Item: Birdwatching Algarve and Alentejo Tour, Portugal
Rating: 4.97
Author: birding-in-portugal

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Bird Watching in the Algarve and Alentejo

An 8-day private birdwatching Algarve and Alentejo tour in Southern Portugal for 1 person only with professional Birding and Photography Guide. This is a leisurely-paced birding tour in the Algarve and Alentejo is available for any requested start date where you set the pace and includes two Full Day Trips to the Plains of the Alentejo and the Sagres Peninsula.

"We stayed with Frank and Daniela for a week in their idyllic Quinta last year. As soon as we arrived it was clear we were joining a friendly and enthusiastic family. Meals were communal, delicious and all cooked by Daniella. The wildlife trips were excellent, we saw lots of bird species, and many butterflies and flowers at the time of year we went. The accomodation was very comfortable with a wonderful view over the lake. A very relaxing, but exciting, trip." -Helen.

During this Birdwatching Algarve and Alentejo tour, we will be targeting steppe species such as Great and Little Bustards as well as raptors including Spanish Imperial, Golden, Short-toed, and Booted Eagles.

Based in the southern half of the country the two Full Day Trips take you, with your fully licensed and insured professional Guide and photographer, to diametrically opposed habitats, firstly to the Plains of the Alentejo for the steppe species, followed by Foia and the Sagres Peninsula for high mountain species mixed with the rocky cliffs and sea-watching of Europe’s most south-westerly point.

You’ll be spoiled for choice as to what are the best birds on this 8-day break, but highlights will definitely include Bustards, Raptors, Shorebirds, Cliff & Farmland species!

The Quinta "Paradise in Portugal" EcoLodge

This is a one-stop accommodation break, so there’s no tedious packing and unpacking every other day, allowing for more time spent doing what you love to do – getting to grips with unspoiled Nature and really enjoying yourself. Surrounding your accommodation, which is aptly named “Paradise in Portugal” there is subsistence farmland, Cork Oak Forests, various Hides, valleys and streams.

The venue itself is a 5* Tripadvisor-rated EcoLodge, so your carbon footprint is as low as it gets. It overlooks a pristine mosquito-free lake set in the middle of nowhere with no nearby road, so there’s no noise or light pollution. The large surrounding garden hosts a wealth of species, notably nesting Eurasian Golden Orioles and several pairs of Common Nightingales amongst others.

The food is excellent, home-cooked and themed on “International Home Cooking”. It’s not from packets and there are lashings of it, backed by an extensive Portuguese Wine List with an Ornithological theme.

Birdwatching Algarve and Alentejo Tour highlights include:

Private Guide
Go where you want at the pace you want
Take your Wildlife Photography to a new level
2 Full Day trips with professional local Guide
Raptors, Bustards & Steppe species
Comfy beds in an Award-winning lakeside accommodation
Full Board, pick up and drop off from/to Faro airport and all transfers inside Portugal.

Are you interested in experiencing alternative Birdwatching in Portugal?

Alternative Tour Name: Private Southern Portugal Migration Birdwatching Tour

Day 1

Day 1 - Arrival

Arrive Faro and transfer to Ecolodge “Paradise in Portugal”

Day 2

Day 2 - Golden Oriole Hide

Settle into the Lodge and explore the surroundings and the garden, making use of the private “Golden Oriole Hide” situated within 100 mts of your room. Possible species include Nightingale, Corn Bunting, Iberian Magpie, White Stork, Common Waxbill, Serin, Golden Oriole, Water Rail and Common Kingfisher. Other facilities include canoes, SUPs, Sauna etc.

Day 3

Day 3 - Exploring the Plains of the Alentejo

An early start to explore the Plains of the Alentejo with your Guide. You will arrive at the designated start as the sun breaks the horizon, having had a quick breakfast in an early morning café. Possible species include Gt. & Little Bustards, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Red-rumped swallow, Rufous Bushchat, Stone Curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Thekla, Crested, Wood and Calandra Larks, Hoopoe, Short toed, Booted and Bonelli's Eagles, Montagu's Harrier, Black winged Kite, Lesser Kestrel, Collared Pratincole, Black-eared Wheatear, Spanish Sparrow.

Day 4

Day 4 - Rest Day

Rest day or local birding if required.

Day 5

Day 5 - Exploring the Coastal Plain and cliffs near Sagres

Explore the coastal Plain and cliffs near Sagres. As with the day on the Plains, you will arrive at the designated start as the sun breaks the horizon, having had a quick breakfast in another early morning café. Possible species include Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Linnet, Cuckoo, Gt. Spotted Cuckoo, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes, Roller, Chough, Peregrine Falcon, and, during Autumn migration, raptors such as Honey Buzzards, Egyptian Vultures and Short-toed and Booted Eagles etc.

Day 6

Day 6 - Paradise in Portugal

Self-guided Local Birding in the surrounding Cork Forests near “Paradise in Portugal”. Possible added extra of a Guide if available. A slow walk along any of the wooded valleys will normally produce Short-toed Treecreeper, Firecrest, Cirl Bunting, Grey Wagtail, European Robin, Eurasian Nuthatch, Iberian Green Woodpeckers etc.

Day 7

Day 7 - Rest or Self-guided Birding

A rest day with local self-guided birding and use of the canoes, SUPs and Sauna etc as required.

Day 8

Day 8 - Departure

Transfer to Faro for flight home.

Wildlife Reviews

4.97 stars

- based on 6 reviews

Brilliant birding in Portugal
Helen10 Apr 2019
5
Overall

Tours
Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
Location
Value

We stayed with Frank and Daniela for a week in their idyllic Quinta last year. As soon as we arrived it was clear we were joining a friendly and enthusiastic family. Meals were communal, delicious and all cooked by Daniella. The wildlife trips were excellent, we saw lots of bird species, and many butterflies and flowers at the time of year we went. The accomodation was very comfortable with a wonderful view over the lake. A very relaxing, but exciting, trip.
Paradise in Portugal
Sheila Wyllie26 Sep 2019
5
Overall

Tours
Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
Location
Value

I first visited " the Quinta" in September 2010 and was delighted with the welcome and the peaceful wildlife friendly gardens overlooking the lake. The Accommodation is excellent and I really enjoyed a mixture of exploring the local valleys and day trips to very varied habitats. The discussions with other guests and staff around he Dinner Table. whilst enjoying Daniela's wonderful cuisine, were always interesting and lively!. The fact that I am hoping to visit "the Quinta" in September for the 18th time speaks for itself.
Great hosts, food, location and birds.
David & Roni Cramp07 May 2019
5
Overall

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Wildlife
Guides
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Value

We visited La Quinta in May 2019 and look forward to returning in the future. La Quinta is a fantastic base to visit the wetlands near Faro, the plains of Alentejo and the coastline south of Lisbon. The guided tours led by Frank and Tony were excellent and we recorded 130 species during our stay plus a variety of butterflies including the Two-tailed Pasha. Nightingale, Golden Oriole and Rock Bunting made it worthwhile spending a day or so just in the grounds of the hotel. The lake beckoned for swimming. Daniela's home-cooked meals were a delight. We were made to feel part of the family as soon as we arrived. A truly rewarding and relaxing birdwatching holiday. Thank you all.
Idyllic spot for exercise, relaxation and yummy food!
Ash04 Oct 2019
4.83
Overall

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Value

I have been visiting the Quinta since 1990 and it is genuinely one of my favourite places in the world. Whether one is looking for an active holiday, relaxing retreat or more specific birding or yoga retreat you will not be disappointed! Frank and Daniela are wonderfully welcoming hosts, making the Quinta very much a home from home. Having taken most of Frank's tours over the years, it's hard to pick just one to review - they are all fab!
A Week in May 2019 at the Quinta
John & Jenny Fitzsimmons15 May 2019
5
Overall

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Value

This was our second trip to the Quinta having been previously a few years back in September. It is a unique experience and Frank and Daniela tick all our boxes whether its food, hospitality, the stunning location or the birding, so we will be coming back for another dose fairly soon. It's worth having your own transport to get around on your days off but on the birding days out, Frank gets you up early, does all the driving, knows all the best spots, takes all the pictures better than I can, and gives them to you at the end of your stay. What a man!
A Wonderful Week at the Quinta
Linda Ledgerwood15 May 2019
5
Overall

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Value

I had a wonderful week here. Great setting, great guiding, great service, fun people to hang out with ( both staff and other guests). It was worth every penny. I think that I did guided birding 4 times and just relaxed (with a swim in the lake and a good book) several other days. I arrived and departed by train and they provided transportation for me to and from the train station. Only caution: if you suffer from hay fever and are going here in the springtime, be sure and bring a good supply of antihistamine. Fortunately, Frank's a sufferer too and gave me some of his tablets.

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Birdwatching Algarve and Alentejo Tour, Portugal - 8 Days