Flowers and Wildlife of Menorca

Day 1: Fly from London Gatwick to Mahón (regional flights may be available. These are on request and subject to a supplement.) On arrival transfer to the Port Mahón Hotel. Welcome drink followed by dinner.

Day 2: We begin our tour with a short drive to the Es Grau Albufera, a large fresh water lagoon situated just behind the beach, where we will make use of several hides to watch the abundant water birds such as Purple Heron, Pochards and Great Crested Grebes. We will also botanise along the south-western fringe of the lagoon. Later we will visit the visitor
centre, named after the renowned Menorcan botanist and early 20th-century scholar Joan Joaquim Rodríguez i Femenias, who compiled the first comprehensive catalogue of
Menorca’s flora. We will watch a short audio visual presentation about the Natural Park and the flora and fauna of Menorca. After a break for lunch in Mahon, we drive to the spectacular north-east coast lighthouse of Favaritx and walk in this very specialised xerophytic habitat. Birds are usually in abundance here, especially Shearwaters. 

Day 3: Today our visits focus on the south-west of the island at Son Saura. We will botanise along the Cami de Cavalls, the 'Horse Road' built for defensive purposes by the
French and now a footpath circumnavigating the whole Island. We hope to see some special endemic plants and listen to Nightingales in the trees and watch a colony of
Spotless Starlings. We will take our lunch break in the small town of Ferreries renown for shoe making. In the afternoon we will explore the spectacular Barranco (ravine) de
Algendar (Pas d’en Revull) where we will botanise and watch for the many interesting birds that inhabit this gorge, in particular the Egyptian Vulture.

Day 4: Today we explore further along the north coast starting our tour near El Pilar beach. We will walk along a delightful path through pine woods and sand dunes botanising as we go for endemic plants and at the same time listening out for nightingales and hoping that the Bee-eaters have returned to their nesting site.Our lunch break will be in
the town of Cuitadella where there will be time to explore and perhaps visit its newly renovated Cathedral, attractive shopping arcades and narrow port. Leaving Cuitadella
behind, we will visit the Naveta des Tudons a megalithic boat shaped tomb with further opportunities for botanising.

Day 5: Today is a free day offering the opportunity to explore further or simply to relax. It may be possible to join a glass bottom boat trip to the mouth of the harbour. The town of Mahon also offers many possibilities such as the Museum of Menorca, and the Santa Maria Church where the organ donated by Admiral Collingwood which is still played every morning for visitors.

Day 6: Our destination today is Son Bou located on the south coast. Son Bou has the longest sandy beach in Menorca backed by a large marshy area and remains of rice
paddies. We will take a walk along the Cami des Cavalls to Santo Tomas skirting the marshes and wetlands to botanise, and watch birds and other wildlife that inhabit this very
interesting area. We may see Squaco Herons, egrets, and many ducks Our lunch break will be in the village of Es Migjorn. In the afternoon we will visit Torralba d' en Salord, one
of the larger Talayotic villages on the island.

Day 7: Our final day takes us back to the north coast, in fact, to the most northerly point of Menorca, the Cap de Cavalleria. On our way we will stop at the Lluriac Marshes to observe the birds on the wetlands. On arrival at the headland we will walk around the headland, botanising as we go. The plants reflect the xerophytic conditions of the very exposed North Coast. On the return we will stop to see a Roman villa and the small port of Sanitja. We will also visit the lovely Port of Fornells with its Martello Tower built during the British occupation of the Island in the 18^th century. If the weather is suitable today we shall take the opportunity to enjoy a picnic at La Conceptió salt pans, a lovely tranquil place at the head of Fornells bay where our guide, Javier, will prepare a typical Menorcan picnic with local produce. After lunch there will be time to explore the plants and birds of the Salt pans before driving to the highest point of the island to visit the Monte Toro monastery and enjoy spectacular views of the whole island. From here it should be possible to see many of the places visited during the tour.

Day 8: Transfer to Mahón Airport for the return flight to London Gatwick.

NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.

Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 20 passengers. 

Please note: The itinerary will include some walking, occasionally rough, of up to 3 to 4 hours each day in sometimes 'wild' and rough countryside in order to fully experience a representative range of plants, so reasonable fitness and decent footwear are essential. Please note nothing too strenuous will be undertaken however, walking shoes with ankle support and sturdy soles are highly recommended and ski-sticks/walking poles can also be very useful in some terrains.

What to bring:
We suggest binoculars or monocular scopes, cameras, walking poles ,sun hats and walking attire suitable for rough and thorny terrain. The weather may vary from cool and wet to hot and sunny so be prepared for both.