If you are looking for a moon-like landscape, then you have come to the right place- Bardenas Reales is exactly that. This natural park is so well-hidden, that most people, Spanish or foreign, have never heard of it. It is also in such a middle-of-nowhere location, that finding accommodations to meet your needs can be tricky.

Bardenas Reales is located in Navarra, very well-known for their fresh, high quality vegetables (especially asparagus and lettuce), however, we found it challenging to find restaurants that we loved.

The park itself is really amazing, there are almost no words to describe the feeling of being there- the landscape, the colors, and rock creations are so unique to this natural park and biosphere reserve. There are endless roads to drive on within the park, as well as many different hiking and walking trails with varying difficulty. We unfortunately went to the park on a rainy weekend so many of the trails were closed due to the risk of mudslides, and I would not recommend the trail we took, as it was not well marked and parts of it didn’t even exist. I would however 100% recommend visiting the park and checking with the visitor center ahead of time regarding the trails that are open (depending on the season).

We stayed in Arguedas, which is a small town with a few restaurants and bars. I would recommend La Brasserie de Belén Floristán for griled meats, and Bar Callejas for their sandwiches as well as their tapas. In terms of hotels, I have heard great things about Aire de Bardenas which offers a unique experience, and would love to return to the area and explore more, with the hopes of updating this most with more hidden gems in the area.