Spain - Birds & Wines of Navarra

Tour Code: ESP24

An 8-day holiday to sample the heady mixture of birdlife and wines found among the dense forests, uplands, steppes, canyons and wetlands of Navarra in northern Spain.

8 days from
£1,995
Land only price from
£1,845
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

The autonomous region of Navarra – a land of scented maquis, olive groves and vineyards – is a well-kept secret. It offers some fine wildlife habitats – its arid semi-deserts, limestone gorges and majestic rock formations, unspoiled wetlands and dense Pyrenean forests all providing a year-round haven for an impressive diversity of wildlife. Aiming to find the shy Dupont’s Lark, Stone Curlew, Great and Little Bustards, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, and many species of lark (Crested, Thekla, Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed, Calandra and Wood) and wheatears (Black, Black-eared and Northern), we’ll also listen for such summer visitors as Hoopoe, Turtle Dove, Bee-eater and Nightingale, as well as the songs of resident birds, all proclaiming their territories among the reeds and surrounding wheat fields and woodlands. We’ll also sample of course the excellent wines of the area. Bordering the world-famous Rioja region, the vineyards to the south and north-west of the River Ebro form the centre of Navarra’s wine industry. Vineyards have been present in the province since Roman times and Navarra boasts a fine selection of rosés, whites, both young and barrel-aged red wines, as well as sweet wines. As we head north we'll visit a couple of these vineyards, and also have plenty of opportunities for tasting a good variety of wines, accompanied by the area’s manifold gastronomic delights! This tour to Navarra offers you an exciting and varied range of little-explored European habitats and their associated wildlife, all washed down with some first-class wines.

  • A 2-centre holiday using comfortable hotels serving good food & wine
  • Visit the spectacular Bardenas Reales Natural Park
  • Find bustards, sandgrouse, larks (including hopefully Dupont’s), wheatears & raptors
  • Enjoy wine-tasting at two contrasting vineyards (artesenal & modern)
  • Explore Irati Forest, looking for White-backed & Black Woodpeckers
  • Pyrenean highlights include Lammergeier, Citril Finch & Snowfinch
  • Expertly guided by a Naturetrek ornithologist

Despite its small size, the autonomous region of Navarra offers stark contrasts in scenery, from lushly forested Pyrenean hillsides, broad river valleys and towering limestone canyons in the north, to the plains of the Ebro River valley in the south; the latter enjoying a more Mediterranean influence — a land of scented maquis, olive groves and vineyards! A visit to this region gives one the feeling of having stumbled across a well-kept secret, and Navarra offers some fine wildlife habitats, its arid semi-deserts and majestic rock formations, unspoiled wetlands and dense forests all providing a year-round haven for an impressive diversity of birds.

We begin our holiday in the 42,000-hectare Bardenas Reales Natural Park, an extraordinary semi-desert landscape of gullies, rocky outcrops and plateaux sculpted by erosion. This rather surreal geology provides a splendid backdrop to our excursions within the park, where the steppes and plains are home to many bird species including the shy Dupont’s Lark, Stone Curlew, Great and Little Bustards, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, and many species of lark (Crested, Thekla, Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed, Calandra and Wood) and wheatears (Black, Blackeared and Northern). The park is also home to one of the largest populations of Griffon Vultures on the Iberian Peninsula.

Having explored the dramatic landscapes of Bardenas we head north towards the Pyrenees, stopping en route to explore the marshes and grasslands of the serenely beautiful Laguna de Pitillas, a large saline lake where Bearded Tits and Bittern may be found, plus a host of migratory species in both the reedbeds and surrounding steppe. A superb variety of birds is found here throughout the year and by May the air will be full of bird song. We will listen for such summer visitors as Hoopoe, Turtle Dove, Bee-eater and Nightingale, as well as the songs of resident birds, all proclaiming their territories among the reeds and surrounding wheat fields and woodlands. Egrets, Redcrested Pochard plus other duck species are among the many residents we will find here, while summer arrivals include Blacknecked Grebe, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, the exotic-looking Black-winged Stilt and birds of prey such as Short-toed and Booted Eagle.

Before we leave the Mediterranean landscapes of south and central Navarra, we will sample the excellent wines of the area. Bordering the world-famous Rioja region, the vineyards to the south and north-west of the River Ebro form the centre of Navarra’s wine industry. Vineyards have been present in the province since Roman times and Navarra boasts a fine selection of rosés, whites, both young and barrel-aged red wines, as well as sweet wines. As we head north we will visit a couple of these vineyards, and also have plenty of opportunities for tasting a good variety of wines, accompanied by the area’s manifold gastronomic delights!

For the remainder of our tour we will focus on the forested limestone gorges and uplands of northern Navarra. The Mediterranean influence of the plains and wine-growing south gives way to extensive oak and pine forest as we travel northwards towards our next location, the Foz de Lumbier. This spectacular limestone gorge, cloaked in Beech and Holm Oak woodland and low Mediterranean scrub, is home to such species as Blue Rock Thrush, Redbacked and Woodchat Shrikes, Melodious, Subalpine and Bonelli’s Warblers, and Cirl, Ortolan and Rock Buntings, while overhead Alpine Swifts, Crag Martins and abundant birds of prey may be seen. Lower down, in riverside poplar groves, Bee-eaters and Golden Orioles breed, and surrounding fields hold Crested Larks, Thekla Larks and Tawny Pipits.

Lastly, we will explore the higher slopes of the north-western Pyrenees. Here we will focus on the magnificent Irati Forest, the second largest and best-preserved Beech and Silver Fir forest in western Europe. Presenting a vast green mantle of some 17,000 hectares of pristine forest, this is a valuable refuge for a wealth of wildlife — a place where mature trees tower to 40 metres, making this a natural paradise for woodland birds, especially woodpeckers (among them Black and the rare Whitebacked Woodpecker). Nearby, among the rocky summits above the forest, Lammergeiers, Citril Finches, Snowfinches and Alpine Accentors may all be found, together with Chamois and Alpine Marmots and an abundance of glorious alpine flora.

This tour to Navarra offers you an exciting and varied range of little-explored European habitats and their associated wildlife, all washed down with some first-class wines. We are sure you are going to like it as much as we do!

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Zaragoza; transfer to Navarra
Day 2
Bardenas Reales
Day 3
Ablitas & River Ebro
Day 4
Pitillas & Olite
Day 5/7
Roncal & Larra-Belagua Valleys
Day 8
Transfer Zaragoza; fly London Stansted
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    Comfortable family-run hotels, all rooms with private facilities.

  • Food:

    All included in the price.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Thu 14th May – Thu 21st May FULL £1,995
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,845
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£170
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Byron Palacios
Byron Palacios.jpg

Tour Leader: Byron Palacios

Byron is an Ecuadorian Ecologist and Field Ornithologist who has been working as a researcher and bird watching tour leader since 2000. A keen birder and nature lover by 'nature', Byron has a vast knowledge of the neotropical and Western Palearctic avifauna, particularly in his native Ecuador and other neotropical countries such as southern USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, the Caribbean, European and Northern Africa regions. His sharp ears and bioacoustic skills allow him to locate the most elusive forest-dwelling birds in the field, successfully leading more than two-hundred trips so far! As a Field Ornithologist, Byron has contributed many important discoveries to Ecuadorian Ornithology, all published in scientific magazines and bulletins, such as the first record for Ecuador of the Thicket Antpitta (Hylopezus dives), Feb. 2007; the rediscovery of the Yellow-eared Toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis), Aug. 2006; and the discovery of the Choco Vireo (Vireo masteri), Sep 2004, a new species for Ecuador. Byron currently works as an independent Wildlife Consultant, supporting the Operations team based at our Hampshire HQ. He also supports different conservation organisations and charities, helping people from remote communities to get involved in the conservation of their home habitats. He has also actively involved in many birding and conservation programmes in Spain, where his birding field skills have rapidly made him one of the authorities amongst the Iberian wildlife world. Byron endorses Gitzo products and other birding optics equipment brands, and is based in a beautiful corner of West Dorset.

Register Interest for Future Dates

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
Why Naturetrek?

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!

stdClass Object ( [Trip Code] => ESP24 [data] => stdClass Object ( ) )