Almonte

Almonte is a sun-soaked municipality in the province of Huelva, Andalucía, Spain. Its identity is deeply connected to two defining elements: the spiritual and the ecological.

The town is internationally recognized because it contains the small, iconic village of El Rocío. This settlement, with its sandy, unpaved streets and Andalucían architecture, is the focal point for the world-famous annual Romería de El Rocío, a pilgrimage that draws over a million devotees. The event is a unique display of religious devotion, regional tradition, and horse culture, where pilgrims arrive on horseback or in decorated wagons.

Equally important to Almonte is the fact that the majority of the Doñana National Park, one of Europe's largest and most essential nature reserves, falls within its boundaries. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Doñana is a vast area of wetlands, pine forests, and moving dunes that is crucial for migratory birds between Europe and Africa. It also provides the last refuge for endangered species like the Iberian lynx.

Life in Almonte blends a quite agricultural tradition-with local wine and olive groves-with a lively preservation of its age-old customs, offering an authentic glimpse into Andalucía life near some of the continent's most precious natural areas.