With a good chance of cubs
Iberian lynx frenzy in Spain – additional departure added
With guideBrutus Östling
Brutus Östling
- Dates
- 23 Sept – 30 Sept 2027
- Duration
- 8d / 7n
- Group size
- 5
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Price
- From 3,050 EUR · ≈ $3,410 USD
Trip description
Additional departure with one extra hide session.
Join Brutus and FocusRAW to La Mancha and Andalusia to photograph the rare Iberian lynx, with great chances to also photograph Iberian lynx cubs.
The sun sinks over Andalusia's rolling hills. A golden light still illuminates the barren landscape. In the Spanish dehesa – the sparse woodland where ancient oaks cast long shadows – stillness reigns. The air is saturated with the scent of dry earth, wild thyme and sun-warmed lavender. Everything seems to slumber in the last warmth of evening.
But then the silence is broken. Though it is not a sound, rather a change in the atmosphere. A presence.
Out of the dense thicket comes the Iberian lynx. Perhaps the world's most endangered cat moves like a shadow across the dry ground. Each step is perfectly calculated, completely silent.
The Iberian lynx's coat is a masterpiece of nature's camouflage: a light sandy base densely scattered with coal-black, distinct spots that blend into the play of shadows from the oaks. The most striking thing is her face. The characteristic, long black ear tufts cut through the air like two small spears, constantly in motion to catch nature's slightest whisper. Around her cheeks hangs the bushy, characteristic beard that gives her an almost mystical expression.
She pauses on a rock. Her bright and penetrating gaze sweeps across the terrain. When the amber eyes for a brief moment meet our camera openings, time stands still. It is a gaze filled with the lynx's power and a deep watchfulness. In that moment it becomes obvious why this animal is the Iberian Peninsula's true pride.
As quickly as she appeared, she turns around. With a feather-light leap she glides down from the rock and is swallowed by the dimming thicket.
Our photography trip will spend time in two different areas. Brutus and Agneta have visited both, Brutus a couple of times, and FocusRAW has even brought a photographer group to one of the places, we made an unannounced extension of a vulture-feast trip.
The images below are Brutus and Agneta's pictures from the two areas, but we have also asked to borrow a few pictures of Iberian lynx cubs from the hide owner - a handful of pictures at the very bottom among the images.
We will in fact make this trip when there is a great chance to see cubs in front of the hides. From mid-July the cubs usually come to the waterholes, in recent years they have been possible to photograph from mid-July to October, there are of course no guarantees. However, it is close to a guarantee on Iberian lynx. - Moreover: with two different areas the probability increases, at both places cubs can usually appear from the beginning or middle of July.
Brutus has sat in the hides on fourteen different occasions and had Iberian lynx on nine of the sessions. Agneta a few fewer times but as usual with even greater luck.
We have booked seven plus six hide sessions, that is, 13 sessions in total. We believe that is more than anyone else has. That is perhaps also why the price is a thousand kronor higher.
A little over a hundred years ago there were around 100,000 individuals in the region, but during the 20th century the population collapsed dramatically due to hunting, changed agriculture and a lack of food. Around the turn of the millennium the species was extremely close to extinction with fewer than 100 individuals left in the wild. In 2012 the Iberian lynx was considered the world's most endangered cat species. Thanks to intensive and long-term conservation efforts, the species has managed to make a truly historic recovery. The population has now passed over 2,000 individuals on the Iberian Peninsula.
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is smaller than our Swedish lynx. It usually weighs between nine and fifteen kilos.
Unlike its larger relatives, the Iberian lynx is an extremely specialized hunter whose survival depends on a single main prey species, wild rabbits that make up over 80 percent of the Iberian lynx's total food. When diseases such as rabbit plague struck the rabbit populations it led to an acute starvation catastrophe for the lynxes.
The Iberian lynx thrives best in open, dry scrubland and in the typical Mediterranean forests with cork oak. Today the largest populations are in Andalusia but also in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. We also find the Iberian lynx in the large wetland area of Doñana.
The first place is a large estate area in La Mancha, a 2,260-hectare property located very close to the northernmost hills of the Sierra Morena mountain range.
The estate borders the Autovía del Sur (southern motorway) in the west and actually has its own exit to this vast property. The estate has always been a well-known property for its high density of partridges and wild rabbits.
Most hides are dug into the ground, with a waterhole in front of them where the lynxes come to drink. The photography distance is 7-8 meters at these locations, which makes 300 or 400 mm telephoto lenses suitable.
The second place is in a very reliable Iberian lynx area. And it is not just a place to photograph lynx. It is a private property in Sierra de Andújar managed by the veterinarian Antonio to benefit the species, the place is an authorized active conservation project and an experience created for photographers, naturalists and travelers. It is in fact the only place authorized by regional authorities for this.
Some advice and rules of conduct:
- Bring your own tripod and tripod head as well as all usual photographic equipment.
- Dark or camouflage-colored clothing is a must in the hides. Avoid bright colors.
- The hides at the latter place do not have one-way glass. You photograph directly through the openings, which gives considerably better image quality, but also means that clothing choice, silence and careful movements are extra important.
- Do not use perfume, aftershave or products with a strong scent.
- Photography with flash is not permitted.
- Mobile phones must be completely silent, and sound as well as movements inside the hides should be kept to an absolute minimum.
- Comfortable shoes and layered clothing are recommended, especially for the early morning and evening sessions.
- It is also good to bring enough batteries, memory cards and other equipment that may be needed during long photography sessions.
Price & booking
Clear pricing. Small groups. Focus on the images.
Early bird price
3,050EUR
≈ $3,410 USD
per person · Shared double room
Normally 3,250 EURSave 200 EUR
Valid until 26 November 2026
21 days left
Booking deposit500 EUR
Travel guarantee included
You’ll get confirmation and next steps by email.
Photo gallery
Itinerary
Day 1:
We meet at Madrid airport no later than 12:30. In two rental cars or the Fokus VW Caravelle bus, we drive to the area in La Mancha where the trip begins. We check in at the hotel around 15:00.
At 17:00 we head to the large private reserve where we will be spending the coming days for a first hide session.
Day 2 and day 3 and day 4:
We leave our hotel around 6:00 and bring a breakfast package to have in the hides. The morning hide session begins just before daybreak and we sit for 3-4 hours.
Lunch near the hotel. Each person pays for this themselves.
Afternoon/evening session in the hide from around 17:30 until it gets dark, 3-3.5 hours. We bring something to eat or eat on our return.
In the area there are more than ten hides and almost all have toilets.
Day 5:
Either we have our only free morning of the trip and have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before we pack up our things and head to the second area, around two hours south in Andalusia. Or, with luck, we can sit in the hide this morning as well.
Around 15:00 we check in at the new accommodation.
Here we will be staying very centrally, inside the hide area itself, at the "lodge" located just under 100 meters from the hides.
At 18:00 we walk the short distance to the hides. We have booked the main hide, but we will be able to switch to one of the side hides during some sessions, if we wish. However: the main hide is the most central. There is a proper toilet in the hide building. And we choose ourselves how long we want to sit. You can leave the hide whenever you want and go up to the "lodge". On the two different occasions Brutus Östling visited this place - one time with a group - he has sat until around 22:00-24:00. There is lighting at night. (Some hides have been rebuilt since April when we were last there with a group; two hides are now dug into the ground so that you can photograph from ground level.)
Day 6 and day 7:
Breakfast at 6:00. At 6:30 we walk down to the hides and sit for as long as we like.
Lunch at 13:30.
At 18:00 we walk down to the hides again and sit for as long as we have the desire and energy. We bring a package of evening food and drinks.
Day 8:
Breakfast at 6:00
Hide session at 6:30
We leave the hides no later than 11:00, pack up our things and drive towards Madrid airport, around 3-3.5 hours.
The trip ends at the airport. There are usually late flights to Copenhagen or other flights to Stockholm/Oslo. No flights earlier than 18:30.
Subject to minor changes and price increases from our suppliers; we have this year's prices.
Practical information
Dates
23 - 30 September 2027
**Regular price: ** SEK 35,400 / €3,250
**Early-bird price until 25 November 2026: ** SEK 33,400 / €3,100
Booking deposit
SEK 5,000, €500, see below.
Photographic leader
Brutus Östling
Number of participants
Min 5 / Max 5 - if we have a couple sharing a double bed
Included in the price
Accommodation, shared double room, essentially all meals with a few exceptions, see the daily program.
Transport from the airport, to the various hides and return to Barcelona airport
Eight hide days and guiding by our photographic leader. Seven nights.
Accommodation
The accommodation at the first place is incredibly charming and pleasant, with a receptionist who makes you simply love him for his helpfulness. The accommodation has a rating of 9.3 out of ten. Very personally but tastefully decorated. Despite its size, it has an elevator. Wifi at the hotel, worked well even in the rooms when we stayed there. Guest-friendly staff with a café on the ground floor, but open only for us.
At the second place we stay at the lodge; there is a pool, but it is probably just us and perhaps one or two others staying there. Meals are arranged by Shary, really lovely, she is also one of the guides to the hides. With the ability to improvise, for example, vegetarian meals, as long as she is told a little in advance.
Almost all meals except one or two are included in the price - according to the daily program.
Not included in the price
Flights to and from Madrid, any tips, insurance and other items of a personal nature. Cancellation protection.
The meals not mentioned.
Single supplement applies
SEK 4,500 / €430
Start and end of the trip
The trip begins and ends at Madrid airport, exact time to be announced later.
Camera equipment
Focal lengths and lenses, and I am now assuming full frame: everything from 24 mm for landscapes to longer. But 95% of the time you use from 100 to 400 mm. Teleconverter for close-ups. Tripod and tripod head must be brought.
Clothing
A warm jacket may be needed early in the morning and in the evening, though sometimes it can get really hot.
Hide clothing
In the hides we should wear black or dark sweaters, if possible with long sleeves. Thin dark fingerless gloves are great, the light-colored fingers are easily visible through the hide glass, but it is not strictly necessary.
Availability
The accommodation and hides have some limitations in terms of accessibility if you have mobility impairments, especially at place number 2. The areas we move around in for photography may involve reduced accessibility with reduced mobility. Feel free to call us and ask.
Visa/Passport
Swedish citizens do not need a visa but must have a passport. A passport is required at check-in for flights.
Payment terms
The payment terms differ from our general travel terms. The booking deposit is paid by invoice in connection with registration.
The booking deposit is SEK 5,000 / . This is non-refundable in case of cancellation.
By 17 February 2027 at the latest, a further SEK 5,000 is paid, and the remainder is paid 30 days before the trip begins. The booking deposit is never refunded in case of cancellation. For cancellations later than 17 February 2027, Fokus retains both the booking deposit and the SEK 5,000 paid by 17 February at the latest. If payment is late but cancellation occurs after 17 February 2027, Fokus has the right to demand the overdue payment of the amount then due.
For cancellations later than 30 days before the workshop, the full price is charged even if not everything has been paid on time.
Our price is calculated based on a euro exchange rate of SEK 10.75 (21 April 2026).
Additional travel terms for this trip:
Our price is calculated based on at least 5 participants and a euro exchange rate of SEK 10.75 (21 April 2026). The price is based on 2026 prices; no price increase has been announced, but if the hotel or hide provider raises the price, Fokus may charge a minor increase corresponding to this price increase, however at most SEK 2,000. For a higher increase, the traveler has the right to cancel free of charge.
We want to avoid having to cancel a trip. In order to be able to carry out a trip with too few participants, we have a price surcharge for few participants. Then we can still carry it out.
With fewer than 5 photographers, Fokus has the right to charge SEK 2,000 extra per participant. With fewer than 4 participants, Fokus has the right to charge each participant SEK 3,000 extra.
Subject to obvious or minor errors.
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