Bardenas Reales

Description

Marc Armengou took this photo southeast of Navarre, Spain, in an area known as the Bardenas Reales. He was traveling by car with friends, and you can simply stop by the side of the road and walk some trails.

The Bardenas Reales (sometimes referred as Bárdenas Reales) is a semi-desert natural region, or badlands, of some 42,000 hectares (420 km2; 104,000 acres) in southeast Navarre (Spain). The soils are made up of clay, chalk and sandstone and have been eroded by water and wind creating surprising shapes, canyons, plateaus, tabular structures and isolated hills, called cabezos. Bardenas Reales lacks urban areas, vegetation is scarce and the many streams that cross the territory have a markedly seasonal flow, staying dry most of the year.