Coto Donana and Extremadura 

PLEASE NOTE THAT ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE AIRPORTS IN SPAIN ARE DIFFERENT ON THIS TOUR

APRIL 9TH - 17TH 2025

What a fantastic combination, this exciting birdwatching tour joins together two of Spain's top birding areas.

This 8-night, 9-day Tour incorporates many of the best sites in these two prolific regions giving you the opportunity to enjoy a variety of wildlife not seen in many other regions of Europe. You will stay in Extremadura for the first stage and then transfer to Coto Donana for four nights before travelling across to Malaga aiport for your flight home.

In Extremadura we stay just north of Trujillo which is a central position from where you will discover the delights of this unique area. Extremadura has vast areas of open grassland steppe surrounded by a ring of mountains and provides perfect habitat for many endangered European species such as the Spanish Imperial Eagle, Great and Little Bustards, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. We may also encounter the Great Spotted Cuckoo, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Roller, Golden Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Black Vulture, Black Stork and many larks, finches, pipits and buntings.

In complete contrast Coto Donana is one of Europes largest wetland areas and sits on the coast in Andalucia. A huge mosiac of open water, reedbeds and stone-pine forest provides excellent habitat for thousands of breeding herons, egrets, ibis and waders. You may see hundreds of Greater Flamingos, Eurasian Spoonbills, Grey, Purple, Squacco and Night Herons, along with Cattle, Little and Great White Egrets. With the added bonus of the chance of getting good views of Purple Swamphen, Red-knobbed Coot, Marbled Duck, Whiskered Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Collared Pratincole and the enigmatic Iberian Magpie.

Itinerary in brief

  • Day 1 - Arrive at Madrid Airport and transfer to Extremadura
  • Day 2 - Monroy Plain, Casares - Trujillo steppe, Santa Marta de Magasca, Rio Almonte
  • Day 3 - Full day at Monfrague National Park,
  • Day 4 - Visits to Arrocampo Naure Reserve.
  • Day 5 - transfer to Coto Donana with plenty of stops along the way
  • Day 6 - birding at the visitors centres of Achebuche, La Rocina, El Rocio and several other local site
  • Day 7 - all day visit to the 'Northern Marshes' to see the hidden Donana, Coredor de Verde, Dehesa Abajo, Jose Valverde Centre
  • Day 8 - Huelva, Marismas O'Diel, El Portil and Castillo Niebla
  • Day 9 - Transfer to Malaga  -  flights home

What's included:

  • Eight nights half board accommodation
  • All land transport
  • Services of the guide
  • All entrance fees/tolls/taxes
  • Checklist of species

What's not included:

  • Flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Lunches
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Telephone calls, all items of a personal nature

Flights

You have to arrange your own flights but we can help you with your selection. You should aim to arrive in Madrid at whatever time you like on day 1.  Book return flights from Malaga around mid-afternoon on the day of departure. Please contact us before booking anything!

FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND TO BOOK THIS TRIP PLEASE EMAIL: 

info@wingspanbirdtours.com

or call us on 01935-426152, International +44 1935-426152

Check for Availability here

Latest Trip Reports

  • COTO DONANA & EXTREMADURA : Thursday, April 11, 2024 - Sunday, May 19, 2024

    After 4 years of drought Spain wasn't looking like a good prospect for a spring birding tour.  Then in February and March this year the heavans opened and everywhere had a deluge of rain. This made it excellent for wildlife...

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  • Coto Donana & Extremadura 2023 : Wednesday, April 19, 2023 - Thursday, April 27, 2023

    A superb tour of these two, very contrasting habitats. The variety of species is arguably second to none in the whole of Europe. However, drought condtions in Coto Donana severly reduced our sightings list and birding enjoyment, Global w...

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  • Coto Donana & Extremadura 2022 : Tuesday, April 5, 2022 - Thursday, April 14, 2022

    We had a fabulous early spring Tour of two of the top destinations in Spain. Producing a bird list approaching 190 species we saw all of the 'most-wanted' species associated with these two superb birding areas. Spanish ...

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  • Coto Donana & Extremadura 2019 : Sunday, April 14, 2019 - Monday, April 22, 2019

    This was another great trip to the two best birding areas of Spain, the contrasting habitats of the two areas we visited gave us the opportunity to seek out a great diversity of species. The weather, although quite cold at times was gene...

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  • Coto Donana & Extremadura 2018 : Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - Wednesday, April 18, 2018

    Spain did not escape the very cold, wet weather that the rest of Europe had suffered this spring, heavy snow still covered the mountains and a biting cold wind dominated our trip with two or three days of overcast skies and rain. The wea...

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