Christmas Wildlife Holidays in 2023/24

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!

We are all familiar with the abundance of birds that return each summer to breed within the wetlands of Romania’s beautiful Danube Delta but, as the days shorten and the weather cools, many of these species head south to warmer climes to be replaced by an equally spectacular number and variety of wintering birds. Largely uninhabited, with the exception of a few fishing and farming villages, the Delta has an ethereal beauty in the winter. Corridors of willow and poplar trees stand frail and naked, exposed to hard frosts and snow; reedbeds rustle in a chilly wind and sandy islands support forests and the occasional small village, some of which are still constructed of traditional reed and wood. This is a peaceful place, disturbed only by the incessant babble of ducks and the distant honking of thousands of geese from out across the plains. Tens of thousands of Russian White-fronted Geese and ‘Eastern’ Greylag Geese return here each winter to take advantage of the rich feeding in the wheat fields and marshes around the edge of the Delta. Within these large gatherings of geese, however, can be found flocks of Romania’s star wintering bird, the beautiful, delicate and increasingly rare Red-breasted Goose.

This Christmas wildlife holiday offers a unique mix of birds, mammals and local medieval and Roman antiquities, enjoyed in a mild Provencal winter climate with a special French Christmas Eve dinner to boot! In particular, we’ll focus on the Camargue, the marshy delta of the River Rhône. This legendary region of wild horses, fighting bulls and abundant birdlife has been a ‘Mecca’ for birdwatchers for decades. The ancient delta of the Durance, known as the Crau, is another highlight – its dry stony habitat a home to steppe birds rarely seen elsewhere in France, such as Little Bustard and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. We’ll also explore the hills of Les Alpilles and Mont Ventoux, and look for wintering Wallcreepers at the great aqueduct of Pont du Gard!

The island of Cyprus sits in the clear blue waters of the eastern Mediterranean at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe. At the end of December, when northern Europe has slipped deep into the clutches of winter’s icy grip, Cyprus still enjoys a mild and sunny climate with a pleasant average day-time temperature of 18°C. However, whilst Cyprus can boast an impressive average of 340 days of sunshine per year, its rainfall tends to fall between October and February, watering landscapes parched and desiccated by the summer sun, encouraging Cyprus’s autumn and winter-flowering plants to burst into life once more. This rejuvenated green land attracts an interesting variety of birds, amongst them such sought-after species as Finsch’s Wheatear and Cyprus Warbler which overwinter on the island.

South Luangwa National Park is Zambia’s foremost wildlife reserve. Bordered by the Luangwa River, it encompasses over 9,000 square kilometres of wilderness and is home to an abundance of mammals, birds and other wildlife. This dedicated mammal-watching tour is special in that it is a single-centre holiday, based for 7 nights at Kafunta River Lodge. From here we enjoy morning game drives into the national park and may choose to return each afternoon on optional night safaris in search of nocturnal mammals, including Lion, Leopard, Honey Badger and occasionally Aardvark. From September to November, flocks of colourful Southern Carmine Bee-eaters nest along the Luangwa River, whilst large pods of Hippo laze in the water and Thornicroft's Giraffe, Elephant, African Buffalo and many other mammals venture down to drink. African Wild Dogs are also being increasingly seen, especially on our December and April departures.

Botswana’s Okavango Delta is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders and home to a wealth of spectacular African mammals and other wildlife. Moremi Wildlife Reserve lies on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta and is the focus of this exciting camping safari. There is no better way to enjoy the African bush than camping under the stars, lulled to sleep by the nocturnal sounds of Africa. Herds of Elephant are a common sight along with Giraffe, Buffalo, Red Lechwe and Impala. These are stalked by Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and the attractive, but elusive, African Wild Dogs which we will make a special effort to find. Birdlife is also colourful and prolific, whilst night safaris open up a whole new world of nocturnal possibilities.

This Christmas holiday is based in a very comfortable and peaceful spa hotel situated in the quieter north of the island, just a short walk from the beach. From it we will enjoy, in leisurely fashion, both the island’s endemic wildlife and its cultural highlights which includes Roque Bentagya, a natural rock formation which is at its most impressive at the time of the winter equinox. This area also offers the best chance of seeing the island’s star endemic bird, the Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch, as well as wild Canary, Laurel Pigeon, and the local subspecies of Common Chaffinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Add a little wine-tasting, delicious local cuisine, plenty of opportunities in which to make use of the excellent facilities offered by the hotel, and a whale-watching excursion, and this promises to be a relaxed and varied break bathed in pleasant winter sunshine.

Honduras is a birder’s paradise and boasts over 740 bird species. This new addition to our Bargain Birdwatching portfolio is a single-centre tour based in a luxury eco-lodge lying at the foot of the Pico Bonito National Park, which covers some 270,000 acres of little-explored Caribbean tropical wet forest and cloudforest. As you’d expect, the 400-acre private reserve in which the lodge is situated is alive with tityras, motmots, trogons, honeycreepers, flycatchers and hummingbirds. We will also visit the nearby Salado Wildlife Refuge which should reveal Agami Heron, Jabiru and Sungrebe amongst a profusion of wetland birds, as well as Black Howler Monkey and other mammals. This tour is designed to offer easy yet exciting and varied birding from an exceptionally comfortable base with good photographic opportunities.

There's a growing appetite among Naturetrek clients to get away somewhere interesting at Christmas, and this 8-day holiday in south-west Portugal has been picked to offer two lovely hotels (one with stunning sea views), some decent December weather and plenty of bird and wildlife interest. Based for four nights at the Memmo Baleeira Hotel, situated just a stone's throw from a fort which served as Henry the Navigator's 15th century School of Navigation, and for three nights in the hills north of Tavira, we will make daily excursions along the coast and into the neighbouring Alentejo region. Close to our Sagres hotel are the spectacular cliffs of Cabo Sao Vicente, Portugal's "Land's End". The winter warmth and Portuguese traditional hospitality should leave us with a healthy glow in our cheeks as we head home!