Parque Nacional de Doñana

Parque Nacional de Doñana occupies approximately 543,000 hectares at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river in western Andalusia, straddling the border of Huelva and Seville provinces. It holds dual UNESCO World Heritage and Biosphere Reserve designations and is considered one of the most important wetland ecosystems in Europe. The park encompasses four distinct habitats: the marismas (tidal marshlands), the cotos (stabilised dune scrubland), the moving coastal dunes, and remnant Atlantic forest patches. Each zone supports a distinct wildlife community. The marismas, flooded in winter and drying to a network of shallow lagoons in summer, hold one of Europe's most significant concentrations of migratory waterbirds — Eurasian spoonbills, purple herons, white storks, greater flamingos, and dozens of duck and wader species arrive in their hundreds of thousands during the winter season. The park is one of the last viable refuges of the critically endangered Iberian lynx, whose population has recovered here through an active breeding programme. Public access to the core zone is strictly controlled to protect sensitive habitat. The standard visit is a guided 4WD jeep tour departing from the village of El Rocío, covering approximately 70 kilometres of park tracks over 4 hours, visiting the main dune systems, marshland observation points, and areas with recorded lynx activity. Independent visitors can access the park perimeter boardwalks — the Centro de Visitantes José Antonio Valverde on the northern marshland edge has free elevated boardwalks over the marismas and is an excellent option for birdwatching without booking. The El Acebuche visitor centre near Matalascañas provides lynx programme information and a natural history display.