Monfragüe National Park

The Monfrague National Park in Extremadura is a haven for birdwatchers and nature lovers alike. It consists of over 17,000 hectares of land made up of wide-open expanses of both woodland and dry pastures, as well as numerous rocky areas and oak trees.

The park is most famous for its collection of Black Vultures, of which it houses two hundred pairs and makes Monfrague the world's biggest colony for these birds. It is also home to the Spanish Imperial Eagle of which it has ten couples and this also makes the park the colony with the most amount of these rare birds. Black storks are the other most rare species in the park. Because of the migratory habits of these birds the best time to visit Monfrague is between March and October.

Monfrague National Park is also home to some of the more common birds of prey including griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures, peregrine falcons and golden eagles. A variety of harriers and kites also feature amongst the estimated 175 different types of birds that frequent the par.

Despite the fact that the Monfrague National Park is best known for its bird life, there is plenty more wildlife to look out for. Some of the other types of animals that you'll encounter on your journey through the park include wild boar, otters as well as Iberian lynxes, which are very rare. Add to this wild cats and a mix of red, fallow and roe deer, and the park is a wonderful place to visit for nature lovers.

The park provides a fine education service which includes a Water Protection Centre, a Nature Centre and the main Visitor center. Here you can learn about all the park's inhabitants through interesting multimedia shows that even children will find it interesting.

It's not just the wildlife that Monfrague National Park offers the visitor either. If you take a visit to the Castillo cave you'll be able to look at some of the drawings made by the earliest cavemen of the region. As well as this, there is also the 9th century Castillo de Monfrague which was a Moorish fort which today serves as a great spot for birdwatching.

To finish off your trip to the Monfrague National Park, you may want to make a stop at the Cardenal bridge, which dates back to medieval times, and the little village of Villarreal de San Carlos which offers a piece of modern history with its 28 inhabitants who act as guardians of the Cardenal Bridge.