Northern Spain and the Pyrenees

Study Leader - Frank Almeda

Dr. Frank Almeda, McAllister Chair of Botany and Senior Curator at California Academy of Sciences, is one of our most popular trip leaders. His research in flowering plants has taken him to many countries where he also enjoys bird watching, hiking, and wildlife photography. Frank's enthusiasm, entertaining and comprehensive lectures, ...more

Summary

We begin with two nights in Barcelona and a visit to the famous monastery Montserrat, known for its extraordinary rock formations. From here, we delve into the rugged wild lands of the Pyrenees, visiting two national parks. Our visit is timed to hit the height of the wildflower season, and we will see a profusion of orchids, a rare relative of African Violets, gentians, poppies, and sunflowers. We explore the alpine forest of Parque Nacional de Aigüestortes, dotted with rugged peaks, and Lago de San Mauricio, the jewel of the Catalan Pyrenees. We continue to a lovely parador, our base for exploring Parque Nacional de Ordesa, Spain’s answer to Yosemite. Waterfalls, gorges, immense rocky cliffs, and forests comprise the landscape, above which soars the elusive endangered Lammergeier, or bearded vulture. We also visit Pamplona and Bilbao, including a visit to the incomparable Guggenheim Museum, then on to Santander. From another parador base at Santillana del Mar, we traverse the Cantabrian Mountains with the Picos de Europa along the Bay of Biscay.

Itinerary Summary

• Day 1: USA – BARCELONA, SPAIN
• Day 2: BARCELONA
• Day 3: BARCELONA
• Day 4: BARCELONA – MONTSERRAT – CARDONA
• Day 5: PARQUE NACIONAL DE AIGÜESTORTES
• Day 6: PARQUE NACIONAL DE AIGÜESTORTES
• Day 7: PARQUE NACIONAL DE ORDESA
• Day 8: PARQUE NACIONAL DE ORDESA
• Day 9: PARQUE NACIONAL DE ORDESA
• Day 10: PARQUE NACIONAL DE ORDESA
• Day 11: PARQUE NACIONAL DE ORDESA
• Day 12: PAMPLONA – BILBAO
• Day 13: SANTANDER – ALTAMIRA
• Day 14: PICOS DE EUROPA
• Day 15: SANTANDER – MADRID – USA