the marshy tour of Isla Cristina & Ayamonte
Flamingo
Marshes
4 hours
Spain
Andalucia
Huelva
Birding trip through the saltmarshes and saltpans in the very west of Andalucia, very close to the river Guadiana, the natural border between Spain and Portugal.
Amazing checklist!
Where the sea meets the land
The tidal marshland between Isla Cristina and Ayamonte is a fantastic site to look for waders, seabirds and water birds. We go across different habitats like beaches, sandbanks, saltpan areas, tidal channels, fish farms and pinewoods in order to get a high number of birds for our checklist. In the weekend, we can visit the lovely Visitor’s Centre as well, formerly used as tidal mild.
Possible birds for the checklist:
Residents: Marsh Harrier, Spoonbill, Little Egret, Flamingo, Yellow-legged Gull, Hoopoe, Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt.
Winter Birds: Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Gannet, Scoter, Great Cormorant, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, Great Egret, Osprey, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed & Black-tailed Godwits, Sanderling, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Mediterranean & Audouin’s Gull, Sandwich Tern, Caspian Tern, Bluethroat.
Summer Birds: Osprey, Montagu’s Harrier, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Bee-eater, Little Bittern, Little Tern, Collared Pratincole, Red-rumped Swallow, Great Reed Warbler.
Migrants: Knot, Spotted Redshank, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black Tern.
Route locations
The Isla Cristina Marshes Nature Reserve comprises the wetland in the estuaries of the rivers Guadiana and Carreras in the west of Costa de la Luz and next to Portugal. The area we visit is 45 minutes from Huelva City and 1h30 from Seville. The area is ideal for a half day trip from the hotels in Isla Canela, Isla Cristina and the neighbouring Algarve.
Duration time
The duration of the trip depends on the meeting point, the numbers of birds that come across and the interest in the special species. Normally we will spend around 4 hours.
Price
45 Euro per person.
50 Euro with hotel pickup.
Minimum 4 people to go or 180 Euro.
Availability
All year round, although we recommend to do the trip in the morning during the winter and in the evening during the summer.
Multilingual
All our guides speak fluent English and the tour can be done in French, Portuguese or Catalan on demand.
Checklist available in different languages.
Logistics
Pickup can be arranged from any accommodation or any meeting point within the province of Huelva. For long distances, a fuel fee might be charged.
We use vehicles according to the group size. Usually a 9-seater minibus for up to 8 customers although larger groups can be taken in small coaches and buses.
