South Devon in Winter

Tour Code: GBR19

A 4-day wildlife break in search of the wealth of winter wildfowl and waders on the Exe Estuary, and a visit to the Devon heaths.

4 days from
£625 (land only)
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

We will visit the top birdwatching sites along the rich mudflats of the Exe Estuary which attract Little Egret, Brent Goose, Wigeon, Red-breasted Merganser, Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher, Curlew, grebes, divers and seaduck among many other birds. We’ll look out for the resident Buzzards and Peregrines which compete with visiting raptors for prey over the nearby marshes, while on the Devon heaths we’ll look for Dartford Warblers and, if we are lucky, perhaps see a wintering Great Grey Shrike. One of the undoubted highlights of this short break will be views of the most famous of the area's winter visitors, Avocets, which sometimes gather in groups hundreds-strong at the water’s edge.

  • Impressive flocks of wintering wildfowl & waders
  • Black-tailed & Bar-tailed Godwits, plus seaducks such as Common Scoter
  • Many hundreds of wintering Avocets
  • Large flocks of Brent Geese
  • Chance of seeing Dartford Warbler & Great Grey Shrike on Devon heaths
  • Divers, grebes & seaducks at the mouth of the estuary
  • Possibility of seeing one of south Devon’s special birds, the rare Cirl Bunting
  • Led by an expert naturalist guide

Please download the tour itinerary for details.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive Torquay
Day 2/3
Visits to Exe Estuary, Exe Marshes, Dawlish Warren, East Devon Pebble-bed Heaths & Haldon Hills.
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Accommodation:

    All accommodation is included in the tour cost.

    We will be based in a comfortable hotel in Torquay. Sea view rooms may be available, at a supplementary cost.

  • Food:

    Breakfasts and evening meals are included in the tour cost, from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 3. 

    Lunches are at additional cost and should be budgeted for.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 2nd Dec – Fri 5th Dec SPACES £625
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£625
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£95
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Mike Langman

Tour Leader: Mike Langman

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 1st Dec – Fri 4th Dec SPACES £645
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£645
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£95 
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Short Break Wildlife Holidays


Among our programme is a significant range of short breaks, designed specially for those wishing to enjoy some of Europe’s top natural history highlights at the best time of year. All of these holidays have the bonus of being short-haul and supported by like-minded wildlife enthusiasts.


Naturetrek Short Break Wildlife Tours


Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme both within the UK and abroad. Most of our short breaks are within Europe, for convenience of travel.


For some of our mini-breaks there is an option to travel by plane or train, and we offer a choice of duration and type of break, from a weekend’s birdwatching in the Somerset Levels to a 6-day whale watching tour in the Azores.


A selection of our UK short breaks:



A selection of our overseas short breaks:



 




 


Our specialist recommends...








"We offer two superb short breaks to the lovely island of Madeira in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. It’s hard to beat our Just Brown Bears trip for families, while if you fancy something off the beaten track, try Estonia in Early Spring for some excellent spring birdwatching." 

Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager




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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




  


 


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Flight-free Wildlife Holidays


At Naturetrek we make full use of the Eurostar rail service through the channel tunnel, and of the ferry routes between England’s south coast and France and Spain, to offer a range of ‘flightless’ wildlife holidays in Belgium, Holland, France and Spain. In addition, we also offer the widest selection of wildlife holidays within the UK, none of which require a flight to participate in. Therefore, if you prefer not to fly, for whatever reason, we have a range of varied and exciting wildlife holidays for you to choose from, and we are committed to regularly adding more.


It is also the case that many of our other holidays within Europe are also accessible by rail. Generally, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’d be pleased to offer advice to anybody who wishes to join any of our tours within Europe by a means other than flying!




Our specialist recommends...






"Our Picos & Plains tour offers an environmentally-friendly route down to Spain for some excellent birding and cetacean-watching. More broadly, we’re very keen for Naturetrek to offer the most dynamic, market-leading carbon-reduced holidays available, and we hope you enjoy browsing our list of no-flight wildlife holidays!” 

Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager




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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!