Portugal - Birding & Stargazing in Rural Alentejo

Tour Code: PRT14

A 7-day holiday to Portugal’s remote Alentejo region, enjoying the birds, landscapes and fascinating culture by day, and some of Europe’s most spectacular night skies after dark.

7 days from
£2,095 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,895
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

Alentejo, the hinterland “beyond the Tagus River,” is one of Europe’s quiet areas, with a low human population amidst miles and miles of rolling arable plains, dotted with small villages with whitewashed houses, with here and there Cork Oak and olive groves. With negligible air pollution, the area is so famous for its dark skies that it was declared the world’s first ever “Starlight Tourism Destination”. On this holiday we spend four nights in Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve and make several visits to the local observatory. At this time of the year Alentejo also holds many ornithological delights, not least flocks of Great and Little Bustards, Cranes and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, as well as a range of raptors. As a bonus, we also spend a day birding the internationally important Tagus Estuary, with 120,000 wintering birds such as Avocets and Flamingoes.

  • A special tour combining birding and astronomy
  • Four nights staying in Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve, the first ever declared “Starlight Tourism Destination”
  • Several evenings at local observatory
  • Great birding by day in rolling plains and copses
  • Good chance of Cranes, Bustards, Eagles and other specialities
  • Day at Tagus Estuary, internationally renowned for wetland birds
  • Visit local vineyards

 

Grading

Gentle day walks, part-day walks, and natural history excursions. Grade A.

The Alentejo — Portuguese for ‘beyond the Tagus River’ — is a diverse and beautiful region of Iberia that not only supports a wealth of wonderful wildlife, but also boasts a rich history and culture. Clothed in rolling, arable plains dotted with Cork Oak and Olive trees, nature thrives in this sparsely populated landscape and light pollution is negligible. The Alentejo offers some of the darkest, and most starstudded, night skies in all of Europe and on this fascinating holiday, we will take in the region’s natural and human history by day, and enjoy some spectacular stargazing by night.

After a flight to Lisbon, our tour begins with time exploring the Tagus Estuary, which forms the southern boundary of Portugal’s capital and is one of Europe’s finest wetlands. We will be based here for two nights and enjoy a full day at the estuary, viewing its wintering birds such as Greater Flamingo, Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Kentish and Golden Plovers, Hen Harrier, Hoopoe and Bluethroat. The sheer numbers of wintering birds here can be breathtaking, with up to 120,000 individuals present, including nearly a quarter of all of Europe’s Avocets.

Moving on, we will drive east through the Alentejo’s gentle landscapes, passing small villages of white-washed houses with their roofs of terracotta tiles. Away from these settlements, the open countryside is thinly populated and the night skies really are incredibly dark. In recognition of this, Alentejo’s Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve was the first site in the world to be declared a ‘Starlight Tourism Destination’, a certification supported by UNESCO. We will spend the next four nights within the dark sky reserve itself and enjoy several visits to a nearby observatory equipped with cutting-edge astronomical telescopes. We have timed our tours to coincide with the new moon and, assuming the weather is clear, the views out into space from here are truly outstanding. In the company of our Naturetrek guide and local astronomers, we will search the heavens for galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, multiple star systems and the planets that are visible at the time. This region of Portugal enjoys an average of 280 cloud-free nights per year, so we stand a very good chance of clear skies and an unobstructed view!

During the daylight hours we will search the nearby steppe for such birds as Great and Little Bustards, Common Crane, White Stork and Stone-curlew, while keeping an eye skywards for Spanish Imperial and Golden Eagles, Cinereous Vulture and Black-shouldered Kite. Other target birds that we will hope to encounter include Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Calandra Lark and Iberian Grey Shrike. Small flocks of the beautiful Iberian Magpie are commonly seen throughout the countryside. This species has been recently split from the Asian Azure-winged Magpie and is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Birds such as Corn Buntings benefit from the low intensity farming that is still practised in the region and our tours in the early spring are sure to be enlivened by their ‘jangling keys’ song, a sound that has become all too rare these days in Britain.

During our time in the Alentejo we will stay in the comfortable Herdade Dom Pedro, near the pretty hilltop town of Terena; ‘Herdade’ being Portuguese for a large rural property or farm. Set in rolling hills speckled with Cork Oak and overlooking Terena’s 13th century castle, our base is surrounded by pastoral countryside crisscrossed with plenty of trails to explore and is blessed with the most wonderful sunsets; the perfect spot for a pre-dinner sundowner. Meals consist of typical, homecooked, Alentejo cuisine, prepared at the Herdade with fresh local ingredients.

We will not ignore the region’s rich culture and history on this holiday. This will include a visit to the beautiful, medieval, hilltop village of Monseraz where attractive whitewashed buildings are enclosed by fortress walls dating back to the year 1310, whilst on other days we may well see evidence of even older settlements in the form of prehistoric stone circles and other archaeological remains. The Alentejo is also noted for its wine, and there will be an opportunity to visit a local vineyard to sample some of Portugal’s excellent wines. After a thorough natural history, astronomical and cultural exploration of Alentejo we will return to Lisbon for our flight home.

As well as revealing the delights of the Alentejo’s diurnal wildlife and night skies, this tour will run in conjunction with ‘SPEA’ (BirdLife’s partner in Portugal), and thus help support its vital conservation work.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Lisbon and overnight
Day 2
Tagus Estuary
Day 3
Evora plus stargazing
Day 4/6
Alentejo - birds, villages and stars
Day 7
Drive to Lisbon, fly UK
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    A two-centre holiday. Two nights in a hotel near the Tagus estuary and four nights in a very comfortable hotel in the Dark Sky Reserve. All rooms with private facilities.

  • Food:

    All food included in the price.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Sun 26th Jan – Sat 1st Feb FULL £2,095
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
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
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
Lara Broom
Lara Broom

Tour Leader: Lara Broom

Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, Lara has a degree in Biology from the University of Lisbon and a masters in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. Her master thesis on “The effect of helpers on the post-fledging survival of a cooperatively breeding bird, the sociable weaver” was used in a bigger, long-term project studying a Sociable Weaver population in South Africa, where she spent two field seasons collecting data. In 2014, Lara moved to the UK where she worked for the RSPB for a year and a half in the Membership Department. In 2017, Lara started working for Naturetrek in the Reservations and Customer Service Team, before moving into the busy Operations Team, overseeing tours to Portugal, Spain, France and South America.

Her desire was always to move back home, and she had the opportunity to do so in 2019, when she started working for the Portuguese BirdLife partner – SPEA – where she is now responsible for organising and guiding birdwatching excursions across Portugal, as well as day walks, participating in fairs and other birdwatching events, while also being part of the Membership division.

Despite birdwatching being her ‘first love’, she is interested in all nature and enjoys stopping to look at orchids, butterflies and other species, taking advantage of her local knowledge of the Portuguese fauna and flora.

Sun 23rd Feb – Sat 1st Mar 3 £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
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
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
Lara Broom
Lara Broom

Tour Leader: Lara Broom

Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, Lara has a degree in Biology from the University of Lisbon and a masters in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. Her master thesis on “The effect of helpers on the post-fledging survival of a cooperatively breeding bird, the sociable weaver” was used in a bigger, long-term project studying a Sociable Weaver population in South Africa, where she spent two field seasons collecting data. In 2014, Lara moved to the UK where she worked for the RSPB for a year and a half in the Membership Department. In 2017, Lara started working for Naturetrek in the Reservations and Customer Service Team, before moving into the busy Operations Team, overseeing tours to Portugal, Spain, France and South America.

Her desire was always to move back home, and she had the opportunity to do so in 2019, when she started working for the Portuguese BirdLife partner – SPEA – where she is now responsible for organising and guiding birdwatching excursions across Portugal, as well as day walks, participating in fairs and other birdwatching events, while also being part of the Membership division.

Despite birdwatching being her ‘first love’, she is interested in all nature and enjoys stopping to look at orchids, butterflies and other species, taking advantage of her local knowledge of the Portuguese fauna and flora.

Sun 16th Nov – Sat 22nd Nov 5 £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
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
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 
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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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Eclipse and Astronomy Holidays


We have launched a programme of astronomically themed holidays that will open up the universe to you. By day we will admire the wildlife and landscapes of the natural world, but by night our attention will be drawn to the celestial realms. Whilst some tours are arranged around a particular event such an eclipse, others will take you to regions of the world where the truly dark skies can be enjoyed. A lot of careful planning and experience goes into operating these tours: to optimise the viewing we draw upon historical weather data and consider factors such as altitude and the phase of the moon.


Over the past two years our Namibian Night and Day tour has provided a wonderful blend of stargazing, tremendous scenery, and wildlife. This tour will run again in 2023 and 2024. 


We have teamed up with the DarkSky Alqueva and SPEA, Portugal’s society for the study of birds, to bring you a tour of  Portugal’s Alentejo region focusing on nature, culture and astronomy at the dark sky reserve.    


After wonderfully successful tour to Chile in 2019 for the total solar eclipse, we have arranged a tour to Mexico’s Pacific coast to witness a total eclipse in April 2024. This will include amazing opportunities to see enjoy the history, culture and wildlife of this vibrant country.  


On each of our ‘Eclipse and Astronomy Holidays’ we will aim to offer the following:


    

  • Private vehicles
    • 

  • Comfortable hotels
    • 

  • Accompanying astronomy expert for all or part of the tour
    • 

  • Live Planetarium demonstrations 
    • 





Our specialist recommends...







"Looking to the skies can reward us with some of the most captivating views in nature. The richness of the Milky Way set against a jet-black sky, the rippling curtains of the Northern Lights over the Arctic or the astonishing spectacle of a total solar eclipse are sights that live long in the memory." 

David Phillips - Operations Manager




  


All Eclipse and Astronomy 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!