Urederra: Navarre’s hidden gem

It was during a small van road trip in northern Spain, discovering the Bardenas, that we stopped here. What was meant to be just a quick fun stop… turned out to be an absolute highlight, which even surpassed the Bardenas themselves! Welcome to the enchanted forest.

The place in a few words

The Nacedero del Urederra is a nature reserve located in Navarre, in northern Spain, in the heart of the Urbasa-Andía Natural Park. Nicknamed “El Paraíso del Agua” — the Paradise of Water — it owes its name to the resurgence of the río Urederra, whose waters reappear at the surface after filtering through the Urbasa limestone massif. What makes this place truly unique is the colour of the water. A turquoise blue of an unreal intensity, which contrasts beautifully with the green of the beech forest and, in autumn, with the golden hues of the foliage.

Practical information

The hike starts from the village of Baquedano. Paid parking is mandatory and only accessible to those who have booked in advance. Parking in the village is prohibited. The price is 5 euros per car. Booking is done online — note that access is limited to 500 people per day, and spots fill up quickly, especially on weekends and holidays.

📍 Good to know: the final section of the trail has been closed since 2019 for environmental protection reasons. The hike is therefore 6 km instead of the original 7 km — allow around 2.5 hours. Swimming in the nature reserve is prohibited.

A walk in fairyland

We arrived at the parking lot early in the morning, with only 2-3 cars there. We started by crossing the pretty little village, still fast asleep, before entering the forest. The autumn colours were already stunning, and a lovely view of the cliffs, with birds of prey soaring above them, accompanied us right from the start.

Then we reached the first viewpoint over the river… and honestly, we were left speechless. A beautiful waterfall in an incredible setting!

Since I hadn’t really looked into the hike beforehand, I thought this was the only viewpoint and that we’d be turning back after that. So it was with complete surprise that we carried on, discovering one wonder after another.

The hike is fabulous because it follows the river the whole way, and the scenery keeps changing. You move through a landscape that feels almost unreal, straight out of some imaginary land: the white tufa rock, the intensely blue — sometimes crystal-clear — water, the waterfalls, the red leaves, the golden trees… It’s truly magical 😍.

And the forest, with its majestic trees, adds so much to the magic of the place.

Once we reached the end of the trail, we had to turn back, and we got to enjoy the scenery again from the other direction! Having the place almost to ourselves for three-quarters of the hike really added to that feeling of being elsewhere, in another world 😊.