Almonte: Nature, Culture and Trails in the Doñana Area

The Acantilado del Asperillo is a geological natural monument in Almonte and part of the Doñana Natural Park. It is the highest cliff of its kind in Europe. In the western part of the Doñana Natural Park, the Médano del Asperillo is a sandy coastal area with a natural viewpoint reaching up to 112 metres above sea level. The Doñana National Park, associated with Almonte, encompasses dunes, pine forests, marshes, lagoons and wildlife reserves that provide a habitat for hundreds of bird species as well as the Iberian lynx.

The direct destinations on this page are Matalascañas and El Rocío.

Routes and access

The Ruta Torres de Almenara is an urban route with beach sections. The Ruta de las Yeguas is designated as an urban and rural route; in Almonte, it includes the town entrance on the Camino de los Llanos, the Monumento de las Yeguas and the Recinto Ganadero.

From Almonte, the A-483 leads towards El Rocío and Matalascañas and provides access to the Doñana area. Without their own vehicle, visitors can take buses to El Rocío or Matalascañas to reach the visitor centres La Rocina, El Acebuche and Palacio del Acebrón, all located within the municipality of Almonte.

Culture and history

The Pinacoteca Jorge Camacho is a municipal art gallery in Almonte with an educational focus. The Museo de la Villa is housed in an 18th-century oil mill known as the Molino de Cepeda and presents aspects of the traditional culture of the municipality of Almonte and its connection with Doñana National Park. Parts of the original mill machinery, as well as pits and vessels for storing oil, have been preserved there.

The Museo del Vino de Almonte is housed in a late-19th-century wine-cellar complex and presents the history and production of wines from Almonte; the visit includes the opportunity to taste wine. Almonte’s Casa Consistorial town hall dates from the 16th century, was inaugurated in 1612, extended with a second floor in 1614 and remodelled in 1795.

The original temple was built between the 15th and 16th centuries and preserves a Mudéjar-style chapel. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the temple was remodelled, giving it its present-day Baroque appearance. The Gothic-Mudéjar baptistery preserves an early Christian tombstone from the year 495 and a baptismal font from the year 1500.

Traditions and religious sites

Saca de las Yeguas is a tradition that has taken place for centuries on 26 June, during which the Yegüerizos from Almonte drive the livestock grazing in various parts of the Doñana Natural Area to Almonte. It passes through the streets of Almonte and ends at the Recinto Ganadero “Huerta La Cañada”, where traditional work involving horses takes place.

La Venida de la Virgen takes place every seven years; during this event, the town centre of Almonte houses the image of the Virgen del Rocío from 20 August until two weeks before the Romería del Rocío. During the Virgen del Rocío’s nine-month stay in Almonte, more than 100 affiliated brotherhoods make pilgrimages there at weekends; religious and cultural events are also organised.

The Ruta del Traslado passes through twelve notable points along a 15-kilometre route between the Ermita de El Rocío and the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in the town of Almonte.

Forest and nature interpretation

The Museo Forestal de Almonte is located in a 60-hectare pine forest, where visitors can connect with the natural surroundings. The Centro de Interpretación del Lince Ibérico offers a tour through six rooms featuring audiovisual media, graphics, texts and dioramas.

At the Centro de Interpretación del Pino Piñonero, visitors can view the inside of a huge pine trunk. The Museo Forestal’s adventure park comprises 162 suspended structures at a height of eight metres.

For the broader travel overview: Huelva.

More about the destination

Relevant information for planning your trip:

Plan Almonte: El Rocío, Doñana and Atlantic beaches.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Punta Umbría, Calañas, Higuera De La Sierra, Alájar, Aroche.