To access the reservoir and its surrounding steppe,turn right at km.39.2 of the N-521 road Trujillo-Cáceres, signposted “ Embalse de Guadiloba”: the asphalt road ends, just after a gravel car-parking area on the left-hand side,at the tiny río Guadiloba which emerges from the dam. Main interest is a range of steppe species, plus variety with somo waterbirds on the reservoir and dehesa species in the valley below the dam..
The reservoir lies in the snaking valley of the río Guadiloba and consequently has a complex shape,with some eastern parts only accessible by a long walk.As the area near the dam receives a relatively large number of visitors (especially fisherman) from Cáceres, and birds accordingly move to quieter areas, it can seem almost bird-free at times. When driving through the steppe towards the reservoir ,the first part which becomes visible is not visible later on and thus, although views are distant, this should be scanned as thoroughly as possible. It also almost completely lacks emergent vegetation and so greatest variety occurs in winter. When numbers of wildfowl including Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall, Wigeon and Coot occur. Cormorant numbers also increase dramatically, a large roost of Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls occurs, and Kingfisher is occasional .

Considerable additional interest however can sometimes be found in the form of waders along the shores, especially during the spring passage period, such as Black-winged Stilt, Common and Green Sandpipers and Greenshank, while Little Ringed Plover stops to breed in numbers. Terns are also occasionally present on passage including Whiskered and Gull-billed . From mid-late April the site is good for Collared Pratincole along the rather barren shores, which has tried to breed on the first main spit visible below the road, but heavy disturbance from cars usually means that they move off by mid-May, and variable water levels can result in different areas being used in different years. Little Tern has breed on occasion here, though usually higher up in quieter parts of the reservoir. Although scarce Little and Cattle Egrets often pass through in small numbers. Finally, large concentrations ( + 100) of Black Stork have occurred here in autumm

The Surrounding steppe can be of considerable year-round interest, especially in the form of a variety of raptors. Spring sees Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Montagu´s Harrier and Lesser Kestrel hunting over the open steppe almost anywhere throughout the area, while fly-overs by Black and Griffon Vultures and Black Kite are regular and Egyptian Vulture and Golden Eagle occasional. Passage periods see occasional Marsh Harrier and Osprey moving through, while in winter, Hen Harrier and Merlin may be present.

Other steppe species here include Great and Little Bustards, small numbers of Black Bellied Sandgrouse and Stone-Curlew and Calandra Lark, which except for the former are most likely in spring, and in the huge area beyond the reservoir. This is only accessible by continuing down to the end of the road, carefully crossing the river below the dam, then following one of the tracks beyond this up to the top of the small hill beyond. The track up to the right passes through a generally open pair of gates and continues up for c.1.5 km to the hill-top ahead next to some sort of concrete-covered solar-powered well. Apart from the change of Sandgrouse or Little Bustard on the way up, scanning from here over the huge areas of steppe now visible can reveal any of these species (albeit in generally small numbers) and also allows very distant views of some of the upper parts of the reservoir. Alternatively, just after crossing the river, trn left to walk for a few hundred metres through open dehesa and alongside the lusher river vegetation . The deeper pools and fringing rushes,etc…are attractive to a number of species including breeding Kingfisher, nightingale, Zitting Cisticola, Cetti´s and Sardinian Warbler, a few migrant Reed, Sedge and Subalpine Warbler.