Butterflies of Val d’Aran - Spain's Lost World

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 : Arrival in Toulouse. Transfer to Vielha. If there is enough time, we will stop on the way to the hotel at Artiga de Lin Valley. We expect to find several species, with Camberwell Beauty and Lesser Purple Emperor as main targets.

• Day 2 : Toran Valley. Our first full day will see us head to Honeria Shelter to look for Baton and Short-tailed blues. Without leaving the valley, the afternoon will be spent at Sant Joan de Toran, where we can see a variety of species, such as Southern Mountain Argus, Purple-shot and Scarce coppers, Southern Heath and Meadow fritillaries.
• Day 3 : Ruda Valley. The morning stop will be south of the town of Baqueira. We will stop near Ruda River where the meadows host various species like Apollo, Geranium Argus, Amanda’s and Turquoise blues, Lesser Marbled Fritillary and several ringlets, including Mountain, Piedmont, Large and Yellow-spotted. In the afternoon, we will follow the track up Ruda Valley towards a parking lot. There will be chances to find Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and possibly Water Ringlet if the season is advanced.
• Day 4 : Baqueira-Beret Ski resort and Port Bonaigua. At the ski resort, we will catch the cable car to reach an altitude of 2,000 m. We expect to encounter the mountain specialists Mountain Clouded Yellow, Glandon Blue and Gavarnie and Pyrenean Brassy ringlets. Without leaving the area, we will visit the surroundings of Clot del Oso lakes to see other species and to get a panoramic view of the area. In the afternoon, we will drive through Port da Bonaigua looking for Mediterranean species, with Iberian Marbled White, Black Satyr and Great Banded Grayling as the main targets.
• Day 5 : Aiguamog Valley. Without stopping in the lower sites of the valley, we will drive directly to an area at an altitude of 1800 m, where a variety of skippers, fritillaries, ringlets should be seen with Silvery Argus as the main target.
• Day 6 : Nere River. At this locality we will make three stops. We will stop near a water source with a muddy area where butterflies usually congregate. After that, we will follow the track deep into the valley. There is a meadow with various species such as Great Sooty Satyr and Purple-edged Copper. On the way out of the valley, and very close to Nere River, we will stop to search for Purple Emperor in one of the few places where it can be found in the region.
• Day 7 : Pont de la Sort. The morning stop will be near the village of Pont de la Sort, outside of Aran Valley. We will target most of the graylings and hairstreaks, species that are very restricted inside the valley.
• Day 8: Return to UK. The drive back to Toulouse will be broken by a stop at a final butterfly-rich location. Our tour may yet have a surprise up its sleeve...

As with all of our tours, we want our guests to enjoy the very best views of the very best wildlife and, as such, we think it’s important to retain a little flexibility in the holiday itinerary. This means that we may choose to swap days around to take into account local weather conditions, or the timing of the flight or flowering season we find upon arrival at our holiday destination. Rest assured, we will ensure you visit all the best sites, and we have your best interests and comfort at heart!

*We’ll meet at the airport as this is a convenient travel hub for many. However, we appreciate that some guests may have chosen to come overland via rail to Toulouse. The main railway station in town is Toulouse-Matabiau, and there is a regular (departing every 20 minutes) bus service linking the station with the airport.

https://www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/en/transports/public-transport?tabs4633=tab_4631