Pyrenees Butterflies, Raptors & Wildlife Tour, Spain - 8 Days

Arrival at Casa Allué. Introduction and meet your hosts, Simon and Lucy.

Relax over a drink and nibbles before dinner.

Breakfast

An early start as we head into the mountains, leaving at 7.30 am.

This is the first of two trips to the hides to see the majestic, bearded vulture. The hides can only accommodate 4 people at a time, so we will split the group.

Group A: will spend 4-5 hours in the hides. The position of the hides, on a mountainside facing the Pyrenees, is a favorite with professional wildlife photographers. A fantastic opportunity to photograph different raptors or just marvel at the spectacle! As well as the impressive Bearded vultures (a huge raptor with a wingspan of nearly 3metres), we will also see Griffon vultures, Red and Black kites, Egyptian vultures, and quite probably Golden eagle.

Group B: we will stay for a coffee at a nearby restaurant and watch the birds circle above before they then descend to the feeding area in front of the hides. This is an amazing sight in itself, as normally over 100 birds fill the sky above our heads.

As the feeding frenzy starts and the birds are on the ground we will make our way higher up the mountain. We will visit a neolithic dolmen and walk a circular route around three chapels. This is an area where we can see the Apollo butterfly, Stonechat, Firecrest, Goldcrest, and of course raptors.

The two groups’ rendezvous at the restaurant where we will stay for lunch.

After lunch, we visit a medieval town and the region's headquarters for the Bearded vulture foundation (an NGO we support). We finish off the day with a tour of their bird sanctuary attached to the NGO.

Dinner in Albella.

Breakfast

A leisurely start as we head south to the Natural Park of Sierra de Guara. This is a very different climate and ecosystem, much dryer and more Mediterranean than our base in Albella. Here we will meet our lepidopterist and local expert. An authority on bugs. Be prepared to be amazed as we follow him along our chosen track with his net in hand, darting and running after different specimens along the verge sides.

The morning over, we will stop at a nearby bar for our picnic and enjoy a drink in this delightful hamlet.

After lunch, we visit some nearby meadows which attract an array of different butterflies.

If time permits, we will visit the third habitat for butterflies, before returning to our base in Albella.

Dinner on the terrace.

Breakfast

An 8 am departure as we head west to meet our guide and ornithologist. We start the day in open farmland. The focus is on small birds. This is a circular walk taking us initially across farmland, and then above a river before finally arriving at a viewing point overlooking a large reservoir. This is the territory for Woodchat shrike and Wryneck, as well as European bee-eaters and Spanish sparrows.

After a full morning bird spotting, we will move further west, where we will have our picnic in a shaded area before finding a bar for refreshments.

After lunch, our tour continues as we look for Egyptian vultures, summer visitors from Africa. Egyptian vultures tend to be associated with livestock and barns.

The afternoon over we will make our way back to Albella. If time allows, we will stop for a swim on the way home!

Dinner on the terrace.

An early start as we head into the mountains – leaving at 7.30 am.

This is the second of our two trips to the hides to see the majestic, bearded vulture.

On day 2, the group will split into A and B and reverse the activity.

The only difference today is that after our rendezvous at the restaurant we will travel the small distance to a remote village to have our picnic lunch.

After lunch, we will do an out and back walk along a gorge that takes in three viewing balconies. This is a unique opportunity to see raptors flying below us, or even at eye level. The views here are quite stunning.

Back at the van, we will make our way back to Albella.

Dinner on the terrace.

An early start – leaving at 7.30 am.

Today we go to our highest point in the mountains. We will be using a 4x4 track which is the highest in the Spanish Pyrenees, and which will give us breath-taking views across to Monte Perdido (at 3355m, it is the highest limestone massif in Europe).

Parking our 4-wheel drive minibus we will continue on foot to the top of the ridge. Here in summer, we can see the Wallcreeper. This is also Chamois and Marmot territory, and where there are Marmots there are Golden eagles, so we need to keep one eye on the sky. If possible, let the other eye scan for the Apollo butterfly as this is the ideal habitat!

Picnic lunch on the mountain.

Breakfast

A leisurely start as we allow the day to warm up for butterflies.

Our butterfly and insect expert is back with us today.

In the morning we will take a number of the local trails to see what butterflies and insects are about, broken up with coffee and refreshments.

A late lunch will be a traditional paella cooked on the terrace.

We have created a butterfly-friendly planting scheme around the hotel so the afternoon will be spent relaxing and enjoying the plethora of butterflies and insects that abound.

As darkness falls we will set a moth trap and then go to the edge of the woods to see if we can encounter the beautiful Spanish moon moth.

There will be a light buffet-style supper.

Breakfast

After breakfast and with our expertise we will examine and release the moths caught in the moth trap the night before.

At mid-day, we prepare for departure and onward journeys home.