Walk along the Cortinas ravine

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.