Spain: El Taray

Just 1½ hours south of Madrid, El Taray offers plenty of opportunities to photograph birds of prey from over 30 hides — including the majestic Spanish Imperial Eagle.

A sprawling 1,100-hectare private estate near Quero, Toledo, El Taray in Spain is a wonderful bird-photography destination, offering access to over 30 purpose-built hides – including options for floating hides – set across diverse habitats that attract more than 180 species annually. I visited specifially to get photos of the Spanish Imperial Eagle, but this location offers the chance for some rare sights – suck as Snake Eagles, Bonnelli’s Eagle and even Black Storks.

Map of the many photo hides at El Taray

The hides at El Taray are comfortable, equipped with chairs and large one-way glass windows that allow excellent views of the wildlife while keeping you well-concealed. The animals have only limited visibility into the hides, but they can still perceive movement and silhouettes through the glass. For the best experience, it’s recommended to wear dark clothing and keep movements to a minimum to avoid disturbing them. During the summer I recommend shorts and a t-shirt – it will get warm.

The glass itself is of good quality, though you do lose about one stop of light and there’s a slight orange tint in the images. In practice, this isn’t a major issue—I found it worked perfectly well, as long as you’re prepared to increase the ISO a little in low-light conditions.

The standard type of hides at El Taray

I booked my stay directly through hideseltaray.com, which made the whole process very straightforward. They arranged everything—access to the hides, transport from Madrid Airport, transfers between the hotel and hides, and even the accommodation. Communication before the trip was in English, which worked well.

On site, the local guide spoke very little English, so having a translation app at hand is useful. Despite the language barrier, he was exceptionally helpful, and with the aid of translation apps, hand gestures, and the support of a few Spanish-speaking photographers, everything went smoothly.

The daily routine at El Taray is well structured: the guide picks you up from the hotel before sunrise and drives you to the first hide. Around midday you return to the hotel, where you can rest at the air conditioning hotel room to avoid the hottest hours of the day. In the late afternoon, you’re taken out again to a different hide, staying until sunset before heading back to the hotel for dinner in the nearby village. This schedule not only maximizes your time in the hides during the most active wildlife hours, but also makes the stay surprisingly comfortable given the summer heat.

I can highly recommend El Taray to any wildlife photographer. Before making travel plans, it’s a good idea to contact them directly—they can advise you on the best time of year to visit, depending on the species you’d most like to photograph. That way, you’ll maximize your chances of seeing and capturing the birds that interest you most.