A few extra points to those made by earlier reviewers about visiting the Donana WHS.

a. There are still unanswered “issues” regarding the inscribed boundaries of this WHS which create a problem if you want to ensure that you not only see its “natural environment” but also actually cross into the inscribed area. The 2005 WHC agreed a “Minor boundary modification” which was said to “bring the boundaries of the World Heritage property in line with the extended National Park; thus the total area of the World Heritage property will be 54,251.7 ha”. The following map titled “Boundary as extended by the 29th session of the WHS” (sic) was then lodged with UNESCO. Nb the “shape” of the NW of the Parque around El Rocio – a straight line following the A483 to the coastal developments.

b. However, maps of the Parque Nacional (PN) which we saw at visitor centres did not coincide with these boundaries. These 2 examples of maps on the Web are the same as the ones displayed in the PN - first  and second.

c. The "problem" area is the “panhandle” stretching NW from the La Rocina visitor centre. The UNESCO map doesn’t include it, but the Maps of the PN do! Furthermore, all descriptions of the current area of the PN describe its “Superficie total” (which presumably includes the “panhandle”) as being 54.252 ha i.e the same as the “extended” WHS!!! E.g from the same web site as the first map. How can the WHS have the same total area as the NP, have been extended to have the same boundaries as it and yet not include this “panhandle”? N.b The "panhandle" is clearly described as being a part of the "Parque Nacional" rather than the "Parque Natural" - if it were part of the latter then it could not, of course, be a part of the WHS.

c. The “panhandle” area contains nice walking trails (E.g the La Rocina trail described below by David Berlanda. See also.) and you will be able to see much of the bird life you would see inside the main NP area. But do they take you INSIDE the WHS? Depending on how important actually getting inside the WHS boundary is to you, then you could take the “risk” of limiting your visit to the “panhandle” or else look for other means of ensuring that you actually go within the WHS boundary as shown by the “official” UNESCO map!

c. Trips inside that “UNESCO Map” inscribed area are only provided by authorised concessionaires in special vehicles - at a cost. But here too you will need to check that any tour you are about to take actually goes inside the “official” WHS - their descriptions can be rather “vague” on the matter. The first 3 sections in the following link are, I think, the only ones which go into that area. I am not sure about the “WHS validity” of the 4th section titled “Other Itineraries”!

d. We took the “Itinerary North” provided by the agency “Discovering Donana” departing from El Rocio. It lasted 8 am to noon (Eur 30 pp. It does offer more expensive options for 4 to 6 people in smaller vehicles but there were not enough customers on the day of our visit for any of these to run). Even this only spends a relatively small time inside the “official” WHS. Using the "first" map above. it goes eastward from El Rocio along (but outside!!) the fence of the PN (albeit inside the “Parque Natural”) before turning south through a gate into the PN/WHS (the brown coloured area) for a short distance - when it crosses the boundary fence again and runs along (but outside!!) it all the way to the Jose Antonio Valverde Visitor Centre (VVC. Which is itself situated outside the PN on its boundary). It returns through the PN the same way (but follows slightly different trails in the Parque Natural back to El Rocio). The tracks followed are clearly visible on Google Maps. But n.b - Google shows incorrect boundaries for the PN by including a large area NW of El Rocio which is not included in any of the other maps I have cited above and is, I believe actually in the “Parque Natural”!  

e. The trip was “ok” - or as “ok” as one inside a noisy “all terrain” bus, viewing through window glass and with some 15- 20 other people can be! It takes you to 2 types of Donana environment - woodlands and marshes (but not the dunes which are in the south). The guide knew his stuff (and the bird names in Spanish, English, French, German and even Dutch!!). We saw all the birds one would expect plus (thanks to the guide) a few of the smaller, less common, rarities and “specialities” (e.g Marbled Teal). The guide claimed that, just the previous day, the same trip had a “glimpse” of a lynx in the forest area.  If you are wanting both to visit inside the WHS AND birdwatch I would suggest taking it (or similar) to get a feel for the NP and its wildlife and then “doing your own thing” outside the WHS parts of the NP on walks or by car on another day (We only gave Donana a morning, plus an evening and a few midday hours in the town of El Rocio which was particularly interesting as pilgrims with horses, caravans, traditional musicians etc etc were beginning to congregate for the Romeria later in the week).

f. The VVC IS reachable by car on dirt tracks from the north (E.g Villa Manrique de la Condesa) - it has a car park for such visitors so, in the dry at least, it should be ok. You could walk/drive (albeit outside the PN) and get into the “Marisma” area.

g. An aspect which intrigued us is the almost total absence of any recognition given to the site’s “UNESCO WHS” status when you are actually there! The boundary of the WHS goes right up to the “promenade” in El Rocio overlooking a lake – an ideal place one might have thought for a plaque. But there is nothing. And when you cross from the “Parque Natural” to the “Parque Nacional” again nothing - albeit that there are other signs at the crossing which could have shown a logo etc! Inside the VVC there are plenty of notices festooned with the Parque’s other “memberships” (Ramsar etc) but I found only 1 showing the UNESCO logo. Our guide said that there used to be a plaque and even a certificate on the wall but he didn’t know why or when they were moved - and neither did the VVC attendant. Perhaps they have been moved to one of the other visitor centres?