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 itinerary is specially designed for a great diversity of birds and concentrates on two major and distinct habitats: the semi-arid steppes and cork-oak dehesas (a type of wooded pastureland) of the central and northern interior and the Guadalquivir River with its associated wetlands and marshes feeding into the Gulf of Cádiz on the Atlantic Ocean. Top birds included White-headed and Marbled Ducks, Spanish Imperial and Bonelli’s Eagles, Little and Great Bustards, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Azure-winged Magpie and Black-bellied Sandgrouse.
The other major aspect of this tour is the wine and food, which will be extremely interesting and varied. Spain’s wine-making tradition spans more than 2000 years and the country is producing wines of increasingly good quality. There are several excellent reds that we will get to enjoy and these days a few fabulous whites are also being made with traditional Spanish grapes.
Our tour ends in the beautiful Sierra de Andújar where time will be spent exploring this wonderful region in search of the most endangered feline on the planet – Iberian Lynx. We travel in spacious and comfortable vehicles; the food is delicious and plentiful; while our accommodations are extremely well-appointed and nestled in quiet and charming villages. A trip for those who love birds, amazing locations and the fine things in life!
White-headed & Marbled Ducks; Spanish Imperial & Bonelli’s Eagles' Little & Great Bustards; Eurasian Eagle-Owl; Azure-winged & Iberian Magpies; Black-bellied Sandgrouse; Hawfinch; Bearded Reedling; Griffon & Cinereous Vultures; Sardinian, Dartford, Melodious, Spectacled & Savi's Warblers; Lesser Kestrel; Red-necked Nightjar.
Iberian Lynx
coastal wetlands, cork-oak dehesas, deciduous woodlands, olive groves, mountain crags, grasslands
temperate, mainly mild
12 with 1 Rockjumper Leader and Local Leader
easy to moderate
comfortable guest houses & hotels
easy to moderate
Flamenco dancing, wine tasting, ancient historical buildings & sites, great scenery, excellent food
good to very good
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.
Our guides were wonderful. Yeray was excellent on the extension, and we continued to ride in his van for the main tour. His knowledge of Spain, and the birds was amazing. He took so much care of his group and really was concerned about every detail. Dusan is such an enthusiastic bird guide, so excited about birds and getting everyone on the birds. His knowledge of the birds in Spain was fantastic.
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.
This was a great short tour, well-designed to get us into a wide range of habitats for a fine selection of European birds. Yeray Seminario did a fantastic job of finding Spains specialties while making adjustments to dodge persistent rainstorms during the week and a local festival in Andalusia. He was knowledgeable, helpful, patient, and fun to bird with, and I would not hesitate to recommend his tours or travel with him again. There were lots of great birds; I particularly enjoyed the vultures, raptors, and the very accessible Northern Bald Ibis colony. Accommodations were great, particularly our last day at a lodge that specifically targeted birders, with its own hides. It was also a very fun group of birders. These days, shorter tours with smaller groups fill the bill for me, and I would love to see more of them!
Wonderful tour. The guides – Dusan and Yeray – were both fantastic; their bird expertise, patience and senses of humour very much appreciated. The local guides were top notch as well. The accommodation and food were excellent. The scenery, spring wildflowers, stone villages, etc. all made the trip extraordinary.
01 Dec 2024 - 12 Dec 2024 (12 days)
EUR5,195 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Local Leader
Tour Leader: Mark Beevers
Tour price (Per person): EUR5,195 * USD5,541 * GBP4,451 * AUD8,630
Single Supplement: EUR560 * USD597 * GBP480 * AUD930
26 Nov 2025 - 07 Dec 2025 (12 days)
EUR6,000 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Carlos Sanchez
Tour Leader: Local Leader
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): EUR6,000 * USD6,399 * GBP5,140 * AUD9,967
Europe: Budget Highlights of Spain 2023 - May 2023
Spain - Best of Birding 2023 - May 2023
Spain - Best of Birding: Strait of Gibraltar Extension 2023 - May 2023
Spain - Birds, Wine & Iberian Lynx 2022 - November 2022
Spain - Best of Birding 2022 - May 2022
Spain - Best of Birding: Strait of Gibraltar Extension 2022 - April 2022
Spain - Best of Birding 2019 - April 2019
Spain - Best of Birding 2018 - May 2018
Spain - Best of Birding I 2017 - April 2017
Spain - Best of Birding I 2016 - April 2016
Spain - Best of Birding 2015 - April 2015