Asturias Wildlife Tour June 7th 2026
On Wednesday – Our Guide,Paul Burley, will meet you in the Terminal Building at Plymouth Ferryport between 1415-1445 by the new Brittany Ferries Lounge on the ground floor(i.e. Departures entrance, formerly the Exit. )
The Flagship “Pont Aven” sails at 1545. On board are bars, a posh restaurant and a self service restaurant and also a coffee shop. Frequent live entertainment takes place during the crossing. The ship operates on British Time.
We will be setting off from Plymouth and crossing the English Channel towards the Ushant on the north western tip of France. We will be hoping to see Great skua, Manx shearwater, Kittiwake, Gannets and more. We will also be looking for Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Harbour porpoise and Minke whale as these animals are frequently seen in these waters throughout the year.
As we cross the English Channel we will be looking for cetaceans as we often see Minke whale, Common dolphins, Harbour porpoise and Bottle nose dolphins. We will also be looking for Manx shearwater and Gannets before continuing through the night to the Bay of Biscay.
The next morning, Thursday, we will be nearing the northern shelf of the bay where we will be looking for whales and dolphins as we cross towards Spain. Good numbers of dolphins are often seen in the north of the Bay and as we venture further south we will hope to see Cuviers beaked whale, Striped dolphins, Pilot whales and maybe the occasional Fin whale before arriving in Spain.
Reaching Santander at 1300 (Spanish time – one hour ahead)and there join our coach for the ride to Panes on the edge of Asturias. We check into the welcoming Hotel El Tilo for three nights’ half-board and dinner with wine. Our Spanish Guide, Javier Gil Vaquero joins us for a talk about the days ahead.
Friday – Javier joins us today as we leave the hotel and drive through the impressive Hermida gorge and onward to Fuente de where we take the cable car to the upper mountain in search of two of the most sought after birds in the area, the Wallcreeper and Snowfinch. Also be looking for Cantabrian Chamois, Yellow billed chough, Alpine accentor, Griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture and the incredible Bearded vulture. In the late afternoon we return in the cable car and drive to our hotel for our evening meal.
Saturday – Today we visit the area of the Milenary chestnuts, near the town of Pendes and Cabanes on the south side of the Picos de Europa National Park and is one of the least known birding places in the Picos de Europa. With meadows and scrubland it is a great place to observe Middle spotted woodpecker, Sardinian warbler, Dartford warbler, Ortolan bunting, Rock bunting, Blue rock thrush, Alpine swift and large numbers of Butterflies and reptiles such as the impressive Ocellated lizard. It is also a fantastic place for raptors as the large south facing walls of the mountain makes this the home range and nesting place for Golden eagle, Griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, Short toed eagle, Black kite and of course the Majestic Bearded vulture. This is a mountain area of great scenic beauty with easy walking in the heart of the Picos de Europa. After a good days birding we once more return to our hotel for our evening meal.
Sunday –
Monday – After breakfast we drive to San Vincente de la Barquera situated in the Oyambre national park. We will have a short stop to birdwatch the local area before continuing to Santander to board the ship for the 1700 return sailing to England where we will once again be looking for Cetaceans and birds through the Bay of Biscay and in the English Channel on the following day.
Reaching Plymouth at 1400 on Tuesday.
Departure Date : June 7th 2026
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