Looking for Wildlife & Walking Holidays in Spain?

Discover the Best Wildlife, Walking, and Cultural Holidays in Spain

Are you looking for wildlife, walking, and cultural holidays in Spain? Or perhaps you’re interested in finding wildlife-watching places in Spain? At Wildside Holidays, we offer comprehensive information about Spain’s Natural and National parks. Our site is a treasure trove for anyone passionate about Spanish wildlife and nature. Whether you are browsing on a desktop or mobile, navigating our resources is simple.

Navigate Wildside Holidays Spain
On Desktop:
  • Right Column: Find protected areas in the Spanish regions.
  • Top Menu: Explore detailed wildlife and species pages.
  • Left Column: Discover the best local guides and links to book your guided wildlife holiday in Spain.
On Mobile:
  • Use the menu button or scroll down to access all the information.
Sustainable Rural and Wildlife Tourism in Spain

Sustainable rural and wildlife tourism in Spain plays a crucial role in protecting wildlife and their habitats. Numerous studies demonstrate the positive impact of wildlife tourism on local economies, habitats, and the species that inhabit them. By choosing eco-friendly tours, you contribute to conservation efforts while enjoying the natural beauty of Spain.

Wildlife Photography Hides in Spain

If you are passionate about wildlife photography, check out our article on Finding Wildlife Photography Hides in Spain. This resource provides detailed descriptions and links to companies offering wildlife hides, perfect for capturing stunning images of Spain’s diverse fauna.

Top Independent Activity Holiday Companies

For those on a desktop or laptop, the left column features links to some of the top independent activity holiday companies in Spain. On a mobile device, simply scroll down to find these resources. These companies offer a range of outdoor adventures, ensuring you have an unforgettable experience.

Accommodation and Travel Booking

Traveling without a guiding company? We highly recommend using Booking.com for all your hotel and accommodation needs. On all the natural park information pages there are maps with hotel suggestions.

For convenient travel arrangements, reserve your trains and buses through the OMIO booking box located on all pages of our site.

Ready to explore the natural wonders of Spain? At Wildside Holidays, we make it easy to plan your perfect wildlife, walking, and cultural holiday.

Embark on an eco-friendly adventure and discover the rich biodiversity and stunning landscapes of Spain.

Trips and tours in Spain from Viator

Spain holds a vast array of amazing places to visit and explore and very often a guide will help you get the best out of a visit to a certain area. Have a look at the organised guided trips on offer from the Viator website.

A huge thank you to everyone that uses the links on these pages to reserve a hotel, Viator or Get Your Guide guided trip, Tiqets entry or transport by train / bus in Spain. The small commission we receive helps a lot. Thankyou!

Looking for Wildlife & Walking Holidays in Spain? Wildside Holidays is the answer! https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/about-wildside-holidays/


Ronda Today

Everything you need to know before you visit Ronda “The city of dreams” in Andalucia. https://www.rondatoday.com/

Visit Cádiz

Planning on visiting Cádiz? Tourist information. Monuments. Hotels. Activities. City guides: https://visitingcadiz.com/

The Caminito del Rey

Find tickets for the Caminito del Rey: https://www.caminodelrey.es/

Wildside Holidays – Spain

Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.

Iberia Nature Forum

Struggling with identifying those bugs and beasties? Why not check out the Iberia nature Forum! https://iberianatureforum.com/

Wild cat – Felis sylvestris sylvestris – Gato montes

The Wild cat – Felis sylvestris sylvestris – Gato montes is rarely seen due to its elusive nature and many people often confuse an average tabby cat as its appearance is quite similar to that of a domestic cat. But, remember, it has a much stronger build than most domesticated cat breeds. (Felis sylvestris catus).

  • The Wild cat is listed in CITES Appendix II, in Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Also, in the European Union’s Habitats and Species Directive. These are international agreements aimed at protecting endangered species and their habitats.
  • The Wild cat is often confused with domestic cats, as their appearance can be very similar. However, there are a few key differences that can help identify a Wild cat. This included yellowish brown color behind the ears, long, thick, and drooping whiskers, and a pair of black stripes on each side of the face.
  • The Wild cat’s diet consists primarily of small mammals like rabbits, rats, and mice. They also eat insects, lizards, and occasionally prey on small carnivores like martens, polecat, stoat, and weasel. Very young fawns of red deer, roe deer, and chamois are also sometimes preyed upon.
  • There are three types of Wild cat in Spain: Felis silvestris silvestris, Felis silvestris tartessia, and Felis lybica jordansi. Felis silvestris silvestris is the most common and is found in the central, north, and northwest of the Iberian peninsula. Felis silvestris tartessia is found in the south of the Duero and Ebro rivers and along the mountainous Mediterranean countryside. Felis lybica jordansi is only present on the island of Mallorca and in some parts of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in very small populations.
  • The wild cat population in Portugal and Spain is threatened by accidental hunting kills, interbreeding with feral and domestic cats, and loss of habitat. Efforts to protect Wild cats include programs aimed at reducing hunting and promoting conservation of their habitats.
is the wild cat extinct in the province of Cádiz?

Yes, a recent study in the province of Cádiz reports that the wild cat is probably extinct in the region.

The situation of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in the Iberian Peninsula differs between the northern populations, mostly healthy, and the centre-southern populations, with mainly regressive trends or scarcely known situations. Cádiz province is one of these zones where the species situation is little known. Therefore, we aimed with this work to assess the situation of the European wildcat in the province of Cádiz, through the study focussed on public and private estates in the natural parks of Los Alcornocales and Sierra de Grazalema.

We employed several methodologies to detect the species: 1) camera-trapping (240 camera with attractants), 2) information of historical records by searching the bibliography and on the internet, 3) a questionnaire to environmental rangers (Agentes de Medio Ambiente) of the whole province on the presence of wildcat and other mesocarnivores, and 4) data on road kills of carnivores occurring on provincial roads. During the five years of study (2018-2023) we obtained 5,184 independent records of mesocarnivores from camera-trapping, including eight wild and one domestic species, but no wildcat records.

The most recent reliable records found corresponded to year 2000, in agreement with the results from the questionnaire to environmental rangers. We did neither find road kill records of the species on provincial roads during the last three years. According to the results from the different methodologies, we conclude that the Cádiz wildcat population could either be already extinct or close to extinction.

Read the study here.

What does a wild cat eat?

The wildcat feeds on rabbits, rats, mice, lizards and insects such as grasshoppers, mantis and locust. From time to time, it also preys on small carnivores like martens, polecat, stoat and least weasel as well as very young fawns of red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra).

Identification of the Wild cat – Felis sylvestris sylvestris – Gato montes

If it looks like a tabby cat and you are up in the mountains away from towns and villages use the following to double check.

  • Yellowish brown color behind the ears.
  • Flat face, yellowish muzzle (there may be some whitish area).
  • Long, thick and drooping whiskers.
  • Greenish or amber eyes.
  • Pair of black stripes on each side of the face.
  • Four or more black stripes from head across to the shoulders.
  • A dorsal black line from nape of neck to base of tail.
  • Long bushy tail with two or three black rings and a large black tip
  • Sometimes a white spot on throat but not always!

There are three types of wildcat in Spain

Felis silvestris silvestris
Felis silvestris silvestris
Felis silvestris silvestris

The most common throughout the European continent and in Spain it usually inhabits the Central, North and Northwest of the Iberian peninsular. Its coat is dark gray with brown tones and with a brindle appearance. Their weight ranges between 3 and 6 kg, with the male being 20% ​​larger than the female.


Felis silvestris tartessia
Felis silvestris tartessia
Felis silvestris tartessia

Prefers to live in warmer areas, especially in the southern part of the Peninsula, taking advantage of the wide expanses of Mediterranean forest. Its size is slightly larger than Felis silvestris silvestris and the coat has much darker tones.


Felis lybica jordansi
Felis lybica jordansi
Felis lybica jordansi

Also known as the African wild cat or the desert cat, Felis lybica jordansi classified as a sub-species of felis silvestris silvestris and in Spain it is only present on the island of Mallorca and in some parts of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in very small populations. It differs from the European wildcat by inconspicuous stripes on the nape and shoulders, a less sharply defined stripe across the spine and by the slender tail, which is cylindrical, less bushy and more tapering. Ears are normally tipped with a small tuft. Its fur is shorter than of the European wildcat, and it is considerably smaller


Threats to Wild cat – Felis sylvestris sylvestris – Gato montes

  • The population in Portugal and Spain is threatened by accidental hunting kills (they are shot by people mistaking them for feral cats.).
  • Interbreeding with feral and domestic cats.
  • Loss of habitat.

Images sourced from the nice article here in Spanish: https://muchamontana.com/donde-vive-gato-montes-espana/


Ronda Today

Everything you need to know before you visit Ronda “The city of dreams” in Andalucia. https://www.rondatoday.com/

Visit Cádiz

Planning on visiting Cádiz? Tourist information. Monuments. Hotels. Activities. City guides: https://visitingcadiz.com/

The Caminito del Rey

Find tickets for the Caminito del Rey: https://www.caminodelrey.es/

Wildside Holidays – Spain

Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.

Iberia Nature Forum

Struggling with identifying those bugs and beasties? Why not check out the Iberia nature Forum! https://iberianatureforum.com/

Is The The Wolf is Extinct in Andalusia?

The 2023 wolf population monitoring surveys published by the Andalusian government conclude that the Iberian wolf is extinct across the entire region. This is the first time the extinction of this iconic species, once a symbol of Andalusia’s mountains, has been officially acknowledged, though it may have been gone for years.

The wolf (Canis lupus signatus) has historically been one of the most representative species of Andalusia’s mountain ranges. However, according to the Wolf Monitoring and Conservation Programme carried out by the Ministry of the Environment of the Andalusian Government, it has been confirmed extinct since 2020.

Conservation Efforts and the Decline of the Wolf

Since 2003, the primary aim of the programme was to understand the distribution of the Iberian wolf in Andalusia, gather data about its population dynamics, compensate for livestock damages, reduce conflicts with local communities, and, overall, ensure the species’ survival by encouraging its expansion into more favourable and less conflict-prone areas.

Wildmoral wolf tours
Is The The Wolf is Extinct in Andalusia? Officially Since 2023 (but probably a lot earlier), unfortunately yes.
Continue reading Is The The Wolf is Extinct in Andalusia?

Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus) Lobo Ibérico

  • Spanish: Lobo
  • Catalan: Llop

The Iberian wolf, Canis Lupus, has suffered much persecution over the centuries. Already being eradicated from many countries and, despite a bounty on every head of a wolf during the 1950’s and 60’s. Some small populations of these mammals survived and now receive a partial protection especially when they reside in protected (natural and national park) areas of Spain. (A hunting ban came into force in 2021)

Read about the recent hunting ban of the Iberian wolf over at the Iberia Nature Forum: https://iberianatureforum.com/forums/topic/iberian-wolf-hunting-ban/ Feel free to join in with the topics there! 🙂

Iberian wolf populations are mainly in scattered packs in the forests and plains of north-western Spain whilst the north of Portugal also holds small numbers.

The Junta de Andalucia declared the wolf extinct in Andalucia (the Sierra Morena) in 2023. Read more here.

A few details about the Iberian wolf

The Iberian wolf can reach a height of around 70cm and length of 120cm. The animal is different in colour from the Eurasian wolf by having dark markings on its forelegs, back and tail with white markings on its upper lips. This is the reason for the last part of the scientific name, with signatus meaning “marked”. Males weigh around 40kg with females being of a finer / slimmer build.

Continue reading Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus) Lobo Ibérico

The Status and Debate Surrounding Wolves in Southern Spain

The Iberian wolf, Canis lupus signatus, is a subspecies of the grey wolf endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. It is distinguished by its medium size and dark markings on its tail, forelegs, and shoulders. Once widespread, the Iberian wolf has had a tumultuous history, nearly driven to extinction in the 1970s due to hunting and habitat destruction. However, thanks to protective measures taken by various organizations, the population has stabilized, making the Iberian wolf a symbol of biodiversity in Spain.

Are Wolves Still in Sierra Morena?

One of the most frequently asked questions is whether wolves still live in the Sierra Morena. There have been mixed reports from residents and wildlife enthusiasts alike. Some claim wolves are still present in areas like Andújar, while others argue that the species became extinct in the region by the 1990s.

Continue reading The Status and Debate Surrounding Wolves in Southern Spain

Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies in Spain.