National Park Doñana

The Doñana Natural Park is one of the most important protected natural areas in Spain and in all of Europe. This park is located along the banks of the Guadalquivir where it flows into the Gulf of Cádiz in the southwest of the autonomous region of Andalusia. The park extends over three provinces, the largest part is in the province of Huelva and smaller parts can be found in the provinces of Seville and Cádiz. The nature reserve covers 543 km2, of which 135 km2 is a protected nature reserve. Much of the park is located in the deltas of the Guadalquivir and consists of swamps and shallow streams that partially dry up in the summer. You will also find sand dunes, extensive meadows and forests.

It is a well-known spot among bird watchers. Thanks to its location between the continents of Africa and Europe and close to both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, more than 300 different species of birds can be spotted here throughout the year. Water and sea birds but also land birds can be found here in abundance. For many migratory birds this is an important resting place between the continents. Due to this important function and the fact that some very rare species can be found here, this is the most important ecological system in Europe and placed on the Unesco heritage list.

In addition to birds, there are many animal species to be found here, horses and cows live in freedom and you can spot animals such as deer in large numbers. But the most famous is Doñana thanks to one rare species. The Lynx, Donana is one of the last places in the world where you can still spot wild lynx.

The original name is Coto de Doñana, Coto stands for hunting ground and Doñana is said to be derived from Doña Ana, the wife of the 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia. Doñana is therefore originally a hunting area. King Alfonso X used the area between the rivers Rio Tinto and Guadalquivir after his victory in 1255 as a royal hunting ground thanks to the great abundance of deer. From 1854, the ecological importance of the area has slowly become known, various biologists have visited the area and emphasized its importance. The 14th Duke of Medina Sidonia was the last owner of the family, after which it was bought in 1900 by Guillermo Garvey Capdepó. He bought the neglected area to devote it to hunting. The area remained in the family and its ecological value was increasingly recognized. Thanks to the fact that it was a private area, it was spared in Franco's times and did not fall prey to agricultural projects like the rest of the area. Ultimately, the area was bought by the Spanish government and the World Wildlife Fund in 1963 and the first nature park Doñana was created. The area has remained intact and developed until it was included in the UNESCO heritage list in 1994.

There are several ways to visit the park, with a private 4x4 tour, a public visit with the larger 4x4 vehicles in the northern or southern part or, for example, by horse and carriage. While visiting with a 4x4 vehicle, binoculars and a telescope are available to observe the amazing nature and wide variety of wildlife. The guide will tell you all about this park, its history, the four ecosystems and its unique flora and fauna. And if we are lucky, we can spot one of the wild lynxes that you can find in this area.