Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain

The holiday was a week long birding visit to North Spain. We were a party of 7 travellers and the guide. It was well organised, we stayed in 2 different places both very pleasant and convenient for the birds we were looking for (and others). The accommodation and food was excellent and appropriate. The guide was extremely professional, informative and keen to find places and bird life that interested us. The group size was perfect as we could travel easily and form a companionable team. The tour operator, Naturetrek, were very helpful and informative. They sent useful information on the trip before we left as well as the travel details. The travel arrangements worked well for all of the participants. Naturetrek replied to my questions regarding the travel very quickly, clearly and with very helpful advice.

Last minute booking, which went smoothly and was dealt with in a friendly and very efficient manner. Our leaders went out of their way to show us everything of interest in this two centre holiday and indeed we had great experiences which were not in the itinerary. Our hosts at both hotels couldn’t have done more for us, providing the most delicious vegan meals. It lived up to expectation and more! We haven’t used Naturetrek before, but they did a very speedy and efficient job and any phone calls we made were answered and by a very friendly team, who did as they promised and made us feel that nothing was any problem to them. We would definitely use them again.

Very well run in every respect. Excellent accommodation and food. Excellent tour leaders who went the extra mile, literally, when someone left their phone at one of the sites, to improve guest experience. Well organised itinerary, taking us to the best places to see the birds that we were interested in and most of all an excellent birding experience. Excellent website and booking process. Excellent pre-trip information. Helpful telephone advice from office when required.

Six days of fulfilling one hope after another and done in ideal company. Birding, in fact any type of nature hobby, has many uncertainties but the thoughtful approach adopted by Naturetrek reduces the disappointments while maintaining that sense of excitement critical to any nature adventure. Throughout the procedures of booking through to the holiday itself Naturetrek ensured we the travellers were kept up to date with all aspects of Covid19 rules and restrictions. Every aspect of the holiday was professionally addressed and it would have been hard to have found 2 more competent leaders to guide us from one location to another.

This was a great holiday in and around two excellent, contrasting birding locations in Aragon, Spain. The holiday was well-paced with many birding highlights (thousands of cranes, breathtakingly close views of vultures, Duponts larks singing before dawn.... I could go on), and the group members were good humoured and got along well. We really enjoyed both village hotels in their different ways - it was one of the things which attracted me to this holiday and we were not disappointed. The food was splendid too - copious delicious country cooking in Alquezar (sensational white bean soup!), and an altogether more refined and equally delicious approach from chef Vipul at Hotel Allucant in Gallocanta. Both hotels had bars providing the opportunity for some much-needed post-birding refreshment. We would happily have stayed longer in both places. I can't speak highly enough of the care and attention from both excellent leaders (Niki and Chris). In addition, both were very knowledgeable and great fun to be with. And the picnics were great. What more could one ask?

The itinerary was outstanding. Each day had a special treat, and the trip provided remarkable variety: mountains, gorges, lakes, grassland, reed beds etc. Both tour guides, Niki and Chris, are experts at their job, quick to identify all the local bird species, helpful to everyone in the group, superb Spanish speakers, and constantly cheerful and good-humoured. I've been on quite a few birding trips, and this one ranks near the top!

First time to try this type of holiday and was very impressed with the variety of birds seen, the enthusiasm, expertise & professionalism of the guides. The standard of accommodation was about right with the better of the two at the end which was good. Food was excellent throughout and the high level of camaraderie and relaxed vibe amongst the group made the holiday. Suitable for the serious birder as well as the novice.

Well organised natural history experience with exciting times, moments of real beauty and all away from the madding crowds. We saw everything we expected to see, Wallcreepers, Cranes in thousands, Lammageier and Griffon Vultures up close, beautiful spring flowers and the magnificent, flocculant almond blossom everywhere. We had time to stand and stare, take in the scenery and share knowledge. Accommodation and food fantastic!

Our first hotel (at Gallocanta) was excellent - position, helpful staff, nice atmosphere, excellent food (with choices) and interesting books for reference.

A superb visit to fascinating areas. As a new trip to this area it went with surprisingly few hiccups, not that we noticed anyway! The birds exceeded my expectations! How about a longer trip, as there's so much to see? Thank you all.

The hotels were both gems. The rustic culinary style in the first hotel was interesting and the food at the second hotel was good and varied.

A well organised start landing in Zaragoza arriving in Alquezar, here we searched the canyon walls for the elusive wallcreeper which proved easier than thought up to 4 sightings here and 2 others on nearby areas in the sierras and reservoir canyons. The weather was cold but fine every day except the last. Up close and personal with Griffon vultures was a unique experience a moment to be treasured as a Lammergeier flew over our heads adding a special moment as Quebrantaquesos the breaker of bones gave everybody fantastic views. The search for Duponts lark is hard at -5oc, just its call prior to dawn and a brief glimpse for some, this bird is always a difficult bird to see. However the cranes at Lagos de Gallocanta showed well at dawn as a hen harrier flew over a wild boar with sentinel like cranes in the early morning frost. An exciting extra was a European Wildcat in the hotel car park and Bonelli's eagle competing for territory with Golden. Finally the vistas at El Planeron ended an excellent tour.

We had 3 days at Alquezar, a picturesque Spanish town with a castle and surrounded by cliffs. In February the only inhabitants are the birds, including wallcreepers; there seem to be almost no people there! The best day was when we went to view the Griffon Vultures and Bearded Vultures being fed on the hillside. A golden eagle and a green hairstreak butterfly were welcome extras. Then we had 3 days at Lake Gallocanta, also a bleak and empty place, but very beautiful at dawn when we went to view the thousands of cranes sheltering there on their migration route. The highlight was the dawn singing of Dupont's larks, eerie and haunting, but they are impossible to see as they hide in the long grass. Sunny, bright weather in February - what more could you ask?

The 'Wallcreepers and Cranes' of Northern Spain was a wildlife and landscape extravaganza in a less-publicised and quite remote part of Northern Aragon where river gorges, woodland, heath and steppe dominate the landscape and people are the minority presence. We spent 6 days exploring several of these gorges familiarising ourselves with upland birds, butterflies and flowers between October 25th and 28th before 'descending' south and east for the last 3 days to the a high plateau of steppe scrub land to continue the in the same vein. Almost every day was wall to wall sunshine, initially in temperatures reaching 26'c but descending to 18'/19/c before we left as northerly winds replaced the Sahar southerlies. We stayed in great & varied accommodation in Al Quezar and Gallocanta where hospitality and generosity were the dominant themes. There were chances to talk to local people and so get a feeling for the locality and its people. All in all a great break, a very interesting & rewarding holiday.

Overall, a most enjoyable holiday - excellent leaders, hotels and birds! I appreciated the thoughtful driving - Jason's enthusiasm was infectious and delightful!