8 days from £1,595
(Inc flights)
Land only price from £1,445
Situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the city of Granada is perhaps the most famous symbol of Moorish Spain and it is here that we begin our holiday with a 2-night stay in the medieval quarter of the city. Next, we transfer to the village of Mairena in the Alpujarras (the foothills of the Sierra Nevada) where we will be based in delightful accommodation with wonderful views. Our accommodation is situated within the Sierra Nevada National Park and we will take daily walks straight into the park, as well as short minibus journeys in search of the local wildlife. We will also spend a day in hides at Cabo de Gata lagoon, two hours to the south-east, in search of waterbirds.
- Includes a visit to the Alhambra & its beautiful gardens
- Sample the delights of a traditional Granada tapas bar
- 5 nights in the Alpujarras based at a smallholding with a superb restaurant
- Look for alpine flowers & explore alpine pastures for butterflies & insects
- Our leader, Jorge, has written guide books about the area we’ll be exploring!
- Hoopoe & Golden Oriole, plus butterflies including Common Tiger Blue among highlights
- Spoonbill, White-headed Duck & Greater Flamingo, Cabo de Gata
- Combine relaxed wildlife-watching with delightful accommodation & delicious food
- Enjoy some of Europe’s most spectacular & pretty scenery
- Led by an expert naturalist guide
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Highlights
Tom Mabbett
Tom
Tom has been fascinated by wildlife and the natural world since childhood. At primary school he learnt all the British bird species, and he's been watching and enjoying them ever since! Trips to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Slimbridge further fuelled his passion for birds and, when Tom's family bought 10 acres of land, he created his very own nature reserve on it! After gaining a degree in Biology from Exeter University, Tom set off in search of some of the planet's incredible wildlife, first travelling slowly around the world, and then returning to Australia. As well as seeing a wonderful variety of the world's birds on his travels, he also spent a lot of time beneath the surface of the ocean, scuba diving in Thailand, Australia and Fiji. Two of Tom's many highlights were diving with mighty Bull Sharks and swimming alongside gigantic Whale Sharks. Since returning to the UK Tom has worked in school wildlife clubs and also worked at WWT Slimbridge. Having grown up in the Cotswolds, a lot of Tom's spare time has been spent recording the birds and reptiles of this area's commons and wetlands. He also travels in search of overseas wildlife as often as he can, and amongst the European destinations that Tom and his brother have explored have been Hungary, France, Spain, Holland and, most recently, snow-clad Poland in the depths of winter to focus on mammal-tracking. Tom has now lead and co-led over 20 Naturetrek tours in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Belgium, Greenland, Guyana, La Palma and Scotland as well as short UK breaks including the Somerset Levels and Forest of Dean. Tom remains a very popular leader with our groups and when not out in the field works within our busy operations team at our new office in Chawton. Please feel free to contact Tom on 01962 733051 or email tom@naturetrek.co.uk with any questions or to discuss a future tour.
Outline Itinerary
Day 1
Fly Andalucia; drive Granada
Day 2
Exploring Granada and Alhambra Palace
Day 3
Leave Granada and travel to Mairena
Day 4/7
Daily programme of natural history walks and excursions from Mairena
Day 8
Fly London
A great holiday. Made all the more enjoyable by having Jorge as our leader, we were on his 'patch' so he knew just where to find Azure-winged Magpie and the best Tapas Bar in Granada. Brilliant!
S.F. Hertfordshire
Food & Accommodation
all included in the price.
A comfortable family-run guest house and hotel in Granada; all rooms with private facilities.
Tour leaders
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Jorge Garzon Tour leader
Jorge Garzon
Born in 1965, Jorge was brought up in Burgos and Granada, where he mixed his university degree in Tourism with natural history and bird watching activities. He started guiding in the early 1980s, becoming one of the first professional natural history tour leaders in southern Spain. His passion for mountains and the Sierra Nevada led him to found the first mountain guiding company, and he wrote his first two books on nature and walks in the Sierra Nevada range. He led the first petition to declare the Sierra Nevada as a National Park, worked to achieve effective protection for the richest botanical areas in the Mediterranean cliffs of Malaga and Granada provinces, and also spent long periods of time in France and the Alps. After successfully completing his degree, he moved to Australia and travelled around the Pacific area and South Asia. He founded the first nature and outdoor travel company in Andalusia in 1991 and started to lead specialised nature and bird watching tours at that time. Jorge's birding travels have taken him to the Orkneys, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Austria, the Alps, Italy, Portugal, Madeira and North Africa. His extensive guiding knowledge in Andalucia and Extremadura, southern Portugal and Morocco led to him being elected the 'Swarovski Recommended Guide - SRG' in 2003. A member of SEO/BirdLife, he has worked as the BirdLife Regional Officer in Andalucia for years, leading its birding conservation projects and actions, giving lectures and being a nature and bird watching tourist adviser for institutions and companies. He has written many articles and published several books, the latest one being the much praised 'Where to watch Birds in Donana' for Lynx Edicions. Jorge lives beside a nature reserve near Granada and has two children who have not yet flown the nest. All three of them enjoy being outdoors and hill-walking.
Tom Mabbett
Tom
Tom has been fascinated by wildlife and the natural world since childhood. At primary school he learnt all the British bird species, and he's been watching and enjoying them ever since! Trips to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Slimbridge further fuelled his passion for birds and, when Tom's family bought 10 acres of land, he created his very own nature reserve on it! After gaining a degree in Biology from Exeter University, Tom set off in search of some of the planet's incredible wildlife, first travelling slowly around the world, and then returning to Australia. As well as seeing a wonderful variety of the world's birds on his travels, he also spent a lot of time beneath the surface of the ocean, scuba diving in Thailand, Australia and Fiji. Two of Tom's many highlights were diving with mighty Bull Sharks and swimming alongside gigantic Whale Sharks. Since returning to the UK Tom has worked in school wildlife clubs and also worked at WWT Slimbridge. Having grown up in the Cotswolds, a lot of Tom's spare time has been spent recording the birds and reptiles of this area's commons and wetlands. He also travels in search of overseas wildlife as often as he can, and amongst the European destinations that Tom and his brother have explored have been Hungary, France, Spain, Holland and, most recently, snow-clad Poland in the depths of winter to focus on mammal-tracking. Tom has now lead and co-led over 20 Naturetrek tours in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Belgium, Greenland, Guyana, La Palma and Scotland as well as short UK breaks including the Somerset Levels and Forest of Dean. Tom remains a very popular leader with our groups and when not out in the field works within our busy operations team at our new office in Chawton. Please feel free to contact Tom on 01962 733051 or email tom@naturetrek.co.uk with any questions or to discuss a future tour.
