Spain - Extremadura at Christmas

Tour Code: ESP28

A thorough 7-day winter exploration of the bird-rich steppes of Extremadura.

7 days from
£1,995 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,795
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

A birding visit to Extremadura in the crystal-clear light and relatively mild temperatures of winter has its own particular, very special, charm. For all six nights we will be based in a country house a short distance from the beautiful medieval town of Trujillo. The location is perfect with easy access to the steppes and Monfrague, peace all around and an incredibly dark night sky. The welcome is warm and the cooking tasty and rustic Extremaduran fare. From an exquisite foraging Bluethroat or a large flock of Great Bustards, to a soaring Spanish Imperial Eagle or Black Vulture, this tour is likely to be full of highlights!

  • Enjoy winter flocks of both Great & Little Bustards
  • Superb raptor-viewing, with a day (or more!) at Monfragüe a highlight!
  • Watch roosting Common Cranes in flocks of 10,000-strong
  • Magnificent far-reaching winter vistas
  • Delightful accommodation, with first class hospitality
  • Expertly guided by a Naturetrek ornithologist
  • Special 'Noche Buena' Christmas Eve meal

Grading

Grade A. Day walks only,

Traditionally, most birders visit the magnificent rolling steppes, rugged sierras and Cork Oak woodland of Extremadura in April and May, when the countryside is besieged by migrants, and Great Bustards are in full display. A birding visit in the crystal-clear light and relatively mild temperatures of winter, though, has its own particular, very special, merit.

We begin this holiday with a flight to Madrid, from where we head south-west through rolling hills, olive groves and woodland to the central plateau of Extremadura, where we find extensive sheep-grazed grasslands and the Cork Oak forests known locally as ‘dehesa’. For all six nights we will be based in a delightful country house a short distance from the beautiful medieval town of Trujillo. With a warm Spanish welcome and an enviable garden bird list, this is an ideal locality from which to explore the adjacent steppes and Monfragüe National Park.

Due in part to the shorter grass at this time of year and the absence of any heat haze, Extremadura’s many attractive resident birds are much easier to see in winter than at any other season. Stately Great Bustards (the world’s heaviest flying bird) congregate in flocks in their winter quarters, the males busily exercising their wings in readiness for the annual springtime battle for a mate. Little Bustards, too, congregate and, as we scan the fallow steppes for bustards, we may find Blackbellied or Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, and flocks of larks. Great Spotted Cuckoos, too, may be seen, for they return from Africa as early as mid-January, while Stone Curlews, Calandra and Thekla Larks, Corn Buntings, Southern Grey Shrikes, Little Owls, Hoopoes, Spotless Starlings, Spanish Sparrows, Woodlarks, White Wagtails and magnificent far-reaching winter vistas complete the picture out on the plains.

We will also enjoy watching the unforgettable evening spectacle of Common Cranes, in flocks of 10,000- strong, as they fly in to their night-time roosts. The sight of these Cranes coming in at dusk as the winter light slips beneath the horizon will be a highlight of the tour. Elsewhere, the region’s lakes should hold large numbers of wildfowl, Purple Gallinule, Black-necked and other Grebes, plus Cattle, Little and a few Great White Egrets. Water Rails, Cetti’s Warblers and the occasional exquisite Bluethroat emerge to forage at the fringes of the wetlands and in damp channels, all so much easier to see than ever they are in Britain! Patches of woodland and scrub hold Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Iberian Magpies, Blackcaps, Sardinian and Dartford Warblers, Firecrests, Short-toed Treecreepers, Crested and Iberian Longtailed Tits, Serins, Siskins, Hawfinches and Cirl Buntings. In fact many of these species may be seen within a stone’s throw of our accommodation! On the higher ground Alpine Accentors overwinter, while Chough, Black Redstart, Raven, Rock Sparrow, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting and Black Wheatear are all on the cards along with the resident and omnipresent Crag Martins.

No mention of birding in Extremadura, however, can be made without reference to the magnificent raptor-watching opportunities. The onset of winter sees the Black Kite being replaced by the Red, and by January Spanish Imperial Eagles are displaying over their nest sites — a breathtaking sight. Although the Short-toed and Booted Eagles will not return from Africa until early March, there is still plenty of variety, with Golden Eagles starting to nest and airborne Griffon and Black Vultures drawing our attention to any carrion in the area. Bonelli’s Eagles soar in bonding pairs, with Buzzards having arrived for the winter by the thousand from elsewhere in Europe. Other residents include Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and, of course, the stunning and much sought-after Black-shouldered Kite, another species with a tendency to form winter groups. Eagle Owls have mated by late December, with the female usually incubating by January, calling for the male at dusk to bring her food. We hope that a late afternoon visit to a special site will provide a fitting climax to our holiday.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly to Madrid, drive Extremadura.
Day 2/6
Daily programme of birding excursions from our base near Trujillo.
Day 7
Fly London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    A beautifully restored and comfortable country house in delightful surroundings; all rooms with private facilities.

  • Food: All included in the price.
Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2024

Departures Availability Cost
Sun 22nd Dec – Sat 28th Dec FULL £1,995
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,795
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£175
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Mark Wood
Mark Wood - Leader Profile.jpg

Tour Leader: Mark Wood

After spending much of his early childhood exploring the woods and fields around his house in Fife, Scotland, Mark quickly developed a curiosity for the natural world around him. With the closest nature reserve being RSPB Loch Leven it did not take long for a keen interest in birds to follow. Going on to study Conservation Biology at Aberdeen University Mark’s passion for wildlife in its many facets and a desire to protect it would only continue to grow.

Much of his working life has been spent as an Ecologist in Scotland but the desire to travel and find exotic bird species is a constant draw. This has led to many long overseas adventures including Australia and New Zealand, where he was able to work on the Kakapo project and see this endangered parrot. Driving from Scotland to Mongolia and back in 2019, exploring much of central Asia and Russia along the way, a lifelong dream! As well as many other fantastic, nature rich locations across North and South America, Africa, Europe and East Asia. 

Mark started leading tours to Shetland for Naturetrek in 2022.

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Mon 22nd Dec – Sun 28th Dec SPACES £2,095
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,895
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£195
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Niki Williamson
Niki-Williamson.jpg

Tour Leader: Niki Williamson

Niki was given a YOC membership for her 6th birthday, and has loved nature ever since. She worked and volunteered for the RSPB for 12 years, managing habitats, brandishing power tools with varying levels of success, and honing her birding skills in some of the best wetland, upland and coastal habitats in the UK. She was part of the Eastern England Farmland Advisory team for eight years, working with nature-friendly farmers to make the countryside a better place for wildlife, eventually heading up the team. Niki is particularly passionate about the plight of the Turtle Dove and was part of Operation Turtle Dove, working to ensure a future for this desperately declining bird. As well as the UK, this work took her to West Africa, where she worked closely with Conservation Grade to survey migratory and resident farmland bird species and their habitat needs, to see how local growers could produce peanuts in a way that is fair to nature and of benefit to wintering migrants. Niki now lives in Southern Spain, near Tarifa, where she has worked full time as a wildlife guide for four years, with a focus on showing people the wondrous migration spectacle of the Straits of Gibraltar. She leads tours here for Naturetrek in spring, autumn and summer, and also leads in various other destinations across Spain, including Coto Doñana, Sierra de Morena, Extremadura, Serranía de Ronda, as well as across the straits in Northern Morocco.

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Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists


The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.


Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours


We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.


The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.

Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:



Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection


Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.


 




Our specialist recommends...






"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."

Byron Palacios - Tour Leader




  


 


All Birdwatching Tours

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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!

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