The Land of the Basques

The Land of the Basques is a customised tour outfit operating roughly an hour from Bilbao in northern Spain's Basque Country, with birding handled under its Ulle Gorri Travel brand. Trips are kept small — a maximum of eight travellers — and built around protected raptor and forest-bird sites in the region. Guiding is anchored by co-owner Iñaki Belauste with a roster of contracted specialists including ornithologists Andoni de Llosa, Sergio de Juan and nature guide Begoña Valcárcel. Tours run in English, Spanish and French and lean towards bespoke programmes rather than fixed departures.