General Info
Portugal’s landscape is remarkably diverse within a small area, supporting a rich avian fauna. The birding tours organized by Portugal Birding enable bird enthusiasts to explore multiple habitats teeming with species, all accessible without lengthy travel.
Just half an hour from Lisbon’s city center and its airport, two key wetland protected areas—Tagus Estuary and Sado Estuary—are ideal starting points. They host an impressive array of birds such as Greater Flamingo, White Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, and Purple Heron. Raptors like Booted Eagle and Black-winged Kite are common here, alongside ground-feeding species including Little Bustard and Collared Pratincole. Visitors can also spot Pallid Swift, Bluethroat, Dartford Warbler, Savi’s Warbler, Melodious Warbler, alongside Iberian Chiffchaff, Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, and a variety of waterfowl, gulls, terns, and other waders.
A further drive of about an hour takes travelers to Alentejo, where diverse habitats such as plains and hills host additional unique birds. The plains of Castro Verde are home to species like Great Bustard, Common Crane, Red Kite, Montagu’s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, and Eurasian Stone-curlew. Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Great Spotted Cuckoo, European Roller, Calandra Lark, Tawny Pipit, and Rufous Bush Robin further enrich this frontier of bird diversity. Meanwhile, the scenic Guadiana Valley Natural Park’s cliffs and hills are favored by Black Stork, Iberian Imperial, Golden and Bonelli’s Eagles, along with vultures—Cinereous and Griffon. The area also supports European Turtle Dove, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, White-rumped Swift, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Eurasian Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-eared Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrust, Golden Oriole, Spanish Sparrow, Hawfinch, Rock Bunting. In these are we also can see striking birds, including Little Owl, Red-necked Nightjar, Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Kingfisher, European Bee-eater, Sardinian Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, and Iberian Magpie
Itinerary
Day 1 – Pick up at Lisbon Airport or your Lisbon accommodation and set out for south area of the river Tagus. Explore multiple zones and diverse ecosystems within the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve, such as the mudflats and salt marshes at Hortas, the Atalaya salt pans, Ribeira das Enguias, Samouco, and the rice paddies and grazing lands of Barroca d’Alva. Spend the night at Hotel TRYP Montijo, or a similar hotel.
Day 2 – Continue discovering notable locations and landscapes in the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve. Today’s itinerary includes open fields, rice paddies, reed beds, lagoons, mudflats, and salt marshes in the Ponta da Erva region, as well as the Cork Oak forests of Pancas. A boat tour might be possible either in Tagus or Sado river.. Overnight at Hotel TRYP Montijo or similar.
Day 3 – Depart to Mértola in the Alentejo area and tour the expansive plains of Castro Verde. Overnight at Hotel Museu in Mértola, or a comparable hotel.
Day 4 – Explore the rugged terrain and scenic overlooks of Guadiana Valley Natural Park, visiting sites such as Mértola, Mina de São Domingos, and Casével. Head back to Lisbon at the end of the day. Overnight in Lisbon
Conditions and Price
Starting/ending of the Tour:
Lisbon
Price of the tour
1750€ (min 2 pax)
Single supplement (200€)
Prices Inclues
– Comfortable transport
– Accommodation
– Guiding services with daily check lists and 24/7 support.
– Park fees
– Our Briding trip includes all meals
Prices excludes
– Flight Tickets
– Drinks, snacks and hotel extras
– Travel insurance
– Itens of personal nature and tips
Some photos of this tour







