Camping in Huelva: endless beaches, Doñana and the Iberian ham mountains
Huelva is the Andalusian province least known to travellers from outside Spain, and that relative anonymity is part of its charm. Its Atlantic coastline is made up of fine, golden sandy beaches, moderate surf and little development, in contrast to the tourist build-up of other Andalusian coasts. Mazagón, with its sandy cliffs and pine forests that reach almost to the water's edge, is one of the most photogenic spots on the province's coast. Matalascañas, on the southern edge of Doñana National Park, combines the beach with the chance to explore the borders of the park. Isla Cristina and Ayamonte, already on the border with Portugal, have broad beaches and a fishing atmosphere that you can feel in the markets and in the bars of the harbour.
Doñana is the province's great natural asset and one of the most important protected areas in Europe. The national park takes in marshlands, lagoons, shifting dunes and pine reserves where the Iberian lynx, the Spanish imperial eagle, the flamingo, the white stork and thousands of migratory waterbirds live side by side, using these marshes as a wintering or stopover area. The National Park can only be visited on a guided tour in order to preserve its ecosystems, but the Natural Park that surrounds it has waymarked paths, visitor centres and viewpoints from which wildlife can be watched without disturbing it. La Flecha del Rompido, a sandbank that extends several kilometres into the estuary and grows every year pushed by the Atlantic currents, is a magical place to swim in calm, uncrowded waters.
The Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, in the north of the province, offers a completely different reality from the coast. This range in the western Sierra Morena has centuries-old chestnut groves, acorn-bearing holm oak woods and dehesas where Iberian pigs roam free and produce the most highly valued ham in the world. Jabugo is the emblematic municipality, but villages such as Corteconcepción, Los Marines, Fuenteheridos and Linares de la Sierra have a serene beauty of cobbled streets, fountains and squares with drinking troughs that invites you to stop. Aracena has beneath it the Gruta de las Maravillas, the largest cave under a town in Spain, with underground lakes and spectacular speleothem formations. Hiking, cycle touring and gastronomic tourism are the main attractions of this sierra for those who go camping in the area.
The cuisine of Huelva has two main axes: seafood from the coast and Iberian produce from the sierra. Cigalas, the langoustines of Isla Cristina, coquinas and the clams of El Terrón represent the maritime side of the province's cooking. The Iberian hams and cured meats of the sierra, tomato soup, migas with grapes and the white wine of the Condado de Huelva round off an honest, produce-led culinary offer. Going camping in Huelva means choosing a quiet province where nature still takes precedence over tourism.