Why not join us for a winter break and some of the best birding in Europe?. The resident raptors and steppe birds are joined by thousands of Common Cranes.

A Winter Break in the Extremadura
Spend your days in the company of an expert guide exploring one of the most exciting areas for birdlife in the whole of Europe, where numerous spectacular species can be found during the winter months. Each evening you can then relax in front of an open fire with your friendly hosts and sample a wide range of fine wines from the Extremadura and other famous winemaking regions of Spain.

A 6 days -5 nights tour is suggested and we can offer flexibility with respect the number of days. Please contact us for further information.

Guidance
You will be guided by an expert local guide (www.iberian-nature.com) during the excursions. This guide has wide experience in guiding nature and birdwatching tours. He knows where to find the birds. This tour is run jointly between Hotel Vina las Torres and iberian-nature.

Also available for those who prefer to travel on their own and do not required a guide. Send an email or contact us on +34 927 319 350 for more details.

Wine Tasting
Each evening, from the second day, before dinner there will be a wine tasting session. These sessions are tailored to appeal to enthusiasts who wish to learn  more about the qualities of the different wines, their bouquet, taste, appearance, the grapes used and area of origin. The wines sampled will then be served with the dinner.

Food and Accommodation
Each day breakfast, a packed lunch and a 3-course evening meal are provided and all food is home-made and of a high quality. Special dietary needs can be catered for.

Vina Las Torres is a friendly, family run hotel situated away from main roads and set in its own grounds surrounded by woodland and farmland. All eight bedrooms have en-suite facilities, heating, telephones, TVs and mini-bars.

Birding Highlights
Arrocampo Biosphere Reserve
Purple Gallinule, Squacco Heron and other water birds, Black-shoulder Kite, Osprey, Marsh Harrier  and Cattle Egret (more than one thousand ) sleeping area.

Monfragüe National Park
Mediterranean forest, dehesas and rocky mountains. Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Bonelli's Eagle, Eagle Owl, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin, Chough, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting,  and a variety of mediterranean flora.

Trujillo Plains
Steppe birds, large flocks of Great Bustards, flocks of several hundreds Little Bustard, Stone-curlew, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Calandra Lark and other Alaudidae (Larks), Hen Harrier,
Merlin, concentration of several hundreds Red Kite.

Villuercas Mountains
Mountain area and mediterranean forest.
Black Wheatear, Peregrine, Golden Eagle, large concentrations of Griffon Vulture and Black Vulture, Alpine Acentor.

Vegas Altas of Guadiana river
Plains, rice fields, dehesa, mediterranean forest and mountains.
Sierra Brava reservoir with one fo the largest concentrations of water birds of Spain, it may be stressed concentrations of Greylag Goose (more than 4000), Crane (more than 30000), Black-shoulder Kite, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Stone Curlew, Black-bellied Sandgrouse.

Winter weather
The Extremadura has a Mediterranean climate with the weather being predominantly dry, although some rain can occur in winter season. Average temperatures between November and January is 15º C during the day.

Dates
From mid-November until mid-February. No fixed dates, flexibility is the key.

Price 6 days -5 nights
680€ - ₤ 556 per person (Exchange rate could vary).

This price includes accommodation, all meals, wine, minibus transport, guide fees and all taxes. This price does not include, air-fares, medical insurance or other incidental expenses. There are no hidden costs.

Booking details
In order to operate the guided tours, a minimum group size of four persons is necessary.

If you have any questions about the winter break please call on +34 927 319 350 or email us on birders@birdwatching-extremadura.com

Testimonials

"Extremadura is a wonderful area for birding.  Our short stay involved day trips to various habitats to encounter different species – great bustards on the llanos, common cranes  in the dehesas and vultures in Monfrague National Park.  Our birding guide, Godfried Schreur, who has lived in the area for 15 years, was a superb bird guide, great all round naturalist and really good company.   All the day excursions were an easy drive from our base – Hotel rural Vina Las Torres near Trujillo. This small, very comfortable hotel is run by a charming family who went to great lengths to ensure we had a good stay.  The locally sourced food was carefully tailored to our special dietary needs without compromising on the quality and regional flavour. The owner, Juan Pedro, also provided some wine tasting sessions which were thoroughly enjoyed by all.  Wines from Extremadura are hard to find outside Spain and so our taste buds were given a special treat as we learned how to judge the intensity of colour and aromatic qualities of a variety of local wine. All in all, top marks and we would all like to return later in the Spring."

Brian & Penny