Birding and Lynx Tour in the Iberian Peninsula

Early in the morning the guide will pick you up and head to the important natural reserve of Évora in the Tagus estuary where we will have good opportunities for observation of aquatic birds such as the Purple Gallinule, Marbled Teal, Squacco heron, Pranticole, Avocet. After lunch we will drive three hours to the surroundings of Albufeira where we will stay for the night.

In the morning we will take a walk along the interesting coastal lagoon of Lagoa dos Salgados to see waterfowl and wonders such as the Ferruginous Duck or the Caspian tern. We continue at noon along the Ria da Formosa in Tavira to observe interesting birds such as Audouin’s Gull, Stilt or Kentish Plover, or the Ruff. After lunch we continue the route of coastal wetlands to visit the Natural Reserve of Sapal de Castro Marim, with potential birds such as the Stone Curlew, the Whimbrel or the Snipe, and where we will visit the historical monument.In the afternoon we will cross the border to Spain to visit the charismatic village of El Roció, in the heart of the Doñana National Park, where we will spend the night and contemplate the attractive hermitage of El Roció illuminated during the night.

In the morning we will go birding at the lagoon and forests near the Acebrón Palace, with opportunities for Torcecuellos and Pico Menor. Afterwards we will visit the nearby lagoon of La Rocina, especially interested in seeing the Penduline tit. We will have lunch at the hotel in El Rocio and spend the afternoon walking around the beautiful surroundings of the village and its interesting lagoon with good observations of Spoonbills or interesting wonders such as potential Temminck’s Sandpiper or Great reed warbler among others. In the evening we will try to make an outing to observe the Red-necked Nightjar.

After taking a final stroll around Doñana Lagoon, we depart for Andújar, a three-hour trip where we will arrive in time for lunch. We will begin the first glimpse of the magnificent Iberian Lynx in the afternoon, providing excellent photo possibilities. We’ll have dinner and spend the night at a charming rural cottage.

During the half-day, we can stroll around Andújar, where we will have good chances to see interesting birds like the European Owl, the well-known Iberian Magpie, or the also endemic Iberian Imperial Eagle, as well as other mammals like the Mouflon, the Wild Boar, or Deer. We will search for the lynx at dawn and again at dusk.The lynx is a magnificent huge cat that eats rabbits. It has been threatened with extinction but is now making a comeback, so we should consider ourselves quite fortunate to witness one.

After our final sighting of the lynx at dawn in Andújar, we will proceed north to the Villacañas lagoon, where we should have nice views of Flamingos, White-headed Ducks, Gull-billed Terns, and Curlew Sandpipers. We’ll be able to fantasize about the ancient windmills of Castilla La Mancha, which are included in the real Don Quixote story.

We will search for the iconic steppe birds in the morning hours around Villacañas, focusing mindfully to the Great Bustard, Little Bustard, and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, and paying particular attention to the Montagu’s Harrier. Regretfully, the shift in agricultural practices is putting these lovely birds in danger of being extinct.Following lunch, we will travel west toward Extremadura, arriving to spend the night close to Monfragüe National Park, which we will have time to explore briefly.

We will spend the entire day in the well-known Monfragüe National Park, which is renowned for its diverse birds and offers fantastic chances to see Egyptian, Griffon, and Eurasian Black vultures. The Alpine Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Stork, and, with any luck, the Eagle Owl and Bonelli’s Eagle are other birds that can be considered similarly beautiful. We’ll spend the night close to the park.We will visit the well-known dehesas of Extremadura, where we will learn about the cork trees there and see fascinating birds like the bee-eater, woodchat shrimpke, and hoopoe, among others.

We will leave Monfragüe early in the morning towards Portugal, but we will make a stop near the plains of Cáceres to look for steppe birds again, with special attention this time to the Little Crake, Iberian Shrike and Lesser Kestrel. We will leave Spain and head back towards Portugal to the lagoons of Albufeira do Divor in Évora with excellent opportunities to see birds, some of them very interesting such as the ¨Savi´s warbler, Crested Lark, the Pallid Swift, Black shoulder kite, or the Purple Heron.We will sleep in a rural hotel in the surroundings of Evora, and take the opportunity to visit part of the historical heritage of the interesting city in the afternoon.

We are going to try again early in the morning to witness the steppe and waterfowl species around Évora. We will travel to Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, after lunch, when the journey comes to an end.
You can extend your stay in Lisbon if you’d like to add a bird and animal expert guide to your fascinating ten-day international nature tour of the Iberian Peninsula.