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Top Ten Walks for Spotting Wildlife

Talk at length to any member of Inntravel staff about their experiences on our walking holidays and they will regale you with tales of thrilling encounters with nature: an Egyptian vulture gliding lazily above the Pont du Gard, kingfishers fishing in millponds along the River Ouysse (a tributary of the Dordogne), and even a glimpse of a wolf bounding away up the mountainside in Umbria. Such experiences can really make your holiday special, and given that our walks take you off the beaten track, go on any of our holidays and you will be rewarded with sightings of various birds, animals and flowers. Nevertheless, some walks are better then others if you want the chance to see rare flora and fauna or spot species that you would never see in Britain. Here is our Top Ten.

Catalonia. For a close encounter with a griffon vulture, the Mountains of the Three Kings walk is a good bet. The first day's walk takes you through a narrow gorge framed by tall walls of rock in which shelter numerous griffon vultures and other raptors. Given the narrowness of the ravine, if you are lucky enough to see one take off from its rocky perch, you should get a good view of it as it flies away. To be absolutely sure of seeing not one but many birds, opt for our Local Insight on which you join a local guide to watch a colony of wild griffon vultures feeding, an awe-inspiring sight.

Andalucian Mountains. Another region where you can be pretty sure of spotting griffon vultures is Andalucia. Our White Towns & Rugged Mountains walk explores the craggy limestone landscapes of the Grazalema Natural Park, which boasts one of Europe's largest colonies of these graceful birds. The Park is also home to considerable numbers of Bonelli's and booted eagles, while mongooses, genets and mountain goats can occasionally be spotted on the ground.

Corbières. A real highlight of the Castles of the Cathars walk in the Corbières can be the spotting of a golden eagle. The rocky terrain of the Corbières makes ideal nesting ground, and the wooded ridge that you walk along on the second day seems to be a particularly favourite spot for the birds – on one visit, an Inntravel staff member saw not one but three golden eagles.

Catalan Pyrenees. One member of staff who is a keen birdwatcher spotted forty-five different species of bird over the course of the Catalan Pyrenees walk. Although some of them were fairly mundane, others included a black redstart, citril finch, firecrest, serin, dipper, honey buzzard, bee-eater, crossbill, whitethroat and red-backed shrike. This is also a superb walk if you are interested in flowers – early in the season, you can spot Pyrenean, spring and trumpet gentians, milkwort, dog tooth violets, rock jasmine, saxifrage and creeping snapdragon, with many more species making an appearance as summer progresses.

Mediterranean Pyrenees. On the French side of the Pyrenees, in the Cerdagne, species that can be seen in the skies include the bearded vulture, peregrine falcon, harrier and the rare hibou grand duc owl. On the ground, of the area's fifty mammals, walkers are most likely to see isards, Pyrenean chamois and imported Corsican mouflon. If you are very lucky (and quiet!), you may also spot a wild cat or pine marten – both are relatively abundant in the forests.

Samos. This Aegean island lies on the main migration route along the Turkish coast, and so sees a wealth of migrating birds each season. As you walk along the north coast, look out for Cory's shearwaters gliding out at sea, as well as blue rock thrushes, black-eared wheatears and black-headed buntings. On some of the inland routes, you may be lucky enough to spot (or at least hear) nightingales, Sardinian warblers and Ruppell's warblers. The western mountains and their foothills shelter birds of prey such as the golden eagle, royal eagle, eagle hawk, snake eagle, horn owl, long-legged buzzard, Bonelli's eagle, honey buzzard and goshawk.

Catalan Coast. Another area that sees a huge number of migrating birds is the Aiguamolls bird reserve in Catalonia, parts of which you walk through on the Around the Gulf of Roses walk. In fact two-thirds of the species that have been sighted in the park are visitors. Although no member of staff has ever tried it for themselves, as the birds migrate in spring and autumn, you can apparently spot over a hundred species in a day! Even if you don't travel during migration periods, spend just a little time in one of the park's numerous hides and you could spot ibis, herons, tufted ducks, pochards, snipe, redshanks, marsh harriers and sandpipers.

Asturias. Further north, in Green Spain, the Picos de Europa National Park is a haven for a wide variety of wildlife, including a few bears and wolves in the very remotest parts. Sightings of these predators are extremely rare, and visitors are more likely to spot some of the park's birdlife: raptors such as golden eagles, griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and peregrine falcons.

Alps. Finally, the Alps are a great choice if you are particularly interested in flowers. If you travel in late June or early July, you cannot fail to be impressed by the wonderful displays of flowers which light up the meadows. The high pastures are ablaze with the blue and purple of gentians, the purple heads of Pasque flowers, the gentle yellow of cowslips (larger than the one that grows in Britain) and the brighter yellow, fragrant flowers of arnica. In the shady woodlands you will find lily of the valley, the tall, dramatic pink flowers of the Martagon lily, and the occasional solitary stem of the maroon and yellow lady's slipper orchid.

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