Seven different hides are now available for wildlife watching and photography in the Campanarios de Azaba Biological Reserve, on the Spanish side of the Western Iberia rewilding area. Spring is the best season to visit this area and to enjoy its opulent nature, strong colours, magnificent landscapes and unique biodiversity.
Campanarios de Azaba is an approximately 500 hectare private nature reserve located right on the Spanish side of the border with Portugal and owned by the Spanish conservation NGO Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre. This reserve boasts outstanding natural values as one of the best examples of a natural Mediterranean Dehesa oak woodland savannah landscape in the Iberian Peninsula, and is one of the sites with the highest biodiversity in Europe. Over 100 bird species call this area home, among them: golden, short-toed and booted eagles, Egyptian, black and griffon vultures, black stork, white stork and little owl. The azure-winged magpie is a common bird, and so are species like golden oriole and hoopoe.
From the hides at the vulture feeding place you can see black, griffon and Egyptian vultures, red and black kites, ravens and at times also golden eagles. From the hide beside one of the area’s ponds you can enjoy pond terrapins, some waterbirds, grey heron and if you are lucky, black stork. From a hide at a small pool you can take photos of a number of passerine birds. At two other hides you can watch and photograph small birds during the day and nocturnal mammals at night. And that is not all! From the accommodation lodge in the reserve you can also see various species of small birds like azure-winged magpie. The hide stays cost 100 euros per hide, per person, per day. (See below the prices for food and lodging, for which you pay additionally.)
A guided tour in the Reserve is 12 euro per adult and 10 euro for children between 5 and 15 years (admission free for kids below 5). This fee for visiting Campanarios de Azaba is your contribution to the nature conservation in Western Iberia. The Reserve is open seven days a week and you can have the guided tour from 9:00 am to 14:00 pm and 16:00 pm to 20:00 pm. Flexibility for group visits.
More information:
Accommodation in the Lodge of the Reserve:
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Overnight:
– 4 rooms (all double rooms): 65 euro per double room with two people, and 60 euro if only one person per room .
– 2 rooms with double beds
– 2 rooms with two single beds each. -
Meals:
– Breakfast: 5 euro/person
– Lunch: 12 euro/person
– Dinner: 12 euro/person.
Contact details:
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Diego Benito Peñil (contact person in Campanarios de Azaba): benito@fnyh.org; +34675827661
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Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre: www.fnyh.org; fundación@fnyh.org. +34942559119
Check out the website of Campanarios de Azaba Biological Reserve: http://reservabiologicacampanarios.es/