Hide Phototour: Birds & Lynx

Tour programme

Day 1: Álvaro receives you in Málaga airport at noon. On the way to Ronda we will enjoy a local lunch where we will present the tour. After checking-in we will enjoy a walk to photograph Red-billed Choughs in flight in a magnificent enclave. Night in Ronda.

Day 2: Morning session at the Montejaque Hide, a hide for woodland birds of the mediterranean forest. Afternoon guided trip across the always impressive rock formation of El Torcal , where we will photograph the endemic Iberian Ibex. Overnight in Ronda.

Day 3: Morning visit to the Majoleto Hide, a mountain hide with superb results with the localized Black Wheatear and a few other mountain birds. Later on we will move to our second base of the tour in La Mancha region. En route we will make several stops along Sierra Morena to cut the driving times (5 h). Overnight in Villacañas.

Days 4 & 5: Days in the heart of La Mancha in which we will enjoy bird photography at the renown El Taray hides. We will be using a hide in the morning and a different one in the evening. There will be chances to photograph a variety of birds of prey, hopefully including the iconic Spanish Imperial Eagle. Overnight in Villacañas.

Day 6: Today we will travel back south and enjoy a day at the renown Peñalajo Hides for Iberian Lynx. Night in the Andújar mountains.

Days 7 & 8: On these two days we will enjoy the proximity and comfort of the wonderful Gatoclavo Hides. These hides have great rate of success with Iberian Lynx. There'll be an opportunity for those who need to take a half day off and enjoy just a morning or afternoon session. Night in the Andújar mountains.

Day 9: On our last day we will give it a go trying to photograph Otters along a beautiful river for a couple of hours before we drive back to Málaga, where the tour ends.

How the hides are

You will be using a variety of photography hides, all of them well tested. Most of them are provided with a thin spyglass of high quality. Only in 1 or 2 days there will be hides without spyglass.

You might be sharing some of the hides with other photographers. Some hides are provided with toilett, but in some other you must be able to use alternative means -we can provide special absorbent bags-.

Most hide sessions will be around 4 hours long, whereas other will take up around 8 hours with or witouth a break in the middle of the day. The hides are as comfortable as they can be.

Equipment to bring

You will need to bring with you:
- Camera with lenses in the 200-600 mm range (best from 400 to 600 mm).
- A second camera as a back-up is recommended.
- Plenty of batteries and memory cards for long hide sessions.
- Tripod not really necessary but recommended if you want to shoot video.
- Warm clothing
- Dark gloves and camouflage clothing
- A bunch of patience and good humour in adverse conditions

PRIVATE TOUR

You choose the dates.
(This tour is possible year round subject to guide and hide availability).

PRICES
Private tour for 2 pax:  6500 €.
Private tour for 3 pax:  5500 €.
Private tour for 4-5 pax:  5000 €.

All prices are per person.

WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Transfers from/to Málaga
- Ground transport
- Accomodation
- All food, soft drinks, beer and wine
- Professional guiding services (in English)
- Access to all hides as per the programme
- Accidents insurance
- All taxes and entry fees

WHAT'S  NOT INCLUDED
- Travel insurance
- Flights
- Personal costs
- Spirits

ACCOMODATION
3 bases: first in the picturesque town of Ronda, then in Villacañas (La Mancha) and last in the mountains north of Andújar.

PACE
Short easy walks mostly. To access some of the hides we will walk for 200 m in rocky terrain.

WEATHER
Normally in October we have nice temperatures with not much chances of rain. Weather can be unpredictable though! It's normally fresh in the morning (bring a fleeze) and a bit warm in the afternoon.

FOOD
Early breakfast normally at local establishments en route to the hides. Lunches are normally simple, either picnic or some tapas en route. Plentiful dinners at our hotels.