Spain has long been a very popular birdwatching destination, offering a wide range of Mediterranean habitats along with safe, easy and excellent birding. Many sites are in beautifully scenic settings, featuring Romanesque architecture and ancient, fortified hilltop villages; whilst much of interior Spain that we visit is very rural and way off the tourist trail. Our comprehensive itinerary is specially designed for a great diversity of birds and concentrates on three major and distinct habitats: the semi-arid steppes and cork-oak dehesas (a type of wooded pastureland) of the central and northern interior, the scenic Sierras and high, alpine Pyrenees to the north in Catalonia, and the wetlands and marshes of Doñana National Park on the Atlantic coast. During spring, the area’s many resident and breeding birds are joined by migrants en route from Africa to their northern nesting areas, and some of the fabulous species we hope to see include Spanish Imperial Eagle (up to 23 raptor species are possible!), Great and Little Bustards, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Spectacled Warbler, Alpine Accentor, both species of noisy chough, White-throated Dipper and the fabulous Wallcreeper. Our journey begins in the southern city of Seville, travels through the steppes and heartland of Spain with stops in the Sierra de Gredos before reaching the mighty Pyrenees, and then continues east to the historic city of Barcelona. We travel in spacious and comfortable vehicles, the food is delicious and plentiful; while our accommodations are mostly family-run establishments in pleasant and beautifully renovated ancient stone farmhouses, nestled in quiet and charming villages.

Top Birds

Great & Little Bustards, Wallcreeper, Red-necked & Common Nightjars, Iberian Magpie, Western Swamphen, Ferruginous Duck (rare), Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, Red & Black Kites, Short-toed Snake, Booted, Golden, Bonelli's & Spanish Imperial Eagles, Cinereous, Egyptian, Bearded & Griffon Vultures, European Honey Buzzard, Eurasian Crag Martin, Dupont’s, Calandra, Thekla’s, Crested & Greater Short-toed Larks, Pin-tailed & Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Iberian Grey Shrike, Eurasian Stone-curlew, Spanish Sparrow, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Red-rumped Swallow, Yellow-legged Gull, Ortolan Bunting, Iberian Green, Black, Middle Spotted & White-backed (rare) Woodpeckers, Citril Finch, White-throated Dipper, European Crested Tit, European Pied Flycatcher, Bluethroat, Water Pipit, Red-legged Partridge, Woodchat Shrike, Red-billed & Alpine Chough, Iberian Chiffchaff, Alpine Accentor, White-winged Snowfinch, Western Capercaillie (rare), Rock Ptarmigan (rare), Boreal (Tengmalm’s) Owl (rare), Black Wheatear, Eurasian Bittern, Bearded Reedling, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Little Bittern, Water Rail, Melodious, Dartford, Sardinian, Western Bonelli’s, Spectacled, Subalpine & Western Orphean Warblers, Scopoli’s & Balearic Shearwaters

Top Mammals

Red Fox, Red Deer, Fallow Deer, Iberian Hare, European Rabbit, Wild Boar, Iberian Lynx (very rare), Spanish Ibex,

Habitats Covered

coastal wetlands, cork-oak dehesas, deciduous woodlands, olive groves, mountain crags, grasslands

Expected Climate

temperate, mainly mild

Max Group Size

12 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local leader

Tour Pace & Walking

moderate

Accommodation

comfortable guest houses & hotels

Ease of Birding

moderate

Number of Species Expected

230 - 250

Other Attractions

Grand Canyon of Castilla y Leon, ancient historical buildings & sites, great scenery, excellent food & wine

Photographic Opportunities

good to very good

What our clients say about us

Robert Williams
TW, Spain 2022

Both leaders were very good, especially Rob who combines great birding knowledge with a friendly and helpful attitude. He is one of the best leaders of any company that I have travelled with. The tour seemed to successfully balance the expectations of the keener birders like me with those who had a more relaxed style of birding. I thought the hotels were good, and well located for those of us who like to go out birding during down time. The food was very good, and occasionally excellent. Overall it was a very enjoyable tour and gave me a very positive first impression of Rockjumper.

Robert Williams
FO, Spain 2018

Everything was very good. We certainly tried for everything. Great that we had the time to look at reptiles, frogs, etc. I certainly got almost all my major targets.

Yeray Seminario
SC, Spain 2022

Both guides were excellent and also good drivers. They make a very good team together. They complemented each other well. Their knowledge of birds and lynx are incredible. They share their passions easily. They both made ebird lists which was greatly appreciated. Rob Williams has also a great sense of humor which made the trip even more fun. Yeray Seminario is very attentive to our needs and very good at managing the logistics. He was always keen to share information about Spain, birds, animals and answered all the questions that we asked. The wine and food were excellent as were the accommodations. Overall we had a great trip.

Robert Williams
CK, Spain 2018

I enjoyed the tour and was especially pleased with our tour leader, Rob Williams, and both local guides, who were excellent and very adept at finding our target birds as well as managing all the logistics required by a trip of this nature. This was my first Rockjumper birding tour and the tour exceeded my expectations.

Dušan Brinkhuizen
AW, Spain 2022

Overall, it was an excellent tour. The itinerary was very well thought out giving a really good coverage of the main sites with great accommodation. I can see a lot of detailed planning went into it, including making use of very good local guides. Both Dusan and Yeray were both very good at identifying the birds, making sure people got on them and great company. The minibus chatter was both lively and entertaining at times! They were conscious of who needed to see certain species or when better views where needed. It was a rewarding and fun tour! Dusan was great at doing the checklist: he spelt out the names of the sites we had been to and went through the list at a sensible pace.

Spain - Best of Birding 2024

04 May 2024 - 18 May 2024 (15 days)

EUR5,395 - No Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Yeray Seminario

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Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz

Tour price (Per person): EUR5,395 * USD5,747 * GBP4,620 * AUD8,964

Single Supplement: EUR570 * USD607 * GBP488 * AUD947

Spain - Best of Birding (Small Group) 2025

06 May 2025 - 20 May 2025 (15 days)

EUR5,195 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Yeray Seminario

Tour price (Per person): EUR5,195 * USD5,534 * GBP4,448 * AUD8,632

Single Supplement: EUR600 * USD639 * GBP514 * AUD997

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