Tour Itinerary and Reports
Can I help you?
Hidden Extremadura
Tour Code: ESP58An 8-day birdwatching holiday focusing on a lesser-known corner of Extremadura, based in a fabulous former stately home near Caceres.
£2,295 (Inc flights)
£2,095
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
Can I help you?
Quick Enquiry
Summary
Extremadura, one of Europe’s top birding destinations, offers wide open steppes, endless horizons, bright blue skies, delicious jamón ibérico and velvety-smooth red wine at a fraction of the price we would pay at home. This birdwatching holiday explores some of the less well-known areas of Extremadura. Our base for the week will be a former stately home, now converted into an extremely comfortable 5-star spa hotel, on the outskirts of Caceres. Each day, we will set out to explore other bird-rich habitats, from lakes and rivers to steppes and woodlands, looking for a wide range of species. A boat trip along the River Tagus will be a particular highlight, especially as the resident pair of Bonelli’s Eagles may often be seen perched, sentry-like, on the rocky outcrops above, and a free afternoon in historic Caceres will appeal to those with a cultural leaning.
- Explore a new part of Extremadura, to the west of our existing holidays
- A 5-star spa hotel is our base
- Look out for Bonelli’s Eagles during a cruise on the Tagus
- Bee-eaters, Rollers, Hoopoes, a variety of warblers
- Bustards and sandgrouse
- Explore historic Caceres
Â
Grading
A
Extremadura is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most attractive destinations for a birdwatching holiday, the land of the conquistadors offering wide open steppes, endless horizons, bright blue skies, bustards, larks, raptors, Bee-eaters and Rollers, delicious jamón ibérico and velvety-smooth red wine at a fraction of the price we would pay at home. Our current Naturetrek tours in Extremadura include a single-centre ‘Go Slow’ tour, a birdwatching holiday for beginners, an annual Christmas tour, tours combining Extremadura with either Coto Doñana or the Gredos Mountains, and a new dragonfly tour featured elsewhere in this newsletter. This new holiday, however, explores some of the less well-known areas of Extremadura, further to the west, that we do not visit during our other holidays.
Our base for the week will be a former stately home, now converted into an extremely comfortable 5-star spa hotel, on the outskirts of the medieval town of Caceres. Surrounding the hotel is a centuries-old olive grove, complete with custom-built nesting platforms where at least 30 pairs of White Storks breed annually. Each day, an optional early bird walk will precede breakfast, following which we will set out to explore other bird-rich habitats, from lakes and rivers to steppes and woodlands, looking for a wide range of species including Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures, Golden and Bonelli’s Eagles, Bee-eaters, Rollers, Hoopoes, a variety of warblers and herons, Great and Little Bustards, and both Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. A boat trip along the River Tagus will be a particular highlight, especially as the resident pair of Bonelli’s Eagles may often be seen perched, sentry-like, on the rocky outcrops above, and a free afternoon in historic Caceres will appeal to those with a cultural leaning. On each day we will aim to be back at our hotel well before dinner, so there should be time to enjoy the spa; we will also offer optional evening and night-time walks after dinner on some days.
Whether you are contemplating your first visit to Spain or have already spent time birdwatching in Extremadura, please do consider this exciting and varied new itinerary; the exceptional base is particularly suitable for those who would prefer to dip in and out of the daily excursions offered.
Â
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
AÂ very comfortable and peaceful spa hotel in the outskirts of Caceres
- Food:
All meals included in the price
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Pablo Perez-Martinez
Pablo has always had a great love of the outdoors, especially oceans and mountains. After studying Environmental Sciences, Pablo gained a Master's in Water & Coastal Management. His passion for nature has taken him to many of the world's wildest and most remote environments, including Alaska, Greenland, Patagonia, New Zealand and Canada. An avid environmentalist, he cares deeply about conservation and as a guide he is keen to share his passion with others. Originally from Spain's Basque country, Pablo leads our tours to his native region, sharing his in-depth knowledge in the areas of the Bay of Biscay, the Highlands of Goierri and the plains of Alava. While his primary expertise lies in birds and mammals, Pablo is interested in the complex facets that make up an environment, including human involvement. This broad-minded perspective is reflected in his approach to tour leading which encompasses the natural, cultural and historical aspects of a particular region.
Array ( [180] => stdClass Object ( [id] => 180 [parent_id] => 165 [level] => 2 [path] => tour-focus/birds [title] => Birdwatching [alias] => birds [description] =>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:
- Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
- The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
- Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
- Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
- Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
- Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
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.
Â
Our specialist recommends...
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
 Â
Â
[params] => stdClass Object ( [category_layout] => [image_az] => https://i.assetzen.net/i/RlWlvE3qiKAS/w:500/h:500/q:70.jpg [image_alt] => Bird Watching ) [metakey] => Birds [note] => 02 [parent] => stdClass Object ( [id] => 165 [parent_id] => 1 [level] => 1 [path] => tour-focus [title] => Tour Focus [alias] => tour-focus [description] => [params] => stdClass Object ( [category_layout] => [image_az] => [image_alt] => ) [metakey] => [note] => ) ) )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.
EnquireWhy 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!
Related articles
Dominating the Iberian Peninsula in the south-western corner of Europe, Spain is one of the most famous holiday destinations in the world. Proverbially sunny, it has attracted heat-seeking British tourists for a century or more! In this article we celebrate all that Spain offers as a wildlife destination.