Today we ventured farther west from Autol, driving about 45 minutes through the beautiful countryside of La Rioja to Barranco Perdido, a one-of-a-kind dinosaur adventure park. The drive alone was worth the trip, winding through vineyards, rocky cliffs, and rolling hills that somehow become more beautiful around every bend.

This region of Spain is famous for its incredible concentration of dinosaur fossils. Millions of years ago, the landscape was a muddy, wet environment rather than the dry, rocky terrain it is today. Those muddy conditions perfectly preserved the footprints of dinosaurs that once wandered here, along with seashells and countless other fossils from an ancient world. It’s amazing to think that a place now surrounded by vineyards was once home to dinosaurs.

El Barranco Perdido offers an interesting mix of activities. Visitors can purchase a day pass that includes several swimming pools with water slides, plus a choice between a paleontology experience or an aerial adventure park with climbing platforms, bridges, and zip lines.

Unfortunately, we arrived a little later than planned, so we had to choose carefully how to spend our afternoon. We asked the kids whether they wanted the educational paleontology experience or the adventure park.

Adventure park won by a landslide.

We started at the swimming pools, which turned out to be the perfect way to escape the afternoon heat. The water was cool and refreshing, the pools were surprisingly uncrowded, and everyone had room to spread out. Amir and I couldn’t resist racing down the water slides before retreating to lounge chairs while the kids happily swam for hours.

One feature that really impressed me was how thoughtfully the park was designed for families. They know that adults actually want to enjoy the ropes course too, so they offer a supervised mini adventure camp for younger children who aren’t quite tall enough for the larger course.

Our youngest couldn’t have cared less that she didn’t speak the same language as the other children. Within seconds she was happily climbing a miniature rock wall, digging for dinosaurs in a giant sandbox, decorating a dinosaur mask, and participating in an all-out water blaster battle. She barely even waved goodbye before disappearing into the fun.

That left the four of us free to tackle the aerial adventure course.

After a quick lesson on harnesses, carabiners, and safety procedures, the staff took one look at my completely inappropriate footwear—gold leather flip-flops—and my crossbody purse.

Apparently neither was a deal breaker.

“Just sign here.”

It felt like they had learned a little something from the American legal system. Sign the waiver, acknowledge every possible risk, and off you go.

To my surprise, I wasn’t nearly as terrible at the course as I expected. Amir and our oldest had done something similar before, but this was my first experience navigating ropes, swinging bridges, and elevated platforms. I figured out the carabiner system quickly and managed to clip and unclip my safety lines without incident. Despite the flip-flops, I never slipped, fell, or found myself dangling helplessly in front of my family.

I decided not to push my luck by climbing the vertical rock wall that led to the zip-line tower. Some risks simply aren’t worth taking while wearing vacation sandals.

I did, however, brave the giant enclosed carpet slide. The climb to the top rewarded us with spectacular views across the surrounding valley, and the ride back down was every bit as fun as the kids promised it would be.

By the time we finished, everyone was happily exhausted.

On the drive back to Autol, we stopped by Doner Kebab for an easy takeaway dinner before returning to the house. We ate outside overlooking the pool, enjoyed one last evening swim, packed our suitcases, and said goodbye to Daniel, Lidia’s boyfriend, who had welcomed us so warmly during our stay.

Tomorrow we leave La Rioja behind and head east toward Peñíscola for the next chapter of our Spanish adventure. While we’re excited to see somewhere new, it’s hard to believe our time in Autol is already coming to an end. This little town—and especially Lidia’s wonderful family—has given us a glimpse of Spain that few tourists ever get to experience, and it’s something we’ll never forget.

~Steph