriage. It houses the municipal library and archive. Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 20:00; Saturdays from 11:00 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 19:00; Sundays from 11:00 to 13:30.
Casa del Almirante, from the first half of the 16th century, with a three-storey Renaissance façade and two main balconies. It is the seat of the Fundación María Forcada, which stages temporary exhibitions.

The Museo Muñoz Sola, with the work of this Navarrese painter and his collection of 19th-century French painting, is free and open Wednesday to Saturday from 10:30 to 13:30 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and on Sundays and public holidays in the morning; it closes on Monday and Tuesday.
The square, the Magdalena and the market gardens
The Plaza de los Fueros, with its bandstand, is the centre of the city and the site of the tourist office. Continue to the Romanesque church of La Magdalena, with its tower, doorway and tympanum. The Monreal tower, with its camera obscura, is temporarily closed. At the entrance to the Mejana, in the El Molinar Civic Centre, the Centro de Interpretación de la Huerta explains the life of the market gardeners: it is free, admits dogs and is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 16:00 to 20:00, Friday from 16:00 to 22:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00.
For children there is a street game, "El secreto de Benjamín", which leaves from Plaza de los Fueros and costs €9.95, with no booking.
How to fit it in with the Bardenas
Do the Bardenas in the morning, have lunch at Restaurante 33, near the square, and leave the afternoon for the old town. The tourist office gives you the map and the season's hours. If you sleep at the Hotel Aire de Bardenas, you are a kilometre and a half away.
- **Cuevas de Arguedas** (1 h · Everyone): Above the village of Arguedas, the gateway to the Bardenas, the hill is riddled with caves that were homes until the mid-20th century. It is a way of life repeated across the Ribera de Navarra, where the clay is easy to dig and keeps a stable temperature all year. The Town Hall has recovered some of them and today they can be visited with a guide: it is a short, curious stop that explains a lot about how people lived in this land before modern housing arrived.
A little history
According to the Town Hall, the caves of Arguedas appeared at the end of the 19th century. They were dug into the hillside to house the families with fewest resources, who thus avoided paying rent to the few owners who held most of the village's houses. The ground is also relatively easy to dig, so each family could keep extending its home as it grew.
In 1940 there were 52 cave dwellings in Arguedas. They were abandoned in the 1960s, when social housing was built in the village, and the great majority have been sealed.
What they were like inside
The homes were arranged along the façade to make use of natural light. They had no corridor: you passed from one room directly to the next. As almost all belonged to farmers, many had a barn and a yard for keeping working tools.
How to visit them
Guided visits leave from Arguedas tourist information point, on Plaza General Clemente, with a booking. In autumn 2026 the point is open Wednesday to Friday from 16:00 to 19:00, Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00. Telephone, 948 844 681. The hours change by season: confirm them before you go. The company Rutas Vivamus also offers guided visits to the caves. From the village streets you can see the cave mouths on the hill, but to go in you have to join the visit.
What else to see in Arguedas
Above the 16th-century church of San Esteban, you climb up Calle La Concha and a steep, well-marked path to the Balconico de los Moros, a natural balcony on the crag where the fortress stood until 1084. From there you get the best views of the village, with the church tower in front and the Moncayo on the horizon. About 5 km away, in the Sierra del Yugo, the hermitage of the Virgen del Yugo has a recreation area with swings, barbecues and viewpoints over the Bardenas.
How to combine it
It is a good one-hour stop before entering the park, or on the way out in the afternoon: from Arguedas leaves the lane that leads to the Bardenas information centre and to Castildetierra. If you want to sleep in a cave, in Valtierra, the neighbouring village, there are cave houses to rent.

## Dónde comer
- **Restaurante 33** (Restaurant, Tudela, €€€). Qué pedir: the vegetable tasting menu (€64), or à la carte vegetables by the piece, dressed Tudela tomato and Tudela pochas with quail
- **Restaurant at the Hotel Aire de Bardenas** (Restaurant, Tudela, €€€€). Qué pedir: the vegetable tasting menu (€69), or à la carte the Tudela lettuce hearts on their gazpacho, the Tudela artichoke and the Bardenas shepherd's migas

## By car: The car is the only practical way in
There is no public transport inside the park and the Bardena Blanca track is designed to be driven. Reach Arguedas by the N-134 or the AP-15, enter by the park road and park at the information centre. An ordinary car is enough; avoid very low cars.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–140 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Aire de Bardenas** (Small hotel): Cubes, patios and a bubble at the edge of the Bardena
Aire de Bardenas is on the Ejea road, a kilometre and a half from Tudela, where the Ribera market gardens end and the dry landscape of the Bardenas begins. It opened at the end of 2007 and was designed by the architects Emiliano López and Mónica Rivera. It has eight room types, all doubles. Those in the main building have a private patio, and some have an outdoor bath. The cubes are detached pavilions that you enter from outside; some look out to the countryside and others have a bath on their patio. Cube 22 is the only one with both, views and an outdoor bath, and is the most requested. There are also suites with views or with a bath.
The most sought-after piece is the bubble suite: 25 m² of transparency with a full bathroom with a shower inside, a private area outside and a large hot-and-cold bath looking up at the sky. It works all year, with air conditioning and heating. They give you an eye mask and earplugs, and if you want to sleep late you can ask at reception for the bubble to be covered at dawn. It has no TV. For privacy, guests sleeping in a cube cannot come to see the bubbles.
Eating, bathing and heading out into the desert
The restaurant cooks with vegetables from its organic garden and from the Ribera: a vegetable tasting menu, with white Tudela artichoke and asparagus in season, and a menu. Breakfast runs from 9:00 to 11:00, and you can ask for another time. Dinners are from 19:30 to 22:00. It closes only on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The outdoor pool is open 24 hours and is for guests only; it is heated by solar panels, so the water is best from May to October.
From the hotel they organise outings into the Bardena by Segway, 4x4, van or bike, with their own guide and vehicle, and offer massage. If you prefer to go on your own, the park starts beyond Arguedas: the 4x4 tour of the Bardena Blanca and Castildetierra are two classic outings. In the afternoon, the old town of Tudela is a kilometre and a half away.
Families, dogs and arrival
Pets are allowed in all rooms, and if they are calm they can come into the restaurant. For families, the doubles take one or two extra beds or a cot; the standard bubbles do not take an extra bed, the bubble suite does. There is a homemade children's menu.
Parking is free outdoors, with three electric car chargers. Reception is open 24 hours and they will keep your luggage. Zaragoza airport is about 40 minutes away and the Madrid train reaches Tudela in about two hours. The website does not publish prices or check-in and check-out times: you see them in its booking engine.
- **Cuevas de Bardenas** (Country house): A night inside the hill of Valtierra
In the Ribera de Navarra people lived in caves dug into the clay hills until a few decades ago. In Valtierra, about 15 minutes from Tudela, Cuevas de Bardenas has rented out eight of these houses since 2001, fitted out inside and whitewashed outside, and the owners live right there. Each cave is named after a steppe bird: El Alcaraván, El Alimoche, El Cobachón, El Mochuelo, La Alondra, La Calandria, La Perdiz and La Tórtola. They also have two country houses: the Cueva Rural Palomar, with four double bedrooms and two bathrooms, and La Casica Bardenera, a ground-floor house on the village's main street.
Inside, the rock acts as insulation and the temperature barely changes all year: cool when the Ribera heat bears down outside and mild on frosty nights. Even so, all have heating and air conditioning.
What the caves are like inside
Each has a kitchen with living room, its own bathroom and a patio or terrace with a barbecue, and they share free wifi, a Nespresso machine and free private parking. Some have one bedroom, such as La Tórtola, with a wide Japanese-style bed, or El Cobachón, with a double bed and a patio with a lemon tree; and some have two or three, such as El Alcaraván, with a 200 m² terrace, or La Calandria, one of the largest, for about six people. La Perdiz is all on one floor, without stairs: it is the one for you with older people or small children. They have an electric car charger and the municipal pool is 400 metres away (check its dates).
Three caves admit dogs: El Cobachón, El Mochuelo and La Calandria, with a €30 surcharge. For large groups they rent Oasis de Bardenas separately, a villa with a pool for fifteen people, which does not accept parties or stag and hen dos. The website publishes neither prices nor arrival times: you see them when you choose dates on its booking page, and the arrival instructions come with the confirmation.
What to do from here
Valtierra is next to Arguedas, on the west side of the Bardena. By car you reach the park entrance early to see Castildetierra, and with children Sendaviva is close. From the website they link to a company offering buggies through the Bardena that leaves from Valtierra.
- **La Alberca rural lodging** (Country house): La Alberca is a renovated rural lodging on the NA-8712, the road linking Tudela with Arguedas. You leave the NA-134 at Arguedas Este and you are about 500 m from the access road to the Bardenas, 3 km from the Sendaviva entrance and 2 km from the village's bars and restaurants. It is run by the same group as Bardenasaventure, the Arguedas company that organises horse rides in the Bardenas and guided routes through the park. It is registered in the Navarre tourism register with the number UAB 00030.
Six rooms and a shared kitchen
The house has six double or triple rooms. Each has two 90 cm beds, a 135 cm sofa bed, a full bathroom, television and air conditioning or heating. For groups of more than twelve, quadruples can be prepared. Wifi is free.
What makes the house useful for families and groups is the common area: a kitchen with two hobs, two microwaves, two coffee machines, a toaster, one fridge per room, an industrial dishwasher and a washing machine, and a dining room with space for 24 people. Outside there are green areas and private open-air parking.
The two bungalows on the decking
Beside the house are two bungalows, each for four people: a bedroom with a 150 cm bed, another with two 90 cm beds, a full bathroom, living room, kitchen, air conditioning and a large covered terrace. The price per night includes sheets, towels and VAT; the website does not publish it and asks you to enquire depending on whether you are one, two or three people or more.
No reception: how it works
There is no reception, bar or restaurant, and no daily cleaning. Guest registration is done online and contact is by WhatsApp or email. Breakfast, if you want it, is served in the common area from 8:00 to 9:00 for €15 per person; it can be requested later, and on request they prepare picnics or group dinners. Children pay as an adult: you book by total number of people. The website says nothing about pets: ask before bringing your dog. Telephone and WhatsApp, 688 845 228; email, alberca@bardenasaventure.com.
The Bardena, Sendaviva and the caves, minutes away
From here, the park information centre and the start of the loop around the Bardena Blanca are a few minutes by car, and you can go in at 8:00, when the park opens, before the heat. With children, Sendaviva is 3 km away, although it closes in winter. In the village you can visit the Arguedas caves, with a booking at the information point.
### Servicios
- **Bardenas Reales Information Centre**: Free map, track conditions and toilets, at the Los Aguilares estate, 7 km from Arguedas · Open every day

## As a family: A desert you see from the car

The Bardenas work well with children because almost everything can be seen from the car, with short stops. The challenge is the heat: go early, bring water and a cap, and leave midday for the pool or for Sendaviva.

### What works best
The loop around the Bardena Blanca by car, with frequent stops

The flat walk along the Cortinas ravine, next to Castildetierra

A guided 4x4 tour, designed for children and older people

Sendaviva, a few minutes from Arguedas, with animals and raptors

### Where to sleep
Cuevas de Bardenas: they love sleeping in a cave

La Alberca, with bungalows for four

### Where to eat
Picnic: inside the park there is nowhere to buy anything

Children's menus at the Aire de Bardenas restaurant

### Worth knowing
There is no shade: in summer, only first thing or at dusk

Leaving the paths and climbing the landforms is forbidden

Carry plenty of spare water in the car

### Qué hacer as a family
- Driving loop around the Bardena Blanca
- Castildetierra
- Walk along the Cortinas ravine
- Guided 4x4 tour of the Bardena Blanca
- Sendaviva, the nature park in Arguedas

## With teenagers: Buggies, horses and a film-set landscape

Teenagers know the Bardenas from series and films: Visit Navarra recalls that scenes from Game of Thrones and a James Bond film were shot here. With a guided activity, the landscape stops being just something to look at.

### What works best
The buggy tour from Valtierra: they ride as co-driver or in the back, from age 5

A three-to-four-hour horse ride past the Pisquerra and the Rallón

The sunset 4x4 outing, with the dark sky at the end

### Where to sleep
A cave house in Valtierra

Hotel Aire de Bardenas, with a pool all year

### Where to eat
Vegetables and shepherd's migas in Tudela or at the Aire de Bardenas

### Worth knowing
To drive the buggy you need to be 25 and hold a B licence

Drones are forbidden in the park

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Driving loop around the Bardena Blanca
- Guided 4x4 tour of the Bardena Blanca
- Guided buggy tour of the Bardenas
- Horse riding in the Bardenas from Landazuría

## With a dog: With a dog, always on a short lead

The park rules admit dogs, always restrained and under control, identified and on a strong lead or chain of 3 metres at most. They may not enter the park buildings.

### Walks
The loop around the Bardena Blanca, with short stops

The Cortinas ravine, flat and just over 1 km

Castildetierra, seen from the path

### Where to sleep
Hotel Aire de Bardenas, which admits pets

Cuevas de Bardenas: three cave houses with a dog, for €30

### Worth knowing
There is no shade or water: in summer, the ground burns at midday

There are flocks of sheep: always on a lead

They may not enter the information centre

### Qué hacer with a dog
- Driving loop around the Bardena Blanca
- Castildetierra
- Walk along the Cortinas ravine

### Dónde dormir with a dog
- Hotel Aire de Bardenas: In all rooms, and in the restaurant if calm
- Cuevas de Bardenas: Only in El Cobachón, El Mochuelo and La Calandria, with a €30 surcharge; mention it when booking

## Consejos

### Stop at the information centre
They give you the map for free, tell you which tracks are open and there are toilets. In autumn it opens from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00.

### Bring water and fuel
Inside the park there are no fountains, bars or petrol stations. Fill the tank in Arguedas or Tudela.

### Go first thing or last thing
With the low sun the hillocks take on colour and it is less hot.

### Check the day's notices
The park's website publishes closures for rain, roadworks or wildlife. In heavy rain, don't go in.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Can you drive into the Bardenas?
Yes, along the marked tracks and at 40 km/h at most. The loop around the Bardena Blanca from the information centre is about 25 km and about two hours with stops.

### What are the Bardenas Reales opening hours?
From 8:00 until an hour before dusk, every day. The information centre opens from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00 until 19 March, and until 18:00 from 20 March.

### Can you take a dog?
Yes, always on a lead of 3 metres at most. They cannot enter the park's buildings.

### Can you sleep or camp in the park?
No. Camping, sleeping outdoors and sleeping in a motorhome are forbidden throughout the territory. Sleep in Arguedas, Valtierra or Tudela.

### Can you climb Castildetierra?
No. You have to see it from the track: it is a fragile clay hillock and leaving the tracks is forbidden.

### Can you fly a drone?
Not for tourist or recreational purposes. They are only authorised for professional work, with permission from the park and the Air Force.