The Doñana National Park consists of 50,720 hectares of protected land and is one of the largest and most ornithologically important wetlands in Europe. It is situated within the  boundaries of three Spanish provinces, Seville, Huelva and Cádiz, in which there are vast wetlands, sand-dunes and forests of stone-pine and cork oaks. Entry into the park is strictly limited to 4-hour tours on a 21-seater safari bus, operated by a licensed company.
These tours are solely designed to show you the various ecosystems that exist within the national park. They are of little value to serious birders as the drivers are on a tight time schedule and cannot stop just to look at a bird you wish to study further.
The importance of the Doñana region cannot be overstressed. Half a million wintering birds, mainly wildfowl and waders, flock to the area each year to escape the much colder weather conditions in the north of Europe and many more use it as a feeding station during the migration periods in spring and autumn. It is also of major importance as a breeding ground for some of the scarcest and most endangered bird species in Europe, such as the Spanish Imperial Eagle, the Marbled Duck and the Red-knobbed Coot. 
There are four main visitors centres on the edge of the park's boundaries that are open to the public and these should form a part of any visit to the region. However, the national park is further protected by a buffer zone of some 84,200 hectares of surrounding natural parkland and by the Atlantic Ocean, where a 35 kilometre stretch of deserted coastline forms the southern boundary. These areas are open to the public and offer access to some of the finest birdwatching sites in Europe. it is here that birdwatchers from all over the world visit in large numbers each year.
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