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Naturetrek's pre-departure communication and customer care were top notch. Every question had been anticipated and knowledgeable staff were readily available if needed. Our local guide in Northern Portugal could not have been better and our itinerary, though busy, was excellent. The hotels were very well chosen: different in style but of equally high quality with outstanding local food and wine. Every day brought new experiences: fascinating contrasts in landscapes and wildlife along with cultural experiences we will long remember, eg, a night time visit to a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its Paleolithic rock carvings. We cannot fault any aspect of the tour, which was our first holiday abroad since COVID. All in all, an excellent and truly memorable holiday, as well as very good value for money. We have travelled with quite a few speciality tour operators and Naturetrek is far and away the best. From our first contact with them (a phone call to ask a few questions about the trip we were considering) to their post-holiday follow-up, they demonstrated truly exceptional customer service. Naturetrek's travel documents were outstanding and they kept us well informed about the ever-changing COVID requirements. We felt that our post-trip feedback was genuinely valued by the company - there is no doubt that they are very keen to keep their clients happy. In fact, most of the people on our small group tour were repeat customers. Although this was our first Naturetrek holiday, it certainly will not be our last. Total points for customer care: 12 out of 10!
I.S. Wiltshire, May 22
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Wild Portugal: Birds, Flora & Prehistoric Art
Tour Code: PRT10An 8-day holiday focusing on the birds, flora, other natural history and prehistoric rock art of north-eastern Portugal, based in the Côa Valley and Tejo International Natural Park.
£1,895 (Inc flights)
£1,595
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
This 2-centre holiday visits the wilder and less-visited north-east region of Portugal. We’ll be based first in the Côa Valley and then the Tejo International Natural Park, running alongside the border with Spain. After a flight to Porto, we drive east to the delightful old hilltop village of Castelo Rodrigo where we’ll be based for four nights. The village and its surrounds are teeming with birdlife including Southern Grey Shrike, Black-winged Kite and Montagu’s Harrier. During our stay we’ll make an evening visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site to view the ancient rock carvings, and we’ll also spend a day at the rewilding area of Ermo das Águias, situated in the heart of the Côa Valley, to hopefully spot Golden Eagle and Griffon Vulture. For the second part of the holiday we will drive deep into the heart of the Tejo International Natural Park, one of the least populated regions in Portugal. Here we will make daily walks, exploring the flora and fauna as we pass down the Tagus river.
- Cirl Bunting, Iberian Magpie, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole & Bee-eater, Côa Valley
- Visits to Portugal's successful 'rewilding' areas
- Golden, Booted, Bonelli’s & Short-toed Eagles
- Evening visit to view Europe’s largest collection of Palaeolithic rock carvings, Côa Valley
- Honey Buzzard, Marbled Newt & butterflies among the varied fauna
- Led by expert naturalist guides
Grading
Grade A/B. Mainly easy day walks but sometimes on rough terrain.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
This 2-centre holiday is based in two contrasting boutique hotels, each offering very high standards of comfort and cuisine. All rooms have private facilities and both hotels have swimming pools.
- Food:
All included in the price.
Reviews
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This two-base week was Naturetrek's first venture into this underpopulated region of northern Portugal. It included Portugal's highest mountains, the Serra da Estrela, rising to 2000 metes. Led by one of Naturetrek's stalwarts, and seconded by a young Spanish botanist and birdlover, we were fully informed of the variety of birds, butterflies and flowers we encountered, first in the lowland, then on the flanks of the granite mountains. The great attraction for me was the range of kites, harriers, vultures and eagles, surely a bonus of the barren regions, regions however obviously carrying a rich vertebrate source of food for these predators and carrion-eaters. On the granite uplands, botanising was a matter of getting down on one's knees, so minute the flowers and their foliage. But as a geologist, I find interest in the diverse crystallography of granites. Another 'novelty' in this tour was a night-time expedition to view four palaeolithic engravings of horses and horned cattle,. Recently discovered and identified, they were cut onto open near-vertical rock faces. They are best viewed at night, illuminated by strong sideways light, which enables the shallow graffiti to be seen more clearly.
A.M. Cambridgeshire -
The holiday embodied many interests of equal weighting. Birds, Botany, Butterflies, Amphibians, Reptiles, Prehistoric engravings and historical buildings.
J.J. Worcestershire -
The Portuguese people and hotel proprietors were all exemplary, helpful and willing to please.
J.H. Devon -
All was very good, one of the best of your holidays I've been on.
P.J. Worcestershire -
I liked the combination of all the elements of the natural world rather than the dominance of one - flowers, butterflies, birds, insects, amphibians etc. I loved the whole region and particularly the landscape. The highest point in the Serra da Estrela and its specialised flora. I also enjoyed the chance to view the Palaeolithic rock engravings by night and the Douro river views. The hotels were excellent, both the amenities, service and food. All in a all it was a totally enjoyable trip enhanced further by having two excellent tour leaders.
R.B. Devon -
The variety of activities, superb hotels with first class food and service and two excellent leaders. The whole 8 days was one of the best combination of any natural history holiday I have ever been on (and I have been on many with different companies).
M.B. Devon
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Fernando Romão
Since an early age, Fernando has been interested in wildlife, with a special interest in birdwatching. Fernando has more than 20 years of tour leading experience, in which he's focused on Portugal and Spain's wilderness areas. He's been involved with several important projects relating to ecotourism, nature conservation and photography. Fernando has now led many successful tours for Naturetrek, and although he specialises in birdwatching, he's an excellent all-rounder, with interests extending to butterflies, wild flowers and mammals and history. His in-depth knowledge and passion for nature make him a very popular leader!
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[description] => Botanical Tours – See Wild Flowers with our Expert Botanical Guides
There are few more pleasing sights in the natural world than a meadow filled with wildflowers. Seeing plants in their native habitat is always exciting and our flower tours offer you an incredible choice, from dazzling tropical blooms and the thrill of finding elusive orchids or delicate alpines, to seeing island endemics or British flora. Our tours range from week-long holidays focusing on the ‘Alpine flowers of the Swiss Alps’, the ‘Italian Dolomites’ and the ‘Alpine Flowers of Slovenia’s Julian Alps’, to orchid-hunting on Italy’s Gargano Peninsula and searching for the Autumn Plants of Greece’s Peloponnese. We also visit more remote areas of the world in search of plant-life, from the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan where we look for wild tulips, to the rainforests and spiny deserts of Madagascar where over 80% of the flora is endemic.
Many of us want to know more about the plants we see around us. Whether inspired by an appreciation of the aesthetic appeal of flowers, or a more focused desire to identify individual species, everyone with an interest in botany will derive pleasure from joining one of Naturetrek’s flower tours.
Why choose Naturetrek’s botanical holidays?
- All our botanical holidays are led by expert botanist guides
- All levels of interest and expertise are catered for, from hobby gardeners and complete beginners to keen botanists who wish to explore a new area with the help of a knowledgeable leader
- We keep the overall focus on flora, though expert guidance is also given on other wildlife
What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek botanical holiday?
- Travel with a group of like-minded people
- Stay at a comfortable hotel or lodge, close to an area of outstanding botanical interest
- Enjoy a series of leisurely day excursions with ample time to appreciate the local flora
In addition to our dedicated flower tours, we also offer holidays with a wider theme to encompass birds, butterflies and other aspects of natural history as well as the flora. Our spring tours to 'Crete' and ‘The Island of Cyprus’ are both timed to allow us to enjoy the botanical highlights as well as the spring bird migration, whilst ‘Croatia and Slovenia – Spring in Istria’ also allows time to enjoy a little of the local culture. ‘Romania – the Wildlife of Transylvania’ combines an appreciation of the flora of the Carpathian Mountains with birding, butterflying and a trip to look for Brown Bears from a purpose built hide, and our holidays in both the ‘French Pyrenees’ and the ‘Spanish Pyrenees’ combine birds, butterflies and botany throughout the week.
Our specialist recommends...
David Tattersfield - Tour Leader
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.
Our specialist recommends...
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
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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
Tour Reports
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!
