The sleepy town of El Rocío is like something out of a Wild West movie. Here, the neighing horses replace the sound of busy traffic, sand replaces the tarmac of busy cities, and horse-tying sticks replace parking spaces. At night, when horsemen come back from their fields, they stop at the tall tables at the bars designed to make sure that riders can stay on their horses while they enjoy a cold beer and some tapas. A visit to El Rocío is an idyllic time-travel experience.
El Rocío town
The highlight of El Rocío is undoubtedly the Ermita, the large 20th century hermitage in the town centre. The hermitage is the home of the Virgin of El Rocío, which is a small wooden statue, only with carved hands, face and Jesus. Each year a million pilgrims go on a journey to this site. While the town can feel abandoned during the week, its streets and 115 properties of hermandades (brotherhoods) come alive on weekends and holidays.
The walk along the border of the town and the close-by marshes offers a lovely view of the wetlands where pink flocks of flamingos and other birds are resting. And in the evening, semi-wild horses can be seen running through the swamps.
Tip: The town can be best explored by horseback or carriage on weekends.
El Romeral
The unpretentious town becomes a major pilgrim centre for a week in the Pentecost when millions of visitors from all over Spain come to pay respects to the Virgin of El Rocío. Pilgrims typically arrive in horse carriages decorated with traditional and religious motifs and can stay at the hermandades (brotherhoods) houses with verandas spread all over town.
Tip: Accommodation and transport is scarce in this period, so book well in advance!
Doñana National Park
A visit to El Rocío is incomplete without exploring the National Park of Doñana. Once private hunting grounds for the Spanish royalty, Doñana is now a sanctuary for the endangered Iberian lynx and wild deer, and provides an ideal resting place for countless migratory birds in the spring and summer months. The National Park boasts seven major ecosystems ranging from marshes to coastal dunes and can be visited over one very long day or better two days, at a more leisurely pace. Some areas of the park can be visited without guides, but in order to experience the park at its best, a tour is necessary. With luck, you will see the elusive lynx (sadly, we have only seen its footprints)! A visit to the southern part of the Park can be complemented with a refreshing dip in the beach of Matalascañas.
Tip: Visit in the early morning (6 am or earlier if you can afford a private tour!) to see the wildlife before it is interrupted by the tour groups.
When to visit: The best time of year to see birds is during spring and summer. If instead you want to see mammals, come in the autumn when the foliage is dry and no longer offers hideouts for the deer and other mammals.
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