Thursday 22nd February 2018
We had driven through the Monfragüe National Park on the journey from Madrid. We were keen to investigate it further before moving further south. So today we drove north for about an hour on the marvellous A66 Autovia to find the visitor centre in the only inhabited village in the park, Villareal De San Carlos.
As we approached the village it was immediately obvious something unusual was going on. Very large marquees were being erected to house an annual photography exhibition due to start on Friday. Workmen were also putting the final touches to this quirky Black Stork sculpture, presumably built for the occasion.
After receiving useful information and a leaflet from the helpful lady in the visitor centre, we set off to find the bird life that the park is famous for, being home to 15 different breeding species of raptors.
We backtracked from the village and turned right onto the EX-A1 road which has many viewpoints and picnic areas at which to stop. One of the first provided a fine view of a bend in the Río Tiétar.
The viewpoint that we stayed at the longest was Portilla del Tiétar. This provided views of countless raptors and nests complete with chicks. If we had not had the binoculars I am sure we would have not spotted the nests, so well camouflaged that they are.
As we made our way back to the main road to return to camp we were delighted to be surprised by these fellows crossing the road in front of us.
We stopped again at the Salto Del Gitano viewpoint as there were many vultures circling overhead.
We had an excellent afternoon in glorious weather and marvelous scenery and would recommend the park to anyone.