Menorca ~ Island Walks for Birds, Flowers and Prehistoric Taulas

DAY 1  
D included
After meeting at Mahon airport in the afternoon, we have a half hour transfer by road to the south east coast. We walk a restored stretch of the Cami de Cavalls, an old mule trail which encircles the island, passing an 18th century Spanish watchtower en route to our hotel. Following paths through the pines and Mediterranean garrigue on the estate, we see our first Sardinian warblers, hoopoes, wild gladioli and pyramidal orchids and listen to the nightingales singing. A glass of pomada (Menorcan gin, ice and lemon juice) precedes our dinner in the vaulted stables of the Manor.

DAY 2 
B, L, D included 
In nearby Maó (Mahon in Catalan), we see the Georgian mansions built by the British and visit the excellent Museum of Menorca and the Baroque chapel of St. Francesc. We have lunch in a fishing village by the sea and search for rare Audouin’s gulls before an afternoon’s walk round the lake at S’Albufera es Grau, Menorca’s main nature reserve. Paths through cistus, spiny broom, lentisc and juniper lead up to vantage points from where we watch for ospreys, marsh harriers, ducks and Booted eagles.

DAY 3
B, L, D included
We head northwest after breakfast, first seeing the atmospheric prehistoric site of Torre Lafauda, then one of the island’s most famous monuments, the Naveta des Tudons, a cyclopean burial mound like an upturned ship. We follow an old track between stone walls, looking out for larks and pipits in the fields on either side. A sandy track through umbrella pines brings us to an area frequented by bee-eaters and tawny pipits and down to a lovely turquoise cove where we may swim. After a picnic, we walk through some spectacular geological formations to view a series of disused saltpans in a private reserve. Black-winged stilts, shelducks, ringed plovers, little stints and sandpiper species are evident, and ospreys fish the open water areas.

DAY 4
B, L, D included
The water meadows and marshes of Tirant are our destination this morning, hoping for cattle egrets, purple gallinules, great reed warblers, zitting cisticolas, purple herons and red-rumped swallows. We walk through the sand dunes behind the beach at Cal Tirant, looking out for tortoises and Kentish plovers. We drive west through a beautiful stretch of unspoilt countryside to a cheese tasting lunch at a traditional Menorca finca and see a British 18th century Martello tower on our way to the Cap de Cavalleria, the most northerly point of the island. On our way back to our hotel, we pause at the Xoriguer gin distillery. Gin was introduced by the British navy in the 18th century, when Maó’s deep water harbour was the key to control of the Mediterranean.

DAY 5 
B, L, D included
We drive to the furthest west of the island to visit the delightful town of Ciutadella, the island capital under the Romans, the Moors and the Catalans. We see the 17th century Castell de Sant Nicolau, which guards the harbour entrance, visit the 18th century Olivar Palace, then walk through the fish and vegetable market on our way to a fish lunch in a well-known restaurant on the harbour. We visit a fascinating series of gardens – mediaeval, botanical, indigenous plants and an old orchard – within a former sandstone quarry, before proceeding to the headland at Punta Nati to seek blue rock thrush, thekla larks and stone curlews and watch for Cory’s and Balearic shearwaters offshore.

DAY 6
B, L, D included
This morning we head to the south coast for a walk into the wooded Gorge d’Algendar, looking for Booted eagles, Egyptian vultures and red kites soaring on thermals above the imposing limestone cliffs, and hearing nightingales singing in the thickets along the stream. After lunch we follow a coastal path westward, seeking orchids (Balearic, bee and tongue), rock-roses and spurges. The typical Mediterranean scrub of myrtle, tree heath and arbutus is favoured by woodchat shrikes and hoopoes. Alpine and Pallid swifts nest on the cliffs. We enjoy a wine tasting before dinner, sampling wines from prominent island estates.

DAY 7
B, L, D included
We investigate the extensive Talayotic settlement of Torre d’en Galmés before a morning’s walk by the sea. Sandwiched between the beach and the dunes, the reedbeds of Son Bou on the south coast have breeding Moustached and Cetti’s warblers, purple and squacco herons, northern wheatears and whinchats with Audouin’s gulls loafing on the beach. We encounter many asphodels, gladioli and orchids as we walk along the coastal track by one of the dry limestone gorges (barrancs) which run down to the sea. After a seafood lunch, we relax on or swim from the beautiful sandy beach.

DAY 8
B included
Our visit to Menorca concludes with a transfer to the airport for flights home.

Please note that the double for single use room supplement is imposed by the hotel (which does not have any single rooms) and not by Kudu Travel. If you are willing to share but no other suitable guest books on the trip, we regret that the supplement will be payable.

• Accommodation for Days 1 through 8, on a twin shared basis
• Meals (with wine at lunches and dinners) as listed in the daily notation
• Land transportation in a private vehicle as described except during free periods
• Entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods
• Wine tasting as described
• Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff (appreciation for Kudu guides is at your discretion)

• Flights to and from Mahon, Menorca
• Trip cancellation, medical or other insurance
• Immunisations, prescriptions or other medical requirements
• Passport, visa and health documentation
• Personal expenses (laundry, alcohol besides wine with group meals, free time activities, etc.)
• Transport and transfer of excess baggage
• Spanish departure tax, if any

On Kudu trips, you will only need money for postcards, presents to take home, the odd G & T or an irresistible ice cream. Festival and opera tickets, museum and gallery entrances, National Park fees, all meals (with a very few exceptions specified in individual itineraries), wine with lunch and dinner, access to specialist books carried by the guides, gratuities for porters and hotel and restaurant staff, boat rides, train trips, internal flights, wine tastings, 4WDs with drivers, the services of skilled local guides and trackers etc are ALL INCLUDED in the cost of your holiday. 

We are confident that, like previous very satisfied guests, you will discover that our tours give you excellent value for money.

• 7 nights in a delightful, first class hotel, a Manor house dating back to the 14C, set in a private 250 hectare estate leading down to the sea, with a swimming pool and an outstanding restaurant

Normally, there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Spain.  You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the Department of Health and the FCO.

Insurance
It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.

Size of party 
This trip will run with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 14 guests.