along the Guadalquivir River
The Guadalquivir river is the main Andalusian river. Along its 660 km it crosses Andalusia from east to west, from Cazorla to Doñana. Along its way it crosses a great diversity of habitats where we can observe a long list of birds, including the most wanted in Andalusia. Our Andalucía Birdwatching Tour is the best way to discover Andalusia and its birds.
For 6 days, and following the way of the Guadalquivir, we will visit the following areas: Cazorla, Sierra Morena, Seville Countryside and Doñana.
Day 1: Seville – Cazorla Natural Park
Transfer towards Cazorla (3 hours), with some birding on route. During the afternoon we will enjoy the first birds in Cazorla, like the White-throated Dipper.
Dinner and accommodation in Arroyofrío, where we will rest our first night.
Day 2: Cazorla Natural Park
Full day of birding in “Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park”, a mountain range with cracking cliffs and forests, and the place where the Guadalquivir River is born.
The main target of this day is the Lammergeier, that flies over the Andalusian skies again thanks to a reintroduction program. The list of birds will be complemented with mountain and forest birds: Bonelli’s Warbler, Blue-rock Trush, …
At the end of the day, we will move to Andújar, where we have our accommodation the second night.
Day 3: Sierra Morena
This is one of the best areas in all Spain to spot raptors, with good populations of Spanish and Golden Eagle and Griffon and Black Vulture. Other interesting birds here are: Iberian Magpie, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Southern Grey Shrike,…
Here is also the best place all over the world for the Iberian Lynx. Although it is not the main objective of this trip, there is always the possibility of seeing it.
Transfer to Écija, where we will rest the third night. This city has an important historic-artistic heritage and it is near our next birding hotspot, the Seville Countryside.
Day 4: Seville countryside
East from Seville, we have one of the best areas all over Andalusia for the steppe land birds: Great and Little Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Stone Curlew, Lesser Kestrel, Black-winged Kite, Roller…
After our birding day, we will drive to Aznalcázar where we will be based for the last two nights.
Day 5: Northern Doñana
Northern Doñana, only 30 kilometers away from Seville, offers an incredible high diversity of birds. The main habitats here are Umbrella Pine forest, marshlands and rice paddies.
Some of the target birds are Spanish Imperial Eagle, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Ferruginous Duck, Red-knobbed Coot,… Big concentrations of waterfowl, flamingos, storks, herons and ibis occurs throughout the year.
Day 6: Southern Doñana
We will finish our tour visiting Southern Doñana, in the County of Cádiz, where the Guadalquivir river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. In this area the main habitats are marshlands, salt pans and beaches.
It is the best place in Doñana to observe two of the most threatened birds of Spain, the Marbled Duck and White-headed Duck. Furthermore, in the salt pans and the beaches can be observed a great variety of waders and Slender-billed Gull. Close vineyards are wonderful site to observe Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin in summer time. In addition, we can observe the only European colony of Little Swift.
We will finish our trip in the afternoon in Seville.
Visit the main habitats of Andalusia.
Best option to see most of the iconic bird species of Andalusia.
Chance to observe the Iberian Lynx.
Cultural interest of Écija.
Most wanted birds
MAIN HABITATS
TOP BIRDS
Lammergeier, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Great Bustard …
TOUR LEADER
TOUR PARTY
Minimum: 4 pax – Maximum: 7 pax
DEPARTING POINT
Seville.
ACCOMMODATION
Because we are covering a large area, we will be using several hotels. Except Ecija’s hotel all of them located in small towns or rural areas.
FOOD
Abundant traditional Andalusian food, with some picnic lunches in the field. Let us know if you have any allergy.
PACE
This tour requires some walks of moderate difficulty during day 1 and 2, but most of the birding will be done from the car or near it.
Extra drinks and other items of a personal nature.
Flights (Ryanair & other companies operate daily flight from several UK airports).