37.13° N · 6.48° W
The village of El Rocío facing the marshes, free trails at La Rocina and El Acebrón, and the national park by 4x4 or boat with the two official operators.
Part of Horse riding routes in Spain
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Guided off-road vehicle · 3.5–4 h · Beach, dunes and marsh · €35 adults, €20 ages 4 to 8 · By reservation
Walk · 1 h · Free · The white shrine facing the marsh and a village without tarmac
Boat and guided walk · 2 h 30–2 h 45 · €30 adults, €20 ages 5 to 12 · Departs from Bajo de Guía, on the Cádiz bank
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
October to April, when the marsh has water and winter birds. In summer the marsh dries out and it is hot. During the Pentecost pilgrimage the village fills up and there are no park visits.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
You get to El Rocío by car from Seville or Huelva in under an hour, and you need the car to move between the village, La Rocina, El Acebrón and El Acebuche, which are on the same road but several kilometres apart. You can't enter the national park in your own car: you park at El Acebuche and continue in the operator's 4x4.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
For going with children, El Rocío works on its own: sand streets with horses, the marsh with flamingos in front and flat, short trails. The 4x4 through the park is long, almost four hours, but with beach, dunes and stops.
With small children, stay on the edge of the park: the marsh in front of the village, the La Rocina boardwalks and the Acebrón forest. Everything is flat, short and with animals in sight. Leave the four-hour 4x4 for when they are older, or do it in the morning and with water.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Thirty marsh-style rooms on the Plaza del Acebuchal, next to the hermitage, many with views of the marsh; restaurant and breakfast with local produce.
Why we like it: Two rocío houses turned into a hotel on Calle Sanlúcar, facing the marsh and near the hermitage, with carefully designed rooms and the LaBoca restaurant.
Why we like it: Campsite in El Rocío, at the entrance to the village, with pitches, bungalows, marsh huts, a pool, a mesón restaurant and horse stables.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| El Rocío | The hermitage, the sandy streets and the marsh promenade | |
| La Rocina and El Acebrón | Free trails along the stream and through the woods, 2 and 9 km away | |
| El Acebuche | Departure point of the 4x4s into the national park, about 15 km away |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: ortiguillas from La Rocina to start, the ragout or the rangers'-house-style mostrenca, and the Doñana dessert
What to order: the creamy mostrenca rice, the mostrenca cannelloni or the Punta Umbría squid, and poleá with Doñana honey for dessert
What to order: something seasonal from the traditional cooking menu and a Condado de Huelva wine.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
36.78° N · 6.35° W
By carCar-free
37.47° N · 5.64° W
By carCar-free
37.89° N · 6.56° W
By car
37.12° N · 7.65° W
By carCar-freeBy bikeBy campervan
Tips
Places are limited and they sell out on long weekends.
It is when there are most birds and the heat is lowest.
Mosquitoes appear in spring and autumn.
During the pilgrimage and large gatherings, the village is a different place.
Do the 4x4 in the morning, have lunch in El Rocío and leave La Rocina for the afternoon: the trail stays open until dusk.
Doñana is the great wetland of southern Europe: marshes, shifting dunes, pine woods and thirty kilometres of unspoilt beach between Matalascañas and the mouth of the Guadalquivir. El Rocío is the village that looks out over it, with sandy streets, brotherhood houses and the white hermitage at the water's edge. For a traveller, what matters is knowing what you can see on your own and what only with the authorised companies.
There are two Doñanas. The surroundings, which include the marsh in front of El Rocío and the visitor centres with their trails, can be explored freely and for free. The heart of the national park is closed to traffic: you can only enter with one of the two official operators.
Be wary of other offers promising to "enter the national park": on your own you see the surroundings, which are extensive and very good, but the interior only with these two.
From Seville, about 65 km and a little under an hour along the A-49 towards Huelva, exit for Bollullos and Almonte and then the A-483 to El Rocío. From Huelva, just under an hour, along the A-49 towards Seville to Bollullos or along the coast, via Mazagón and Matalascañas. From Cádiz it is about two hours via Seville; for people coming from Cádiz or Jerez, the Sanlúcar boat, on the other bank, is more practical. There is no bridge or direct road between El Rocío and Sanlúcar.
In El Rocío, on the streets at the entrance or next to the marsh, and then on foot: the streets are sand and it is not worth taking the car in. The La Rocina, El Acebrón and El Acebuche visitor centres have their own car parks. You can only reach them in your own vehicle.
One day covers the village and the marsh first thing, the 4x4 from El Acebuche (from 8:30 until midday) and, in the afternoon, one of the trails at La Rocina or El Acebrón. With a night you see the sunset over the marsh, with the hermitage lit up, and have another morning for the second trail or the beach. If you are going with small children, stay in the surroundings: the 4x4 takes almost four hours.
From October to April. With the autumn rains the marsh fills with water and the winter birds arrive; in spring there are flowers and chicks. In summer the marsh dries out, it is very hot and, depending on the operator, there are days with no Sunday departures. Beware of the El Rocío pilgrimage, at Pentecost, and the large pilgrimages: the village fills up, accommodation prices rise and there are no visits to the park.
To the surroundings, yes, on a lead: the streets of El Rocío and the marsh promenade. To the national park, no: the law does not allow domestic animals and the two operators do not accept them. Ask at your accommodation, because few take them.
For Sunday lunch, Aires de Doñana, facing the marsh, with free-range beef. The Toruño del Rocío Restaurant, on the Plaza del Acebuchal, is open every day at lunchtime and in the evening. For a special meal, LaBoca, the restaurant at the Hotel La Malvasía.
Questions
Not the national park: only with Doñana Visitas from El Acebuche or with the Real Fernando boat from Sanlúcar. The La Rocina, El Acebrón and El Acebuche trails and the El Rocío marsh are free to visit.
The 4x4 tour costs €35 (€20 for ages 4 to 8) and the boat from Sanlúcar €30. The trails at the visitor centres are free.
A little under an hour by car, about 65 km along the A-49 and the A-483.
The hermitage and the marsh in the morning, the 4x4 into the park or the Charco de la Boca trail, and the sunset over the marsh.
Yes, especially from autumn to spring, when the marsh has water, sometimes just a few metres from the promenade.
Yes, most of the year. Doñana Visitas does not run on Sundays from June to September or on Mondays from October to February.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/donana-and-el-rocio
