Serrania de Ronda - A Vegetarian/Vegan tour

Fantastic birding …fantastic food… fantastic experience. It was so well organised and hit the hot spots for birders like me. Naturetrek organised regional flights and assisted boarding. Everything was thought about and planned for. Great communication and pricing.

Simon and Niki were fantastic leaders interesting and informative about all aspects of Nature in their area. Their daily picnics were great with something for all of us, using local produce. I have never been on a trip that included wine with all meals, a lovely idea and I don’t think it was abused by anyone. I had 3 highlights in the week: 4 male white headed ducks fighting over the females, a very close encounter with a pair of Firecrest and my best ever views of Cinereous Vulture. Will definitely recommend to my friends.

This was an excellent trip. The venue was great, the leaders superb and the food amazingly fantastic. Juzcar was an excellent base for exploring the surrounding area and we managed to visit a good range of habitats and see some stunning birds, including Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures, Great and Little Bustards and White-headed and Marbled Duck. A good range of butterflies and flowering plants including Sombre Bee and Sawfly Orchids. Niki and Simon were great company and made sure everyone got a chance at seeing the wildlife in its profusion. Ivan, the chef at the hotel, produced a different three course meal every night catering for both vegetarians and vegans which was completely delicious and stunning. We’d highly recommend this tour.

This was my fourth tour with Simon and Niki! They are both excellent birdwatchers and tour leaders. They generate a relaxed atmosphere but are always ensuring that everyone sees the birds and that they are happy with the tour. We visited a range of habitats and saw good birds at all sites. The food at The Hotel Bandolero as excellent and it was interesting to have a chestnut cookery demonstration from the chef.

An excellent 'combination' - the banter between them [tour leaders, Simon and Niki] was very amusing and kept our spirits up at all times. They were both very welcoming, friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. Nothing was too much trouble and they really cared about us enjoying our holiday. They worked really hard to make sure we had the best possible time.

AND THE GOLDEN BINOCULARS' AWARD GOES TO SIMON AND NIKI! IF THERE IS A MORE COMMITTED AND TALENTED COUPLE OF BIRDERS, I'VE NOT MET THEM. THEIR EXPERTISE AND ENTHUSIASM IS MATCHED BY THE INTIMACY AND LOVE THEY HAVE FOR 'THEIR PATCH' AND THEIR PARTNERSHIP, THEY SIMPLY LIVE AND BREATHE THEIR ENVIRONMENT. THEY BOTH ENSURED THAT EVERYONE HAD SEEN WHATEVER BIRD WAS IN VIEW, THEY KNEW SO MUCH ABOUT THEM, NOT JUST A TICK ON THE LIST, AND WELCOMED QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION. I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THE PICNIC LUNCHES, NIKI IS A GENIUS, FORGET THICK SLABS WITH A WEDGE OF CHEESE AND TOMATO, USUALLY 'SAT ON'! THESE ARE GOURMET LUNCHES, CAREFULLY PUT TOGETHER FROM LOCAL INGREDIENTS, SO THAT ALL 3 DIETS DIDN'T MISS OUT ON 'YUMMINESS', YOU REALLY WON'T EAT BETTER. MUST ALSO MENTION, THEY BOTH HAVE A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOUR! LOVELY PEOPLE. IF I SAT FOR A MONTH AND TRIED TO PICK SOMETHING THAT COULD BE IMPROVED, I COULDN'T!