Don Quixote de La Mancha by Cervantes is the most famous and internationally renowned novel from the Spanish literature. In fact, it is considered the first modern novel in the world, and it has been translated into more than 140 languages. Following the footsteps of its main character, Don Quixote, means discovering astonishing villages, landscapes and spots that remind us to the scenes of this unrivalled novel.  

We will start this tour traveling to La Mancha region, around 1.30 hrs. away from Madrid. The first stop will be in a wild lagoon, an impressive water landscape located in the middle of a dry plain of La Mancha. These lagoons have a great importance as a breeding area for a large number of birds associated with wetlands. Let us admire some species such as waders, flamingos, white-headed ducks, little ringed plovers and gull-billed terns.

A local expert will explain you the importance of this area, since many migratory birds rest in the Iberian Peninsula during their long trip in between Africa and North of Europe. Don’t worry! You will be provided with binoculars to admire all these birds.

Afterwards we will visit a small but relevant Quixote Museum that holds more than 845 editions, becoming the largest collection of this novel. The visit continues with a typical Castilian lunch, as it is described in many chapters of the novel. The tour cannot be completed without visiting Campo de Criptana, a 13th century-Manchego village that holds the famous windmills, some of them from the 16th century. It is in the 8th chapter where Cervantes narrates Don Quixote’s fight against the windmills, believing they were giants. We will visit one of these windmills and have a walk around this beautiful, picturesque village before heading back to Madrid.