Iberian Lynx Tour, Andujar, Spain

Sierras de Andujar Iberian Lynx Tour

This is a 5-day Iberian Lynx Tour in the Sierra de Andujar Natural Park. A beautiful natural park, that offers some of the best wilderness landscapes in the whole Iberian Peninsula, is the refuge for the exceptional fauna and flora of the region.

The Sierras de Andújar Natural Park forms part of the Sierra Morena mountain chain. This beautiful natural space in the northwest of the province lies between the Rivers Yeguas and Jandula. The gently rolling Natural Park is densely wooded and boasts one of Andalucía’s best-preserved expanses of Mediterranean forest and scrubland. The dominant vegetation is the Mediterranean, with Cork and holm oak woodland, and the geology is granite, quartz and slate.

It hosts a large number of hoofed mammals like Red and Fallow Deer along with Wild Boar, Spanish Ibex and Mouflon. Small carnivorous like Otters, Genet and Wildcat, and is home to many endangered species: birds such as the magnificent Spanish Imperial Eagle and Black Vulture, the shy Black Stork, as well as the most endangered cat in the world: the Iberian Lynx. This Natural Park currently holds the best and most important population in terms of conservation of the species, with some 300 lynx, which is around 35% of the world population.

The Iberian Lynx will be our main target. This is a specialist tour and we will be using local knowledge, not only that of our company guides but also that of local people who really do have their ear to the ground regarding the whereabouts of this elusive feline.

As a local company with local contacts and networks, we would like to offer you the opportunity to take up optimum vantage points in some of the finest areas of Mediterranean woodland in the Iberian Peninsula, a truly unique natural reserve that also holds a large population of raptor species with good numbers of Spanish Imperial Eagle, Golden Eagle, Black Vulture and Griffon Vulture.

A share of Iberian Lynx Land profits goes to the conservation of the Iberian Lynx. We work and collaborate with the landowners of the estates where this critically endangered feline lives, improving the habitat or increasing the populations of its main prey – rabbit, building rabbit warrens and releasing rabbits in areas of low density.

If you have a little more time to spend on your holiday, maybe you'd consider a longer trip such as the Southern Spain Wilderness Tour, Andalucía.

Alternative Tour Name: Iberian Lynx: The World’s Most Endangered Cat

Day 1

Day 1 - Arrival

You’ll be met at the town of Andújar.

Transfer to your hotel in Sierras de Andujar Natural Park. Once you have settled in, we might make our first visit to one of the several viewing areas in the hope of finding an Iberian Lynx. Who knows, we might get lucky on our first attempt! So we'll go in search of our target in one of the best areas for wildlife. This is also a great place to enjoy along with the local territorial Spanish Imperial Eagle and other raptors like Golden Eagle and Black Vulture.

Other species we hope to see are Kingfisher, Yellow Wagtail, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Short-toed Treecreeper, Hawfinch, Great Cormorant and, Grey Heron. In the dusk we’ll drive back to our hotel to relax after a long day and get ready to enjoy the local gastronomy.

Day 2

Day 2 - Drive into the natural park

After an early breakfast, we’ll drive into the natural park. On the way to our watchpoints, we’ll cross a private estate where we can see fighting bulls next to the road. A little further ahead we’ll stop to look for our feline, by scanning from vantage points overlooking the Dehesa.

At lunchtime, we'll set up our picnic lunch just by the river, near the dam of a reservoir, a good spot which overlooks the gully. After lunch, we'll continue to the main dam, and then walk over the massive concrete bridge. Here we can find some interesting birds such as Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin, Rock Bunting and, Red-billed Chough.

There is also a short tunnel at the end of the dam, where we hope to see some species of bats: Whiskered, Daubenton’s, Schreiber’s and Great Mouse-eared Bats.

Day 3

Days 3 & 4 - Two days of Wildlife

Two more days we’ll spend all our time, especially early morning and late afternoon, looking for this elusive animal and enjoying the wildlife from the best watchpoints.

Day 5

Day 5 - Last chance & End of the tour

Last chance to see "the cat".

After breakfast, and depending on your available time, we'll drive back to one of the watchpoints, with our focus always on getting Iberian Lynx. Our fifth day will provide us the last chance to find the lynx again, although hopefully by then we will have had good views of this feline during the previous days.

Wildlife Reviews

4.67 stars

- based on 3 reviews

Lynx observation
Martin G.22 Oct 2019
4
Overall

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Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
Location
Value

Quite interesting tour. We saw at least a female lynx with a jung one for a few seconds. Another lynx passing the road by twilight.
100% Perfect Hosts, Guides and Experience
Scott Latham22 Nov 2018
5
Overall

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Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
Location
Value

Jose Luis, Miguel, and all associated with Iberian Lynx Land including hotel staff and local friends should be amazingly proud of how they guided our tour this last week. I entrusted their expertise to guide my self and a group of 6 clients in search of the worlds most elusive cat.. The Iberian Lynx! And they did not disappoint with 3 different individual seen throughout our safari. Not just the Lynx but the conservation efforts behind the species, the history, the now and the future these guys really were hands on. A TRUE eco-tourism company. The whole group were very impressed with the knowledge of the local biodiversity and history of the landscapes. Which allowed us to see not just the Lynx but also a huge array of Spanish wildlife including several vultures, woodland birdlife, flora and close up views of the magnificent Spanish Imperial Eagle!!! In Jose, I formed a grand friendship and professional relationship which will last a lifetime. Thank you for everything, even when I was so seriously ill during much of the trip, you guys did everything to make me well again, and keep my fighting on. I can not thank you enough. See you again very soon...
Finding Lynx
Richard and Cristina Nurse17 May 2017
5
Overall

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Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
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Value

This tour was excellent in so many ways,Jose was a superb guide not only finding us 3 Lynx to view but so many other mammals including Red and Fallow Deer,otter,3 species of bats,a snake and over 50 species of birds in just 2 days. The accommodation at La Caracola hotel was also excellent with a pool and they provided electric hook up for our camper van The whole trip was well worth the cost and would highly recommend it to anyone oterested in wildlife

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