I’ll admit this photograph is incredibly typical, but that doesn’t make it any less valuable. Castildetierra, in the Bardenas Reales, is one of the most photographed landmarks in Spain, and for good reason. This peculiar desert landscape in Navarra transports you straight into the kind of Western films we all carry in our memory, without even having to board a plane. Surrounded by bizarre formations sculpted from clay by erosion, with sparse shrub vegetation and an endless horizon, the experience is unforgettable. It doesn’t matter if it’s a popular tourist spot, trendy, or teeming with people, you simply can’t miss it.
That said, make sure you study the route carefully, because if you rely on Google Maps, as I did, you might be in for a nasty surprise. I honestly don’t understand how such an iconic destination isn’t better supported by Google. The GPS guided me smoothly until about ten kilometers from the site, when it suddenly insisted on taking me down a very rough track. After my last experience on one of those roads, I absolutely refused. I almost gave up on visiting altogether. But I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a better route, so I searched for an alternative path. Sure enough, I found the proper access road to Castildetierra, and I’m fairly certain a few Google employees’ ears were burning that day.
The landscape is breathtaking, from the head-shaped hill itself, to the small hut beside it, the canyon behind it, and the bizarre eroded mountains framing the scene. Everywhere you look, something surprising catches your eye. Of course, part of the magic fades a bit with all the tourism, the cars, the camper vans, and influencers filming their videos, but there’s so much magic here, there’s plenty to go around. The area is vast, and I’d love to explore it at a slower pace. Riding through it on a bicycle for a day must be an unforgettable experience. It’s officially on my wishlist, and I hope to make it happen sooner rather than later.
