I visited this WHS in July 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic I had to cancel my trip initially planned for May and although I had already paid in full for a morning tour with Doñana Reservas, they duly refunded me the full amount within days. So this time round, I was glad to book a 4 hour morning tour inside the fenced off core area close to El Rocio.

Solivagant did an excellent job in his review to meticulously describe the subtle yet very confusing difference of the inscribed or non-inscribed areas as well as the discrepancies between the Spanish maps and the UNESCO maps. So when preparing for my trip, I made sure to print the UNESCO map and keep a digital copy of it on my mobile phone for reference, just in case.

I immediately noticed that the inhabited sandy beach town of Matalascañas was obviously not part of the inscribed area, but there was a freely accessible trail starting from the sand dunes area. These trails are readily accessible from the Playa del Coto beach right at the edge of Matalascañas and are fenced off. So after parking my car in the shade at the nearby Gran Hotel del Coto, my better half went for a swim while I registered my name with the national park ranger on duty and braved the scorching heat of the afternoon sun, glad I was back inside the inscribed area. Even though the early afternoon is not the best time for birdwatching, apart from the several species of gulls, I managed to spot Savi’s Warbler, Bee-Eater, Hoopoe, Purple Heron and a Red Kite. My highlight was managing to track a number of clear Iberian Lynx pawprints after almost an hour of hiking under the 40 degrees sunshine, where most of the wooden boardwalk was covered by the sand dunes. At first I seriously thought it was merely a mirage caused by the slight state of dehydration I was in, but I have photos to prove it and the ranger on duty confirmed that about 30 minutes away from the spot I marked on my mobile, there was a small water source which is frequently visited by this elusive animal. Even though I didn't spot the animal itself, I was still overjoyed to have tracked its pawprints on my own (by sheer luck!).

With Donana Reservas, I chose the 4 hour classic tour (30 euros) which takes you to the Pinares de Coto del Rey, the Matasgordas cork oaks, the Marisma de Hinojos and the José A. Valverde Visitor Centre with a green bus 4WD vehicle (a bit like the ones used on Fraser Island, Australia). The only advantage, if any, of using such a vehicle is that you're well above the horizon to spot far away bird species with the aid of the group telescope (binoculars are also given to you for the trip if you don't have your own). The only reason why I opted to go for such a tour is to be able to actually enter the core zone near the El Rocio area too. The same birds we spotted during the tour (if not more, overall!), we managed to spot at the La Rocina (best hides for us were the first two named Charco de la Roca and El Paraguas) and Palacio de Acebron visitor centres (exactly outside the core insribed area) - Glossy Ibis, Pink Flamingoes, Egrets, Purple and Grey Heron, Storks, Avocets, Black Winged Stilts, Pochards, a Roller, Spoonbills, Great Crested Grebe, etc. The only exception and highlight of the tour for us was the rare Spanish Imperial Eagle but probably it could have easily been seen also outside the core area. Just after parking your car at the La Rocina visitor centre, make sure to look out for the UNESCO metal inscription plaque!

We really enjoyed our short time in Donana National Park WHS, even though we only scraped the surface of the vast protected area. The area seems very well protected and in very good health too for a European natural WHS.