Guided Birdwatching on Tabarca Island

Almost everyone who goes to Tabarca looks down, at the water. This outing looks up. Avanzatour runs a five-hour morning with an ornithologist guide: a boat from Santa Pola, about 4 km on foot around the island and stops at observation points to see the seabirds that live here or pass through.

Which birds you look for

The island is small, but brings together different habitats: rocky coves, the open ground of the east, with the San José tower and the lighthouse, and pine areas. The guide looks for terns, gulls and shearwaters over the sea, and the shag, which is resident. On migration passes, waders also appear on the shores along with small birds, passerines, which stop to rest in the scrub before continuing. Each stop is used to show how to tell one from another with binoculars.

What the morning is like

You meet at the port of Santa Pola and cross by boat to the island, a short crossing. The walk is about 4 km and low difficulty, along the paths that lead from the walled village into the countryside. There is a picnic break in a quiet corner; the listing does not make clear whether it is included, so ask when you book. At the end you return by boat: the company gives Santa Pola as the departure point, but its text at one point mentions the return to the port of Alicante, so confirm that as well.

Price and booking

From €105 per person, with the ornithologist guide, the return boat and civil liability insurance. The published schedule is 9:00 to 14:00, although the company adjusts it by time of year. The transfer to the port is not included: without it, you need your own car. Book on 622 202 210 or at [email protected].

Afterwards, if you stay on the island for lunch, the caldero at La Almadraba is inside the village; and if you stay overnight, at nightfall the east end, at Punta Falcón, has the dark sky that gave Tabarca its Starlight certificate.