You are virtually guaranteed top quality wildlife and scenery in Spain, and a long Bank Holiday weekend early May based in Algorfa to the south-west of Alicante, didn't disappoint. Location wise El Hondo, a wetland reserve I'd always wanted to see was about a 15 minute drive from the hotel, with a good selection of other nature reserves within striking distance. In addition, with the nearby motorway network, travelling further afield was also relatively straightforward.
My first visit to the Costa Blanca area, so covered a decent number of miles and sites to try and get a feel of the place. The variety of habitats included wetlands (both inland and coastal), mountains, the relatively lush upland grasslands on the Central Plateau of Spain and the dry, arid lowland steppes around the Guadalentin Valley.
El Hondo was superb and exceeded expectations, the boardwalks gave the opportunity for close range views, including some bird species that are either globally endangered, near threatened or just have a toe-hold in Europe.
Personal favourite sites visited in addition to the above were San Pedro del Pinatar Salinas, Lo Monte reserve, plus the areas around Higeruela, Petrola and Bonete.
The sierras were generally quiet from a wildlife point of view, not helped by normally visiting during the hottest part of the day, but the vistas were great and it's always an experience driving on the narrow, winding mountain roads.
Would love to visit again.
