PORTUGAL at leisure
PORTUGAL at leisure
To most tourists, a holiday in Portugal means a week or two spent in the southern Algarve with its rash of modern hotels, apartments and restaurants sprawling along the south coast. This new tour reveals an altogether different side to the country.
Our base for the week, located in the remote and unspoilt countryside that lies in the border zone between the provinces of the Algarve and Alentejo, is the guest lodge that is owned by Frank and run by his friendly staff. In fact, by hard endeavour spread over a period of 30 years, Frank has converted a few rundown buildings, situated on a scrub-covered slope, into a comfortable and homely lodge set in a lush terraced garden which has won TripAdvisor's "Travellers' Choice Award" two years running. All rooms are en-suite and comfortably furnished.
The view out over the man-made lake is stunning; so too the silence which is disturbed only by the song of Common Nightingales and the less musical outbursts of Sardinian Warblers. The whole ambience of the place is warm and welcoming.
The food is mainly local produce, home-made and simply delicious. Frank also keeps a modestly priced cellar of Portuguese wines, with a decidedly "ornithological" theme! Added to all this, the garden has been planted with birds in mind.
Here there are nesting Red-rumped and Barn Swallows, purring European Turtle Doves and a profusion of European Goldfinches. Subalpine and Dartford Warblers are also often seen.
As we are able to cover a range of habitats from this one centre, our bird list will be equally varied from Great Bustard to Zitting Cisticola, from Blackwinged Kite to Azure-winged Magpie.
So if it is peace and quiet ,comfort, fine scenery, a feeling of being off the beaten track and some colourful birding what you are looking for, then this is likely to be the tour for you.
Its appeal is increased if you are interested in other aspects of natural history, particularly wild flowers and butterflies, both of which are abundant at this time of the year.
Though there are some early starts to make the most of the possibilities of seeing the shyer rarities, this tour will generally be run at a relaxed pace with three full days away from the Quinta with a picnic lunch and three days spent locally with lunch at the Quinta when there will be a chance to relax, explore the natural history of the area immediately behind the lodge or perhaps take a refreshing dip in the lake.
Get the full itinerary writing to us at:
info@ornitholidays.com
Hills, Plains and Lagoons
PHOTO GALLERY
Sun 16th - Sun 23th September 2018
Sun 28th April - Sun 05th May 2019
Leader: Frank McClintock
Autumn tour Cost 1.980 euro - 1898 euro (GBP around £1.697)
single room suppl. €225
2019 tour Cost 1.830 euro - single room suppl. €225
(GBP around £1.636)
Hills, Plains and Lagoons
Sara Genovese
Secretary & Logistic Coordinator
We speak English, Italian, Spanish, French and Russian
From UK:
020 81449814
From other Countries:
mobile - +39 3280692640
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