The coast of
Almonte has a temperate climate that allows a wide variety of scientific, sportive and cultural events to take place in Matalascañas and nearby coastal areas. While sportive and cultural events are almost exclusively funded by the town council along with local businesses, scientific ones are often carried out either at a national or European level, for they often concern national security or the preservation of the
Doñana National Park.
Aerospace technology In the 60s, the government installed a military training and rocket launching base on the west coast, near the medieval ruins of
Torre del Loro. The unique climate of the coast, with storms and other extreme events rarely happening, has made it a perfect spot for military and spacecraft manoeuvres. Soldiers from many countries train there and the rocket platform allowed the launch of
Miura 1, the first
recoverable launch vehicle in Europe, which was carried out at 2am on Saturday, October 7, 2023. The base is currently administered by the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology. NASA has also provided high-tech radar technology and there are both European and American scientists working in there. A rising local interest in astrophysics led to the opening of an
astronomical observatory in 2010, inaugurated by
CSIC's astrophysicist and cosmologist
Juan P. Mercader. It is located in
Almonte, behind the CIECEMA (International Centre for Environmental Studies), in the
north part of town. Many scientific organisations and amateur groups gather around the Matalascañas's lighthouse to observe
lunar eclipses, for the area has little light pollution and the sky is clear at night. Almonte also organises an event called “Ciencia al Fresquito”, held at night in the summer at park
Clara Campoamor, which is rather elevated. Anyone can use several telescopes to observe the night sky at this event.
Culture and tourism Gastronomy Typical food from
Almonte include fish and seafood, which can be found in different restaurants of the main town itself and also in
El Rocío and Matalascañas, specially at beachfront restaurants.
Gamba blanca de Huelva (Huelva's white prawn),
coquinas (
clams),
chocos (
cuttles), sardines,
ortiguillas (
snakelocks),
seabass,
seabream,
atlantic pomfret or black paella are the most typical fresh dishes that can be ordered in the area. The first two species, namely white prawns and coquinas, are native to the area and can't be found in neighbouring areas like Portugal or Cádiz. Furthermore, the so-called
langostino de Sanlúcar (Sanlúcar's prawn) is actually captured in the coast of
Almonte. There are more than
100 restaurants in the coastal town, including grill houses, pizzerias and Italian, Japanese and Mexican restaurants. Beachfront restaurants and the ones at the main square are typically the oldest and long-running ones.
Museum Located inside the
Parque dunar, the
Museo del Mundo Marino (Sea museum) was a scientific and historical complex opened in 2002, with an investment of €6 million, being one of the two museums in Spain to be certified with
ISO 9001 and
14001 and
AENOR. It had six main rooms and included the only complete
orca skeleton in Europe, 17 real-scale mockups, 12 other skeletons of whales and other sea animals hanging down the roof and the biggest collection of shells and molluscs in Spain. The main attraction was a self-sustained spherical sealed ecosystem designed by
NASA And branded
Ecosphere, of which only one more replica was available at that time. It was designed for space flight and contains different species of shrimps, algae and bacteria. Different souvenir replicas were sold at the museum shop and more than 30,000 visitors got to know the centre each year. After the elections of 2011, when mayor Francisco Bella left after 20 years in charge, a coalition was formed by right-wing
PP and left-wing
IU. The latter, at a regional level, sanctioned the two councillors who made it possible for
PP to govern Almonte. In January 2012, the museum owed its private stockholders more than €187,000 and the regional government (Junta de Andalucía) was providing a grant which would help solve the financial crisis, but 25% of that money was to arrive yet. The new local council decided to close the museum without receiving the rest of the grant and all the content of the centre was taken to Seville. In 2023, after former mayor Francisco Bella had been reelected, the new local council announced the reopening of the museum, which would start by turning the former building into a centre for digital resources.
Cinema and theatre As for film services, there is a 2-screen outdoor cinema in northwestern district D, next to the supermarket, called
Cine Doñana. The local ciuncil has been projecting films at the beach during the summer for many years, specially in crowded areas nearby the beachfront restaurants. Regarding filming, the surrounding coastal areas have been used as set for multiple awarded films, such as
The Neverending Story or
Lawrence of Arabia, shot in the nearby
dunes of Doñana. For more details, visit the
main article film section. The theatre is located at the tourist office
Balcón del Atlántico, in district
Parque Dunar and it is an outdoor area consisting of a stage with several seating rows both in front and behind the stage, at an upper level. Several plays, concerts and other activities take place in the theatre every summer.
Horse and camel riding At the very beginning of town, in the western area, there are three different local businesses involved in animal activities, horse riding clubs
El Pasodoble And horse riding school
Amigos del Caballo. The first one organises horse riding routes at several levels and the latter provides horse riding lessons and includes a 2,200m2 arena which hosts international championships and contests. Environmental association
Aires Africanos Owns a big farm with several camels,
llamas and horses. It organises camel riding routes around the area and also provides lessons. They also sell handmade camel milk soap.
National park visits There are many ways to visit the
Doñana National Park, both using public and private services. Most public visits are organised by the council of
Almonte and often involve groups of specific visitors (elderly, students, etc.). Within the private sector, guided visits by all-terrain minibuses can be booked at the visitor's centre
El Acebuche, 6.5 km north from town. The best period to visit the park goes from December to June, specially Spring, when temperatures are optimal and the park is at its greenest and wettest. Official private visits often start at
El Acebuche and access the park through Matalascañas. Main landmarks inside the park include: tha marsh of El Rocío, the meadows, the woods,
official residence Palacio de Las Marismillas, the dunes, the beach and visitor's recreative area
Poblado de la Plancha. Several modalities are available, from quick visits a few hours long to full-day experiences including lunch in Sanlúcar, crossing river
Guadalquivir.
Heritage Three main historical landmarks can be found in Matalascañas or its surroundings, but as the
main section about heritage of the municipality describes, more than 20 different historical landmarks are spread through
Almonte's territory. Some of them are in ruins and other are in good conditions and even in use. •
Holocene fossil footprints Once Heidi Beach is left behind heading west, several extinct
ungulate's tracks can be found on the clay substratum that lies beneath the sand. They date back from 100,000 BC and include
wolf,
aurochs,
palaeoloxodon,
red deer,
wild boar,
wader and
anatidae. They can be observed only when the tide is low and the sand moves back. There is an environmental association called “Parque Dunar”, which organises free guided tours that include historical and geological commentaries and a voluntary litter collection. •
Fortified towers King Philip II of Spain ordered the construction of a series of
watchtowers during the 16th century to prevent Northern African invasions from the sea, given the multiple wars that Spain was waging at that moment. At least six of these towers are located within Almonte's territory. These are, from east to west:
Torre del Oro (Tower of the Golden River), Torre del Asperillo, Torre de la Higuera (Tower of the Fig tree), Torre Carbonero (Charcoal Tower), Torre Zalabar and Torre San Jacinto (St J's Tower). All of them are declared
Bien de Interés Cultural (Cultural Interest Asset), a protected cultural status in Spain. The first three towers are in ruins, while the last three can be observed as they originally were. Torre de la Higuera is the only one of the towers located within the Matalascañas Beach, at the beginning of town and has become a symbol for
Almonte, often appearing in postcards and other touristic elements. • World War II bunkers There are several bunkers from
World War II in the shore next to the delta of river
Guadalquivir, in different coastal points. An activity called “Descubre tus fortalezas” (literally “Discover your fortresses”) carries out guided tours to these remains, with historians, architects and archaeologists participating. The bunkers were built by order of
Franco in 1943 in fear of being invaded by the allied troops during the
North African campaign. Another way of sightseeing the bunkers is booking a guided visit to the park, but it doesn't include walking in this zone.
Sports Almonte, like other coastal
municipalities of southern Spain, enjoys a stable temperate weather that has made it possible to boost outdoor sport activities. Both the council and private investment have sport promotion as a priority, mainly fishing, horse and camel riding, golf, sailing, paragliding, cycling, volleyball and running.
Sailing, fishing and paragliding There are four nautical clubs in Matalascañas. The main one started as a fishing local club opened in the 70s, later becoming the first nautical club. It is located less than 1 km west from town and can be accessed by car using the first roundabout in road A-494, as you exit the main roundabout at the entrance of Matalascañas. It stores up to 140 boats on land, being towed down the dune to the sea for sailing, using a delimited area where only sailing is allowed. Next to the club there is a restaurant. Once the nautical buoys are left behind and heading west, Heidi's Beach can be found. It is one of the most liberal beaches in Southern Spain, being LGBT-friendly, dog-friendly and having nude zones. Heading east, opposite the dog beach, there is a restaurant on top of the dune called Bananas and next to it an area used for paragliding, taking advantage of the dune cliff. Another sailing club is
Torre Almenara, in district N, on the shore, with smaller boats and kayaks. Fishing clubs and shops, watercrafts, paddle boats, floating bouncy castles, windsurf and amateur fishing are usual as well all along town.
Golf In 1998, the works began for the first green golf course in Europe, meeting eco-friendly standards. With year-round golf season, Bermuda fairways, 18 holes and 290,000m2, it opened in 2000 As
Dunas de Doñana Golf. The local government, led by Francisco Bella and company Sierra Clara provided funding, with design by Fernando Menaya. The most innovative aspect that makes it unique is its system of watering with recycled water. In 2009, the council of
Almonte acquired the rest of the golf course for €7.5 million, getting full ownership and rented it to a new leaseholder,
Doñana De Silva Golf. It was closed in 2016 due to disagreemets between the new leaseholder and the new elected local government regarding the quality of watering. It held all kind of regional, national and international contests and championships, including the
Campeonato de España de Profesionales (Spanish Professional Championship). In 2017, the
Supreme Court of Spain ruled in favour of the purchase of the course in 2009 by the council. In 2023, former mayor Francisco Bella was reelected and announced a reopening of the golf course in the following years.
Kart racing, cycling and jogging There is a 3,400m2
karting circuit with 9 curves, located in district L, next to the north road and the police headquarters. It has also a 900m2 paddock area next to the circuit. Borth karting and motocross are popular sports in
Almonte. As for biking, there is an 18-mile cycle lane (30 km) parallel to the north road all alog town and continuing towards the neighbouring town of Mazagón, to the west. It allows access to different beaches of Almonte's coast both walking and by bike (Heidi Beach, Cuesta Maneli Beach and
Torre del Oro Beach. Cycling tourism is also practised, with companies like
Doñanatour Or eco-friendly group
Doñabike, promoting electric bikes Championships like
Doñana Natural, which started in 2012 are also popular in the area, including routes across the
natural park. Finally, jogging and hiking need to be mentioned as the most popular outdoor activity in the area, taking advantage of the vast shores, the beachfront promenade, the pedestrian path parallel to the north road and the different official routes inside the heart of Doñana. Different marathons are held every year, the most popular one being the 9-mile
Carrera Nocturna (Night Race) sponsored by local sport club
Espartanosand carried out at the beach since 2013.
Volleyball and beach paddle Beach volleyball has been for decades the most popular group sport at the beach. It is practised both at an official level and by amateur groups, though only the first modality is officially allowed. There is an annual regional championship normally held in Matalascañas. In 2024, more than 200 teams from all over the province participated in the
XXVI Circuito Provincial (regional championship), spending more than 12 hours playing in 4 different categories. Beach paddle is exclusively practised at non-professional levels by locals and tourists, but is still a widespread sport activity. ==References==