8-Days Discovering Birds of Portugal and Spain from Lisbon, Seville, Andalucia, Spain
Discovering the birds of southern Spain and Portugal is a trip with a duration of 8 days and 7 nights of accommodation.
In Spain we visit the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park.
In Portugal we visit the territories of the Guadiana Valley Natural Park, the UNESCO Castro Verde Biosphere Reserve, the Santo André and Sancha Lagoons Natural Reserve, the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve and important areas for the birds of Cabeção, Laguna de Caia, Campo Maior, Moura and Barrancos.
At all times you will be accompanied by a guide, who is expert and very experienced, who will inform you of all the characteristics of the tour. Our guide will inform you about the local traditions and their history, also about the characteristics of the birds along with the most relevant details of the fauna.
Description & Instructions When Visiting Seville, Andalucia, Spain
Discovering the birds of southern Spain and Portugal is a trip with a duration of 8 days and 7 nights of accommodation.
In Spain we visit the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park.
In Portugal we visit the territories of the Guadiana Valley Natural Park, the UNESCO Castro Verde Biosphere Reserve, the Santo André and Sancha Lagoons Natural Reserve, the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve and important areas for the birds of Cabeção, Laguna de Caia, Campo Maior, Moura and Barrancos.
At all times you will be accompanied by a guide, who is expert and very experienced, who will inform you of all the characteristics of the tour. Our guide will inform you about the local traditions and their history, also about the characteristics of the birds along with the most relevant details of the fauna.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and beginning of the adventure
Stop At: Alentejo, Alentejo
Start of the trip from Lisbon to Alentejo.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Fluviario de Mora, Parque Ecologico do Gameiro, Cabecao 7490-909 Portugal
According to the schedules and the tides, on the way we stop to observe birds in the Fluviário de Mora estuary where there is a collection of freshwater fish. Accommodation and dinner, followed by an information session about the trip.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Accommodation – Alentejo – Portugal
Day 2: Visit to see the Important Birds of Cabeção
Stop At: Parque Ecologico do Gameiro, Cabecao 7490 Portugal
This morning we visit the IMPORTANT BIRDS OF CABEÇÃO with a stop at the Gameiro Ecological Park where we can observe the birds in the stream of the rays and the surrounding fields. This classified area consists mainly of an extensive area of cork oak forest (Quercus suber) that in Portugal are called “mounted”.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Estremoz, Estremoz, Evora District, Alentejo
Stop for lunch in Estremoz. In the afternoon we continue our trip to the IMPORTANT ZONE FOR AUTUMN BIRDS. This is one of the largest reservoirs in the region and also the best places to watch waterfowl. The area includes the reservoir with steep banks and little vegetation, and a section of the Caia River where in years of more abundant rainfall there is a colony of herons.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Accommodation – Alentejo – Portugal
Day 3: The birds of Campo Maior.
Stop At: Campo Maior, Campo Maior, Portalegre District, Alentejo
This day we leave for Spain to the region of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park located in the province of Huelva. During the morning we visit the IMPORTANT AREA FOR BIRDS OF CAPO MAIOR.
It is one of the most important areas in Portugal for open land species, despite being increasingly occupied by plots of intensive agriculture. Part of the habitat is still open land and pastures and mounts of holm oaks (Quercus ilex)
It also features olive groves and riding and fallow areas.
Then we head south, passing through the Spanish towns of Olivenza, Alconchel, Jerez de los Caballeros, Fregenal de la Sierra, ending the trip in the Aracena area.
Duration: 8 hours
Stop At: Aracena, Aracena, Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, Province of Huelva, Andalucia
Arrival at the accommodation and dinner.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Accommodation – Aracena – Spain
Day 4: Visit to the Sierra de Aracena and Pico de Aroche Natural Park.
Stop At: Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, Province of Huelva, Andalucia
After the previous day’s trip, it’s time to stretch your legs and enjoy one of the many walks offered by the SERRA DE ARACENA AND PICOS DE AROCHE NATURAL PARK. We will be accompanied by a local guide and we will visit the castle of Aracena, a watchtower that allows us to enjoy beautiful views and walk through the sky to observe the awakening of the first birds of prey. The Park is the second largest in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. The interest in visiting this park is justified by the richness of the landscapes. The meadows populated by holm oaks are replaced by cork oaks in some areas, while at higher altitudes oak and chestnut forests are more frequent. In river beds like the Múrtigas there are large trees like poplars, ash trees, willows and alders. This variety of forest provides an interesting wealth of fauna. Travel to accommodation and dinner in Barrancos.
Duration: 8 hours
Stop At: Barrancos, Barrancos, Beja District, Alentejo
Dinner and accommodation in Barrancos
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Accommodation – Barrancos – Portugal
Day 5: Visit of the Mora and Barreras areas.
Stop At: Parque De Natureza De Noudar, Herdade Da Coitadinha Apartado 5, Barrancos 7230 Portugal
Today we visit the IMPORTANT ZONE OF BARRIERS OF MORA AND BARRIERS. This site presents a mosaic of open zone habitats with non-intensive cereal crops, permanent pastures, holm oaks (Quercus ilex) and cork oaks (Quercus suber). The water courses, especially the Ardila River, have margins with aquatic vegetation and some fragments of shale. Grazing, sheep and cattle are prevalent in the area, and there are relatively small properties with olive groves and vineyards. The existing houses are scattered. In the morning we visit the Noudar Natural Park where there is still a vegetation cover close to the original one, as if there had never been any human intervention. These are rich, rugged and difficult forests that still hold Noudar’s greatest secret. The richness and diversity of this territory is the result of its geographic isolation and low density.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Accommodation – Mértola – Portugal
Day 6: Visit to the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park.
Stop At: Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana, Praca Luis de Camoes Old Town, Mertola 7750-329 Portugal
The day begins with a tour of the VALE DO GUADIANA NATURAL PARK, a protected area characterized by flat terrain where the vegetation cover is dominated by holm oaks and extensive areas of scrubland and rainfed crops in which the embedded valleys of the river valley Guadiana and its tributaries with a great diversity of small forest birds and cereal fields. In the morning we will take a short walk to the Pulo do Lobo waterfall or a visit to the Aracelis viewpoint. Lunch in the Mértola region. In the afternoon we will walk through the vast plains passing through small typical villages of the Alentejo plain to the Iberian lynx observatory, where in addition to the great eagles we can be lucky enough to see a lynx at the end of the afternoon.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Accommodation – Castro Verde – Portugal
Day 7: Visit of the Castro Verde Biosphere Reserve.
Stop At: Castro Verde, Castro Verde, Beja District, Alentejo
In the morning we will go to the Vale Gonçalinho Environmental Center through the territory of the CASTRO VERDE BIOSPHERE RESERVE, classified by UNESCO due to the values resulting from a harmonious millenary relationship between man and nature. Among the extraordinary biodiversity that occurs here, a structured and diversified bird community stands out, with some 200 species, where the emblematic steppe birds stand out. Stop for lunch in the Castro Verde region. In the afternoon we continue towards the coast to visit the NATURAL RESERVE OF LAS LAGUNAS DE SANTO ANDRÉ Y SANCHA. 241 species of birds are registered here and are considered one of the most important wetlands in Portugal. The Santo André and Sancha lagoons are representative examples of Mediterranean-type coastal lagoons, one of the most important types of wetlands in Portugal.
The Santo André lagoon has a succession of small lagoons in its surroundings, known locally as “wells”.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Accommodation – Santo André – Portugal
Day 8: Visit of the Sado Stuary Nature Reserve and farewell
Stop At: Reserva Natural do Estuario do Sado, Rua Claudio Lagrange 8, Setubal 2900-324 Portugal
In the morning we start our journey back to Lisbon through the SADO STUARY NATURAL RESERVE. If the tide is favorable, we can make a stop to observe birds. The return will be made by ferry across the Sado River. During the trip, which lasts about 30 minutes, we can observe some seabirds and eventually surprised with several cetaceans, specifically the species of Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) that inhabit the estuary. We will return to the meeting point at the end of the morning.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
Duration: 8 days
Starts: Seville, Spain
Trip Category: Outdoor Activities >> 4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours
