El Rocio

Trying to cycle through El Rocio is not an easy feature. With its dusty sandy roads, a horse would probably have been easier than a fully loaded bicycle.

And those horses seem to be the main means of transport. Most of the houses have beautiful verandas and in front of them you will find wooden rails used for tying up horses. 

El Rocio is located in the south of the province of Huelva and forms the gateway to the Donana National Park.

On this particular day in early June, the village had a deserted feel to it with only the odd horse and rider crossing the street. But don't be fooled, where most of the year, the village is quiet, but 50 days after Easter, "Romeria" takes place. During this religious fiesta, a million pilgrims decent upon the village travelling in groups known as religious confraternities.
The goal of every pilgrim is to touch the Virgin Mary who is paraded around the huge sandy square for over 12 hours. Many of the pilgrims belong to a particular "brotherhood" of which there are around a 100 in Andalucia, each representing a town or city.
Each brotherhood has its own sacred ox cart (Simpecado) that will lead the pilgrims to El Rocio, turning the village in a colourful and noisy fiesta.

But on this particular day in early June, it was me on my bike and maybe another 100 villagers.

So what is there to do in El Rocio ?

a) Visit the impressive Hermitage of El Rocio, home to the smallcarved wooden statue of the Virgin of El Rocio

b) Visit the Donana Natural Park. As Spain's largest wetland area, it is home to thousands of storks, swans and flamingos. The park is also home to the endangered Iberian lynx. From the village promenade, you have brilliant views over the wetlands. 

As one of Europe's most beautiful and important wetlands, it brings different ecosystems (marshland, lagoons, pine groves, beaches,...) to the many visitors. If you want to venture further into the park, you can book jeep or bus trips that bring you deeper into the park.
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C) Chozo El Toruno. In Plaza del Acebuche, you find one of the last huts that were entirely built with local plant materials like chestnut,... 
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For the night , I stayed at Palacio Donana, a comfortable hotel. Keep in mind that throughout the year, it is easy enough to find accommodation in El Rocio, but during Romeria, beds are booked up months in advance.