Camping in Navarre: from the Pyrenees to the Bardenas Reales
In just over 10,000 square kilometres, Navarre condenses a diversity of landscapes that is hard to find in any other Spanish region. In the north, the Navarrese Pyrenees unfold with narrow valleys, peaks snow-covered in winter and Atlantic forests of oak and beech that turn golden and orange in autumn. In the south, the Bardenas Reales form a desert of ravines, gullies and clay towers that seems transplanted from the American West. Between these two extremes lie the fertile Pamplona basin, the Pre-Pyrenees and the Pyrenean valleys, making Navarre an extraordinarily varied camping destination.
The Navarrese Pyrenees hold some of the most sought-after corners for campers and travellers. The Irati Forest is one of the most extensive beech and fir forests in western Europe; exploring it in autumn, when the colours of the foliage tint the woodland in ochres and reds, is an experience that draws hikers and photographers from all over Spain. The Roncal and Salazar valleys hold stone villages, pastoral traditions and a mountain cuisine based on aged cheeses, lamb and trout. The Lumbier Gorge and the Arbaiun Gorge are spectacular canyons where griffon vultures nest in the limestone walls and the Salazar river runs between rounded pebbles. Further north, the Baztán valley surprises with its palatial architecture, the Basque language and a green landscape reminiscent of Ireland.
Roncesvalles is the entry point into Spain of the French Way of St James. Thousands of pilgrims cross the Ibañeta pass every year and descend towards the collegiate church, one of the most important Romanesque monuments on the Way. Pamplona, with its walled old town, the sixteenth-century Citadel and the famous San Fermín festival in July, is a city worth visiting at any time of year. South of the capital, Olite preserves one of the best-restored medieval castles on the Peninsula, and the villages of the Ribera (Tudela, Fitero, Cascante) offer a remarkable cultural and gastronomic contrast.
The Bardenas Reales, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, are the polar opposite of the Pyrenees and one of the most distinctive landscapes in Europe. Their formations of clay, gypsum and sandstone create fanciful towers, plateaus and small valleys that are especially photogenic at sunrise and sunset. They can be explored on foot, by mountain bike or by vehicle on signposted tracks. Camping in the south of Navarre and getting up early to enter the Bardenas before the heat arrives is one of those plans that travellers repeat without hesitation.
Navarrese campsites offer all kinds of options: pitches for tents, caravan and motorhome pitches with full services, equipped bungalows and glamping options in privileged natural settings. The high season is concentrated between June and September, although autumn in Irati, spring in the valleys along the Way and winter at ski resorts such as Abodi or Larra-Belagua extend the calendar. Navarrese cuisine (piquillo peppers, Tudela asparagus, chistorra, curd with honey and the wines of the Navarra Designation of Origin) makes every stop along the way a pleasure for the palate as well.
