Bardenas Reales and Mallos de Riglos, two must-see sites.

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Vultures' Lookout - Riglos - Murillo de Gállego

  

  Depending on your arrival time, it is possible to go for a hike to admire the cliffs and monoliths of the magnificent Mallos de Riglos site, from the "Mirador des vautours" viewpoint, dominated by the majestic flight of these impressive birds. Then continue to your accommodation. Walking time: about 3 hours. Positive elevation gain: + 200 m. Negative elevation loss: - 200 m. Distance: 6 km. Accommodation: Refuge, hotel** or hotel**** according to your choice. Meals included: Dinner.

• day 2

  Mallos de Riglos: 2 hikes to choose from

  

  From the starting point of each of the proposed accommodations, you will have 2 routes to choose from (full day or half day), to be adapted according to your mood. The suggested hikes will be an opportunity to discover beautiful trails crossing the Mediterranean scrubland or skirting almond and olive fields, before descending into the heart of the Riglos massif, along the dizzying walls of the orange cliffs that lead to the small village of Riglos. If you choose the half-day hike, you can, in the afternoon, visit the magnificent Loarre Castle, listed as a Cultural Heritage Site and Historical Monument since 1906. In a remarkable state of preservation, it is regularly used as a natural set in medieval films worldwide, such as "The Name of the Rose" or "Kingdom of Heaven," to name just the most famous (allow about €6/person for the visit with French audio guide – highly recommended; also guided tours in French at fixed times). Walking time: about 3 hours or 6 hours, depending on the chosen option. Distance: 6 km or 12 km, depending on the chosen option. Positive elevation gain: +300 m or +450 m, depending on the chosen option. Negative elevation loss: -300 m or -450 m, depending on the chosen option. Transfer to Loarre Castle: about 20 minutes. Visiting time: about 2 hours. Accommodation: Refuge or hotel** or hotel**** depending on the chosen option. Meals included: Breakfast - Dinner.

• day 3

  Mallos de Agüero - Discovery afternoon

  Departure for the small village of Aguero, located at the foot of the great fairy chimneys of the Mallos de Aguero. After crossing the village, the end of the road, the trail winds between the dizzying walls of the orange cliffs, sometimes tinged with blue. Then, the trail reaches the banks of the stream, which is suitable for swimming... Return via the track before taking a short path between the old terraces to climb back up to the village of Aguero. Transfer: about 10 minutes. Walking time: about 2 to 4 hours, depending on your preference. Positive elevation gain: + 200 m. Negative elevation loss: - 200 m. Distance: 4 km. Accommodation: Refuge, hotel** or hotel**** according to your choice. Meals included: Breakfast - Dinner. Free afternoon with optional activities Rafting: A "discovery" descent of the Rio Gallego. This descent will be an opportunity to experience some sensations while favoring moments of relaxation. Via Ferrata: A very beautiful route on the famous cliffs of Riglos… Tree climbing course: A circuit on footbridges, Tibetan bridges, and zip lines. Day 1 hike if you did not have time to do it upon arrival. Visit to Loarre Castle if you did not do it on day 2.

• day 4

  Bardenas Reales Desert - Blue Gut

  

  Departure for the Bardenas Reales. The road leads to a small pass, a true border that opens the doors to the Bardenas desert… We are in Navarre! Along a path winding between juniper bushes, rosemary, and holm oaks, arrival at the ridge; the ruins of the Estaca castle, a strategic point once used to watch over the surroundings, bear witness to a distant past when bands of brigands would hide in the desert to terrorize the surrounding villages. Then departure along the ridge, on a crest of ochre clay and bluish marl! The viewpoints and landscapes here are grand and truly beautiful! The cliffs, depending on the angle of the sun, reveal their marbling in different shades of pink, gray, ochre, and sometimes blue! Scenery both magical and impressive; at our feet lies the entirety of the Bardenas Blancas, with its canyons, its tormented geological formations, its scrubland areas, and its colorful agricultural fields with sometimes unusual shapes… Loop back to the vehicle and continue to your accommodation. Transfer: about 1 hour 45 minutes. Walking time: about 4 hours. Positive elevation gain: + 300 m. Negative elevation loss: - 300 m. Distance: about 12 km. Accommodation: Simple hostal or guest room or "Boutique hotel" (charming hotel equivalent to ****), according to your choice. Meals included: Breakfast - Dinner.

• day 5

  Bardena Blanca Desert

  

  Discovery of the unique geological formations of the Bardenas Blancas… Castildetierra, an incomparable monolith and emblem of this desert; Cabezo de las Cortinillas, a vast sandstone plateau overlooking one of the most beautiful and characteristic territories of the Bardenas; discovery of canyons and their corridors with ochre earth cliffs, mazes of clay dunes interspersed with a few cliffs… Transfer: approximately 40 minutes. Walking time: about 3 to 4 hours. Positive elevation gain: + 150 m. Negative elevation loss: - 150 m. Accommodation: simple hostal, guest room or "boutique hotel" according to your choice. Meals included: breakfast - dinner (except for the "boutique hotel" option where dinner is not included).

• day 6

  Electric hybrid bike in the Bardenas desert: Peñaflor Castle - Punta de la Estroza

  

  You will pick up your electric hybrid bike at the entrance to the Bardenas Reales. Then you will set off along the tracks that run alongside the largest canyon of the Bardenas Reales: the Barranco Grande, with its earth cliffs of tormented shapes and its maze of corridors. Gradually, you will reach the Vedado de Egueras Nature Reserve. This nature reserve is the only area of the Bardenas that remains wooded with pines of whimsical and sometimes endemic shapes, such as the Yeuse pine. Hidden within it is the Castillo de Peñaflor (12th century). A sublime discovery around the bend of the path... The remains of the castle are spectacularly balanced on a rocky promontory and still majestically dominate the surroundings; legend says that Princess Blanca was locked up there by her husband because of her many infidelities. Then continue to the immense plateau of El Plano (the flat), flown over by vultures, to reach its end in a round trip. This is the Punta de la Estroza (462 m), a fabulous viewpoint over the vast plains and ravines of the Blanca Baja as well as the tormented reliefs of the Blanca Alta. Return in a loop to cross the Barranco Grande at a different point before returning to the meeting point to return the hybrid bike. Rental time: The day. Distance: 35 km. Positive elevation gain: + 200 m. Negative elevation gain: - 200 m. Accommodation: Simple hostal, guest room or "Boutique hotel" according to your choice. Meals included: Breakfast - Dinner (except with the "Boutique hotel" option where dinner is not included).

• day 7

  End of stay

  End of stay after breakfast. Meals included: breakfast.