24 February 2019

Spanish lynx in Donana

Hello all,

I’ll be in Seville and a bunch of other places in western Andalucia for some time in March, and will try to make a trip into Donana NP. Does anyone know what the lynx spotting chances are like there? I gather that the chances are definitely higher in Andujar but unfortunately can’t make it there this time round, am also aware that it’s difficult in general but kind of looking for a scale of the chances of seeing one in Donana (“not a chance” – “should be doable, if your luck holds”).

Thanks in advance,

Shaun

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12 Comments

  • 24 February 2019
    Brett Hartl

    Make sure you aren’t in Donana when their big gypsy religious congregation is. Unless you want to look at thousands of wagons pulled by cows while thousands of people camp inside a national park with no regard for the environment. My attempt to see the lynx there in March was thwarted by that. Just FYI

  • 24 February 2019
    Pete Oxford

    Better in Andujar yes but certainly possible in Donana. However I saw them outside of the park itself.

  • 24 February 2019
    Peggy Faucher

    Doable in Donana. We saw them there last year. Best if you book a private tour as you can’t drive into the park. You can walk in. We did see them quite close to the entrance. Avoid weekends if possible.

  • 25 February 2019
    Charles Foley

    Hi Shaun, yes I agree with Peggy that a private tour is the best way to go, as they have access to areas that you can’t get to as a private individual. I think there are a couple of companies that offer full day tours by Landrover. I haven’t seen a Lynx in 4 visits to the area, but only once did I really go off the beaten path. Good luck.

    • 25 February 2019
      Mattia from Italy

      A private tour is the only way to go, because access to the best Iberian Lynx areas is forbidden to independent travellers. There are a couple of companies that offer guided days in search of “el gaton”.

      Regarding Eurasian Lynx, the Holy grail of European mammalwatching, there is a very promising place in northern Sweden, even much better than Bieszczady, but you should be prepared to sleep in a mountain hut and to move with snowshoes and ski.

      • 26 February 2019
        shoestringsafari

        Thank you very much for the additional information, will keep that in mind!

      • 27 February 2019
        Yeye

        Hi Mattia, i have been trying to find a place in Sweden for an even slight change of seeing a lynx. Do you have more details regarding northern Sweden?

        • 27 February 2019
          Antee

          This is what Mattia talking about:
          https://www.wildsweden.com/tours/lynx-expedition-wild-lapland

          I am from Sweden and finally we got a proper Lynx tour. Pioneer trip in March.
          I know where this place is and cross our fingers for good success.

          I have spent 24 hours on several nights in search for European Lynx by myself last couple of weeks in an area in southern Sweden. So far, no luck.

          And on Friday we start hunting them. 69 Lynxes will be killed the next couple of weeks.

    • 25 February 2019
      Peggy Faucher

      We booked through Doñana Nature:

      Info@donana-nature.com

      For more details check out our blog at:

      https://mrfaucher.blogspot.com/2018/03/breaking-lynx-jinx.html

  • 26 February 2019
    shoestringsafari

    Thank you all for your advice, have decided I’ll give it a shot but since the likelihood does appear quite slim only once to save money for Andujar.

  • 7 March 2019
    Yeye

    Thank you Mattia and Antee for the information. I have been in contact with Wild Sweden but I am not I can go to Northern Sweden with this short of a notice. It would be nice with some snow and lynx.
    I am also going to Uppsala, Sweden this weekend and they have seen lynx there some weeks ago but it is more luck than anything else. If nothing works out I am probably trying to get to Poland.
    I just read that all of the 69 Lynx´s are already shot here in Sweden.

  • 29 June 2019
    MVK

    I saw mine in the “coto de Rey”, just east of El Rocio. The coto del rey is the area with the highest density of Iberian lynx in the whole of Spain so that’s probably where you should be headed! It did take me 4 days to see one though but it really remains a matter of luck and perseverance :).

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