Doñana and
the Strait of Gibraltar

Luis Miguel Ruiz Gordon, Santuario Nuestra Señora del Rocío
The Strait of Gibraltar, meeting point of two continents, is a unique place for the thousands of birds that undertake their migratory journey north each spring, only to cross again at the end of the summer, this time headed south in search of warmer climes to spend the winter.A few kilometers from here, following the coast west, we find another fascinating enclave: the Doñana Natural Reserve, declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. This is the most important marsh and protected area in Spain: made up of a mosaic of ecosystems, wetlands, pine forests, Mediterranean scrub, beaches and moving dunes which house a large variety of animal species and plants. It also has the greatest population of Iberian lynx, considered the most endangered mammal in all of Europe.