Doñana National Park: the most amazing tours to enjoy its beauties

The Doñana National Park is a must-see in the province of Huelva and Seville

Discover the tours offered to enjoy the spectacular beauties of the largest roadless area in Western Europe.

Doñana National Park is the most famous National Park of Spain, and one of the two National Parks of Andalucia, together with the Sierra Nevada National Park in Granada. There are a lot of things you can do while here, so don’t miss the opportunity to know what’s waiting for you next!

The circle of life at Doñana National Park

A huge percentage of the Park is characterised by marshlands, which stay dry from July to October. As soon as autumn falls and the marshlands start filling with water, waterbirds and an 80% of Europe’s wild ducks migrate from the north to spend the winter in the warmer environment of Doñana.

During summer, the Park welcomes the famous pink flamingos, which reach Doñana to nest.

You may be left surprised by the sand dunes that border the Doñana National Park between the marshlands and the 35 km worth of coasts, from Mazagón to the mouth of the Gualquivir. The dunes form the corrales, valleys that host pines and nesting trees.

The sand is pushed towards the marshland by the wind that blows almost without interruptions in this area. Once the dunes reach the marshlands, their sand is brought by the river down to the sea, where the process starts all over again.

Another characteristic biotope of the Park is the coto, that is to say, areas of woodland and scrub, where lots of nesting birds and the majority of the mammal population of the park, live.

Tours around the Doñana National Park with all-terrain vehicles

You can enjoy the beauties of the Park thanks to various tours organised by both the visitor centres and private operators.

Cooperativa Marismas del Rocío tours

Guided tours are available at Doñana, which take place on all-terrain vehicles for up to 21 people each. You can spend four hours of your day at Doñana visiting 70 km of Doñana National Park and getting to know its major ecosystems, starting from “El Acebuche” visitor centre.

You will have to book in advance to get your ticket since the only two tours available per day can be fully booked up to one month before the scheduled date. The ticket costs 30€/person, and children that are younger than four-year-old pay 15€. You can book the tours at donanavisitas.es or by calling +34 959 43 04 32.

Doñana Reservas tours

Smaller and more accurate tours are available for those who prefer to focus on the unusual aspects of Doñana National Park. Doñana Reservas provide different tours, such as the following: 

• The Classic visit, which takes up to 4 hours to visit the northern section of the Park. It costs 28€/person, and it allows two tours per day.
• The Special Visit costs 38€, it is 5 hours long, and up to 15 people can take part in it. These kinds of visits are available once a day.
• Finally, you can choose to enjoy the marshlands and woods through a Private visit, in a group from 3 to 14 people. The tour can take half (55€/person) or the whole day (90€/person).

All tours start from Avenida La Canaliega, El Rocío.

Doñana Bird tours

Enjoy the magnificence of the more than 360 bird species of Doñana by enjoying the tours provided by Doñana Birds. Tours usually leave at 9 am and end at 6 pm, from the Plaza de España of the town of Villamanrique de la Condesa, a village in the northern area of Doñana National Park, in the province of Seville.

Doñana Nature Tours

Discover two of the ecosystems of Doñana National Park, the Coto del Rey and the marshlands, thanks to the two guided tours per day offered by the private company Doñana Nature. Each tour is 3.5-hour long. You can also book a private tour, where four people and a specialised guide can choose how to focus their visit (e.g., ornithological and photographic trips).  

Lastly, if you are more than 15 people and want to enjoy Doñana altogether, don’t miss the opportunity to go for a group tour.

Walking tours around Doñana National Park

Doñana can also be enjoyed through walking tours. If you are a bird lover, go from March to May and from September to November, when the show of the bird’s migrations will leave you breathless.

Walking tours from the Visitor Centre “El Acebuche”

As mentioned here, the visitor centre “El Acebuche” is the oldest and main visitor centre of Doñana National Park. Located 3 km far from the town of Matalascañas, it is the starting point for various walking tours:

• Laguna de Acebuche. A 1.5-km long walk takes you along the lagoon that was recovered in the 80s, and that nowadays is home to various waterbirds species.
• Lagunas del Huerto y de las Pajas. This 3.5 km-long tour helps you discover another lagoon of Doñana, which has been recently renovated to welcome lots of bird species, such as the booted eagle and the red kite.

You can check the opening hours of El Acebuche by clicking here.

Walking tours from the Information Centre “La Rocina”

Located on the same road of the visitor centre of “El Acebuche”, La Rocina hosts an exhibition dedicated to the Romería del Rocío and a film projection about the river La Rocina, a primary inlet stream that feeds the salt marshlands of Doñana.

From the Information Centre “La Rocina”, you can enjoy the Charco de la Boca walking tour, whose 3.5 km take you on the left side of the river La Rocina, populated by five birdwatching centres.

You can check the opening hours of La Rocina by clicking here.

Walking tours from the Visitor Centre “El Acebrón”

The Visitor Centre “El Acebrón” is situated 6 km far from the Rocina. The ancient palace of El Acebrón welcomes an ethnographic exhibition about Doñana, where you can discover the history and culture of the area. The walking tour which leaves from here is the Charco del Acebrón, a 1.5 km trail along the banks of the river bed carved by La Rocina stream.

Walking tours from the Visitor Centre “José Antonio Valverde”

You can enjoy the eastern side of the Park through the birdwatching spot of the visitor centre “José Antonio Valverde”. It is located next to a year-round pond, and can be accessed through El Rocío, or by driving from Villamanrique de la Condesa or La Puebla del Río towns towards northeast.

Other walking tours around the Doñana National Park

You can also explore the Doñana National Park through various walking tours.

• Raya Real, a route used El Rocío pilgrims, to which you can access by crossing the Puente (bridge) of Ajolí. This tour is a spectacular way of discovering the Coto del Rey, an extensive woodland where you can spot wildlife, such as deer and boars.
• The dune path, a 1.5km route starting from Matalascañas which evolves between the Atlantic Ocean and the sand dunes. You can follow this road for up to 30 km, until the mouth of the Guadalquivir, near the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Places to stay in Doñana

The best option to enjoy the marvellous landscapes of Doñana National Park is by staying at a holiday home. Find out the best holiday homes in the surrounding area of Doñana National Park.

You can enjoy the Doñana National Park through different tours! Choose yours and don’t let this opportunity slip through your fingers.

Have you ever been to the Doñana National Park? Which tour did you take part into? Let us know!