Doñana National Park Tour from Seville
If you are a lover of nature and the great outdoors, seriously consider a trip to Doñana during your holidays in Seville. Here I tell you about the different options available to complete this mission.
Doñana National Park | ©Manuel ROMARIS
Doñana is one of Spain's most impressive natural wonders. Home to fabulous creatures and incredible landscapes it is ideal for adventurous travellers looking to explore beyond the city's borders; if you're looking for the best things to do in Seville you should consider a trip to Doñana as an alternative.
In Seville you will find different excursion options with different price ranges and different itineraries. Today here are the most common types of excursions to Doñana.
Before we get into the subject, keep in mind that visiting Doñana is just one of the many excursions on offer in the city; here is a list of other interesting ideas that I recommend exploring:
1. Group excursion to Doñana National Park from Seville
When it comes to excursions to Doñana, the most common and favourite option for travellers exploring the area is a visit to the National Park from Seville. As well as being a popular adventure, it is one of the best experiences to have on a visit to Seville.
Normally, a visit to the park is combined with a stop to visit the famous village of El Rocío, a small town with sandy streets that evokes the life of times gone by, and the beach of Doñana, the coastal area of the park...
What do these excursions include?
In addition to round-trip transport from Seville to Doñana, this type of excursion includes transport in a 4x4 vehicle to the interior of the park (to facilitate exploration), the accompaniment of a professional guide during the experience and the use of binoculars to admire the animals in their natural environment and from a safe distance.
Excursions to Doñana from Seville start early in the morning in order to make the most of the day. The time and meeting point may vary depending on the company you choose and also on the time of year of your trip.
They usually start at 8:00h in the morning using a central meeting point in Seville such as Plaza Padre Jeronimo or similar.
It is important to keep in mind that this type of experience is usually offered in several languages and not only Spanish; the most common languages are English, French and Italian.
Useful information
- Price: For this type of experience adults will have to pay a base price of 79€ on average; if you are an accredited student you will receive a discounted price of approximately 59€; children from 4 years and older pay 59€ and children under 3 years pay nothing at all.
- Duration of the tour: Due to the itinerary, the minimum time required to complete the experience is at least 10 hours.
- Recommended if... you are keen to see one of Spain's most enchanting natural wonders and your travel itinerary in Seville allows you to dedicate a whole day to this adventure.
2. Cruise from Seville to Sanlúcar with a view of the Doñana Park.
Another way to experience the Doñana National Park is by taking the route along the waters of the Guadalquivir River to Sanlúcar de Barrameda. This is a fun and popular excursion for tourists who visit the area and want to see the villages near the Andalusian capital.
In the city you will find several tour operators that offer this experience, as the experience of aboat triparound Seville is another of the fun activities that this beautiful destination offers to tourists.
What do these excursions include?
It is important to keep in mind that this type of experience may vary slightly depending on the company you hire for the excursion; however, in general terms the Seville - Sanlucar de Barrameda route starts early in the morning taking as a starting point one of the most famous monuments of Seville, the Torre del Oro.
You will take the boat to Sanlúcar and on the way you will be able to see different localities among them Isla Menor and Isla Mínima; all the part of the Doñana National Park delimited by the river and also the areas of Coria and Puebla del Río.
In Sanlúcar de Barrameda you will have time to walk around at your leisure, have lunch, see the highlights of the town and start the return journey to reach Seville in the evening. In addition to transport, the excursion includes a guide who accompanies the group throughout the tour, highlighting the most interesting points.
Useful information
- Price: The adult ticket costs approximately 39€, children up to 12 years old pay a reduced rate of 20€ and adults over 65 years old pay approximately 35€.
- Duration of the tour: This is a full day tour departing from the centre of Seville early in the morning. You should reserve at least one full day of your itinerary for this adventure. It is ideal if you will be in the city for several days such as 3 days in Seville or more.
- Recommended if... The idea of taking a cruise on the waters of the Guadalquivir is appealing to you; it is also a highly recommended activity if you have visited Doñana before and are interested in seeing the park from a different point of view.
3. Private excursion to the Doñana National Park from Seville
Considered as one of the best excursionsto do from Seville, the option of a private excursion to Doñana is not surprising. This is an alternative that allows travellers to get to know the wonderful landscapes of one of the most important and protected wetlands in Spain and the rest of Europe.
What do these excursions include?
By booking a private excursion to Doñana, you and your group can enjoy the great natural beauty of this protected area, accompanied by an expert guide who accompanies you every step of the way, from the early morning departure from Seville to the return to the city in the evening.
The main difference with the group excursion is the possibility of doing the tour in a small and intimate group, with a private transport service that will pick you up directly at the hotel and the total availability of your guide to answer any questions that may arise.
Generally, private excursions have a pre-established travel itinerary in which you can request small changes to make the experience more adapted to your tastes.
Among the activities that these companies usually include are: a 4 hour excursion in the Doñana Park aboard a 4x4 transport; transfers to nearby areas of interest such as the famous village of El Rocío and time to enjoy the beach of Matalascañas, ideal if you visit Seville in summer.
Useful information
- Price: Private tours usually cost in excess of €500.
- Duration of tour: You will need to book between 10 and 12 hours for this experience. Tours leave Seville between 07h and 08h and return after sunset.
- Recommended if... you can get a good deal for a small group of several people or if you are travelling to the city as a family and value 100% personalised service. Otherwise its similarity to the group experience makes it a better value for your money to pay for the ticket to visit Doñana as a group.
4. Combined excursion: Doñana National Park with horseback riding
An alternative that you should consider is to combine the experience of the traditional excursion to the National Park with an equestrian route through Doñana.
It is certainly a very interesting option that allows you to do two of the best activities to do in Doñana in one and only one trip. As a result, you will have a more complete version of the protected area and its natural wonders.
What do these excursions include?
The main advantage of this type of excursion is that you can count on the guidance of an expert guide at all times for each of the activities you do during the day.
Depending on the company you hire, transport to and from the centre of Seville may be included, while with others you will have to make your own way to the area around Doñana.
As for the itinerary, it is important to bear in mind that the companies that carry out this type of adventure organise a day's adventure, which generally involves dividing each of these experiences into different timetables, so that one is done with the morning group and the second with the afternoon group. The order may vary from one company to another.
On the other hand, when it comes to time, on the one hand you will have the opportunity to do the 4X4 route in Doñana with an average duration of 4 hours. Before or after, depending on the itinerary, you can do the equestrian route through the fields of Doñana. This route takes an additional 2 hours to complete.
Useful information
- Price: Adults pay from €109; children and accredited students pay €59 each.
- Duration of tour: You should book between 10h and 12h for the tour.
- Recommended if... You want to experience the National Park in all its splendour and from different perspectives; bear in mind that if you cannot find a tour with transport included you will have to travel on your own or by public transport to Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
5. Excursion to Doñana National Park with tour to Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Another experience worth considering if you are on holiday in Seville is a visit to the Doñana National Park with a tour to the nearby town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Famous for its manzanilla wineries, pleasant climate and seafront horse racing, it's totally worth extending the tour to Doñana to visit this picturesque and peaceful destination.
What do these excursions include?
Combined tours to Doñana in conjunction with the Sanlúcar area are usually offered as part of a private excursion, so most of the companies offering this service include transport to and from your hotel in Seville and, of course, the necessary transport to get you around the different attractions you will be visiting on your day of adventure.
In addition to transportation and personalised service, you will be accompanied by one or more guides along the way.
It is important to keep in mind that this type of experience is offered with guides in several languages such as Spanish, English and Portuguese, so if you have friends of other nationalities travelling to Seville, don't hesitate to recommend it.
It is important that you look in detail at the description of the excursion before making the final payment, however among the attractions or points of interest that can commonly be seen during the tour of this type are: a tour of the historic centre of Sanlúcar, a trip on the Guadalquivir river either to or from Doñana and a guided tour of the famous Natural Park.
Useful information
- Price: This type of experience is usually offered as a private tour and costs around 385€ per person.
- Duration of the tour: This is a full day tour from Seville, so you will need to set aside 8 to 10 hours for the adventure.
- Recommended if... you have the budget for a private tour and the desire to explore a little further afield to make the most of your exploration of southern Spain, this combined adventure is highly recommended.
Why is a trip to Doñana worthwhile?
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, no fewer than 37 different species of mammals have been recorded within the park's boundaries, including the Iberian lynx and other endangered species.
In addition to mammals, the park has no less than 21 species of reptiles and thousands of invertebrate species, including hundreds of insects and arachnids.
In addition to the impressive wildlife, this site has been the site of historical events such as the theory that the lost city of Atlantis lies beneath the marshes of the Doñana Park.