The first trip that I am going to report was a long walk though the beaches of the Doñana National Park. As you may know, the Doñana National Park is one of the largest of Europe. It is located between the provinces of Huelva, Sevilla, and Cadiz. It has a huge variety of different landscapes, flora and fauna. Part of the park, is the unexploited beach between Matalascañas and Sanlucar de Barrameda (in Cadiz). It is one of the most beatiful beaches that I have ever seen. It is only accessible on foot or by bike, starting from any of these towns. In the middle, it is surrounded by the Doñana Park that is restricted to visitors.
We started our trip from Matalascañas a bit late; about 4pm in the afternoon. It was summertime and we overlooked the real distance between Matalacañas and Sanlucar (60km, both ways). The tide was low that day. I was perfect for walking. The weather was windy and chilly for that season of the year.
During the few first kilometers we found a lot of fishermen shelters on the beach. They use them to live there during some periods of the year. We also spotted some people swimming and sunbathing far away of the civilitation.
After walking eight kilometers, we decided to stop to see a big tower next to the see. It was used centuries ago to suvey our coast and detect invasors coming from the sea. We took a few photos, we had a snack, and before continuing our trip, we walked a bit up to the North to see the heart of the National Park. At the beginning the landscape was made up of dunes. It was fan to roll down from the their to. Afterwards, the landscape started to change slowly. We found a small forest in between two dunes. We visited it and we found a fox. I did have time to take a picture of it, but we will never forget it. After 30 minutes exploring the park, we came back to the beach and we headed to Sanlucar again.
The views were stunning and we were really enjoying our trip. We took a bath and a lot of pictures. Unfortunately, after 15 kilometers walking one way, the sun started to set, and we decided to come back. I was puzzled about a such decision. I really wanted to complete our trip. However, I have to admit that it was a right decision. In the way back, we started to feel very tired, the weather was colder, and it was difficult to see and enjoy the trip in the dark. Finally, we arrived home at 1:30am in the night. It was a bit crazy adventure, but we do want to repeat it. Next time, we would like to start in the morning, and spend the night in Sanlucar. We will wait for the next Summer.
