Tour Details

Dates:29th of May - 5th of Jun 2025
Availability:12
Group Size:Minimum 4, maximum 12 guests
Grading:Easy to moderate. There will be daily, thoughtfully paced walks
PricesFull price: £1,595.00 / person Single room supplement: £245.00 / person Deposit: £150.00 / person
Price includes: Accommodation, all meals, ground transportation, services of your guides, and a holiday report
Not included: International travel, drinks and other personal items, holiday insurance

Tour Highlights

  • Take the Fuentes De cable car to the high alpine grasslands amongst the soaring limestone peaks in search of the endemic saxifrages, stunning blue gentians, Southern Chamois, special alpine birds like White-winged Snowfinch and Alpine Chough, and the possibility of Alpine Newt Ichthyosaura alpestris
  • Explore valleys cutting deep through the limestone where Woodcock Orchids grow, the endemic Petrocoptis glaucifolia clings to the gorge walls, and Griffon Vultures soar overhead
  • Wander alpine meadows full of orchids, notably the regional endemic vanilla orchid Gymnadenia gabasiana, Elder-flowered Orchid Dactylorhiza sambucina, and Burnt Orchid Neotinea ustulata
  • At the spectacular Puerto de San Glorio we will look for the delicate Gagea, several species of Lousewort, and many endemic and near-endemic plants. Butterflies such as Marsh Fritillary and Chapman's Ringlet may also be found here
  • Experience the spectacular trail along the deep and narrow Rio Cain Gorge where Scheuchzer's Bellflower Campanula scheuchzeri clings to the gorge walls, and Brown Trout inhabit the crystal-clear water
  • A single centre tour with daily excursions, led by the experienced botanical team of professional ecologists David Gibbs, and Juan Pablo Cancela
  • A donation will be made to the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, supporting proactive research and conservation

Tour Description

As May draws to a close and the flora of more southern regions around the Mediterranean become less showy as the summer heats up, mountainous northern Spain is still relatively green and lush. The mountain valleys will be bursting with flowers of all kinds, including many orchids, endemic chasmophytes cling to the walls of limestone gorges, and spring species such as daffodils will still be in flower in places. At higher altitudes the alpine pastures will be at their floristic peak, dotted with brilliant blue gentians while the crags and cliffs shelter several species of endemic saxifrages.

The Picos de Europa is situated about half way along Spain’s Biscayan coast, between the Pyrenees in the east and Galicia to the west. There is a more or less continuous line of uplands stretching west from the Pyrenees, through to the Galician Massif to the border with Portugal collectively known as the Cantabrian Mountains. The Picos de Europa stands out as the highest and most spectacular of these beautiful Iberian mountains, reaching 2650 m (8,690 ft) at its highest peak of Torre de Cerredo. The geology is almost entirely carboniferous limestone that has been carved by glacial action into the stunning landscape we see today.

From our comfortable and well-appointed base near Potes we will explore the surrounding valleys and mountains, keeping an eye on the weather forecast and adjusting our itinerary appropriately. Our daily excursions will cover a wide variety of habitats, including lowland valley fields and woodlands, gorges, craggy outcrops, herb-rich grasslands and, of course, high alpine meadows.

When the weather is looking ideal, we head to Fuentes De for perhaps the ultimate highlight of the tour when we take the cable car up the mountains where some of the real gems of the Picos occur. As soon as we leave the upper station wonderful plants can be found, notably the brilliant blue Pyrenean Trumpet Gentian Gentiana occidentalis, Matthiola perennis, Tuberous Valerian Valeriana tuberosa, and Genista legionensis. We will explore the alpine grassland which is decorated with the tiny blue flowers of Alpine Forget-me-not Myosotis alpestris, Leafless-stemmed Speedwell Veronica aphylla, Anemone pavoniana and several buttercup species. Heading towards the craggy outcrops we might be lucky enough to come across non-flowering alpine residents, including nimble Southern Chamois, hardy White-winged Snowfinch, and of course plenty of charismatic and vocal Alpine Chough. On steep cliffs we hope to find one of the special endemics of the Picos, the beautiful yellow-flowered Saxifraga felineri, often growing alongside Saxifraga conifera and Saxifraga canaliculata. Eventually we will make our way to one of the small tarns in the grassland where we might find Alpine Newt Ichthyosaura alpestris. And this is just one special day in a week of many such!

Led by a team of professional ecologists with a particular love of wildflowers, and a deep knowledge of other wildlife besides, this promises to be an unforgettable botanical holiday in one of Europe’s most dramatic and beautiful landscapes.

Tour Leaders

Juan Pablo is a biologist with an MSc in Conservation Biology. He has a particular interest in Iberian butterflies, and also enjoys photography and hiking - often all three interests coincide!

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Based in southwest England, David has been a lifelong naturalist and worked as a freelance survey entomologist for more than 35 years.

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Tour Location

Map

Tour Itinerary

  • DAY 1
    Arrival at Bilbao airport*. From here we head west, if arrival time allows spending a couple of hours in the afternoon botanising on dunes near Santander. In the late afternoon we drive to our hotel near Potes in time to relax before meeting for dinner
  • DAY 2
    Today we will not be travelling far so there will be no need for a very early start. We will follow the road from our well-situated rural hotel northwest towards Espinama and Fuentes De for a pleasant walk at the head of the valley. Close to the tiny village of Pido we walk along a well-appointed track heading north through fields and woodland. Along the path we should see a good variety of orchids including Lizard Orchid Himantoglossum hircinum, Early Spider-orchid Ophrys sphegodes and Man Orchid Orchis anthroporphora. In the fields adjacent to the path we will look for Dactylorhiza insularis, hopefully a few will still be in flower. Along the way many other attractive plants decorate the verges and meadows such as Pyrenean Eryngo Eryngium bourgatii, Carthamus mitissimus, Winged Broom Genista sagittalis, Large-flowered Selfheal Prunella grandiflora and Slender Broomrape Orobanche gracilis. As we pass through the woodland areas, we hope to come across Three Birds Toadflax Linaria triornithophora and Horned Pansy Viola cornuta. At the Fuentes De cable-car station we will stop for a picnic lunch before searching the grassland at the foot of the impressive mountains that we will visit later in the week. Here many low-growing species can be found in stony areas such as Pyrenean Vetch Vicia pyrenaica, Malling Toadflax Chaenorhinum origanifolium and the endemic Alpine Toadflax Linaria alpina filicaulis and Linaria faucicola. Taking the trail back along the other side of the valley we will keep a look out for English Iris Iris latifolia, Bastard Balm Melittis melissophyllum, Robust Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza elata and Common Columbine Aquilegia vulgaris.We will return to our hotel in the early evening, stopping for some roadside botanising if time allows.
  • DAY 3
    After breakfast we head southwest, with our final destination Puerto de San Glorio. This area boasts spectacular scenery and some very special plants. Along the way we will make a couple of roadside stops to search for Angel's Tears Narcissus triandrus, St Dabeoc's Heath Daboecia cantabrica, Mountain Sandwort Arenaria montana and Lisbon False Sunrose Cistus lasianthus. Marshy meadows here are good for the impressive Large-flowered Daffodil Narcissus nobilis, the brilliant blue Spring Gentian Gentiana verna and several orchids including Elder-flowered Orchid Dactylorhiza sambucina, a regionally endemic vanilla orchid Gymnadenia gabasiana, and Burnt Orchid Neotinea ustulata. Much of the day will be occupied by a walk from Puerto de San Glorio ending up at Llánaves de la Reina. Along the way we might find many interesting species including Shepherd's Scabious Jasione laevis, Teesdalia conferta, Armeria cantabrica, Spanish Heath Erica australis, Linaria elegans, the stunning Pyrenean Fritillary Fritillaria pyrenaica and delicate Gagea soleirolii. At Llánaves de la Reina we can search for Five-fingered Saxifrage Saxifraga pentadactylis and Saxifraga fragosoi before retiring to our hotel for the evening.
  • DAY 4

    Today, we head back to Fuentes De to take the cable car up into the mountains where some of the real gems of the Picos can be found - mainly botanical, of course, but also with possibility of some charismatic fauna too. As soon as we leave the upper station wonderful plants can be found, notably the brilliant blue Pyrenean Trumpet Gentian Gentiana occidentalis, Matthiola perennis, Tuberous Valerian Valeriana tuberosa, and Genista legionensis. We will explore the alpine grassland which is decorated with the tiny blue flowers of Alpine Forget-me-not Myosotis alpestris, Leafless-stemmed Speedwell Veronica aphylla, Anemone pavoniana and several buttercup species. Heading towards the craggy outcrops we might be lucky enough to come across non-flowering alpine residents, including nimble Southern Chamois, hardy White-winged Snowfinch, and of course plenty of charismatic and vocal Alpine Chough. On steep cliffs we hope to find one of the special endemics of the Picos, the beautiful yellow-flowered Saxifraga felineri, often growing alongside Saxifraga conifera and Saxifraga canaliculata. Eventually we will make our way to one of the small tarns in the grassland where we might find Alpine Newt Ichthyosaura alpestris. We shall spend most of the day at high altitude before returning via the cable car to lower elevations. Dinner this evening should be a celebratory affair with some alpine treasures to reflect upon!

  • DAY 5

    An excursion somewhat further afield today, our destination is Caín de Valdeón where we will walk along the Rio Caín Gorge. Here we will initially take the narrow trail above the crystal-clear water of the river. After a short stretch of woodland where Black Pea Lathyrus niger grows we cross the river and are in more open habitat. Here Alpine Thistle Carduus defloratus, Small Hare's-ear Bupleurum baldense and Bloody Crane's-bill Geranium sanguineum grow along the path. Clinging to the cliff are Kidney Saxifrage Saxifraga hirsuta, Scheuchzer's Bellflower Campanula scheuchzeri, and the endemic hawkweed Hieracium bombycinum. Also here we might find Italian Buckthorn Rhamnus alaternus, False Heather Fumana ericoides, and Pyrenean Germander Teucrium pyrenaicum, while the stunning Western Green Lizard Lacerta bilineata can sometimes be spotted. We will retrace our steps to the village for our picnic lunch. In the afternoon we will make several stops along the road back to our hotel in search of species we are yet to find, perhaps including Narrow-leaved Valerian Valeriana lecoqii, Narrow-leaved Helleborine Cephalanthera longifolia and Shrubby Flax Linum appressum.

  • DAY 6
    This morning we head north to explore the beautiful valley of Canal de Urdón. The walk up the valley starts gently along a good path, gradually becoming narrower before it starts to climb. There is much to see along the first few hundred yards such as Pyrenean Thistle Carduus carlinoides, the endemic wallflower Erysimum duriaei, Fringed Pink Dianthus hyssopifolius, Daisy-leaved Toadflax Anarrhinum bellidifolium and the glorious Woodcock Orchid Ophrys scolopax. Further up, the valley becomes more gorge-like - here we should find Bald-stemmed Globularia Globularia nudicaulis, Hyssop-leaved Ironwort Sideritis hyssopifolia, the stunning Southern Bellflower Campanula lusitanica and, clinging to cliffs beside the path, the endemic Petrocoptis glaucifolia. If the weather is good butterflies will be in evidence including Sooty Copper Lycaena tityrus, Large Wall Brown Lasiommata maera and even Southern Heath Fritillary Melitaea nevadensis. We shall spend much of the day here, having our picnic lunch in the valley. Depending on how long we spend here we might make a stop on the way back to our base.
  • DAY 7
    Our final full day takes us to Mirador De Piedrasluengas, where many interesting species are known in the grasslands and craggy outcrops. Here we hope to find the endemic houseleek Sempervivum vicentei, and Geranium subargenteum and near-endemic Hexaphylla hirta. The beautiful Viola bubanii also occurs here and we will search for it in the short turf.
  • DAY 8
    Return to Bilbao airport, and holiday concludes. Should departure times allow, there might be time for a botanising stop along the way.

As with all of our tours, we want our guests to enjoy the very best views of the very best wildlife and, as such, we think it’s important to retain a little flexibility in the holiday itinerary. This means that we may choose to swap days around to take into account local weather conditions, or the timing of the flight or flowering season we find upon arrival at our holiday destination. Rest assured, we will ensure you visit all the best sites, and we have your best interests and comfort at heart!

*We’ll meet at the airport as this is a convenient travel hub for many. However, we appreciate that some guests may have chosen to come overland via rail, or by ferry to Bilbao. There is a regular (every 20-30 minutes) bus linking the city centre with the airport.

https://airmundo.com/en/airports/bilbao-airport/transportation/#!#public-transport

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