The only mobile dunes in Europe are in Andalusia and you can climb them.

Doñana National Park is a unique natural area in all of Spain and even Europe. Perhaps Andalusians don't appreciate it as much as they should, because it's so close and somewhat accessible, but it's a unique place in many ways, attracting all kinds of visitors throughout the year , especially those who love nature.

In addition to its unique features and remarkable flora and fauna, this park is home to the only shifting dunes in Europe, a true treasure waiting to be discovered and easily accessible to all.

To experience this wild nature in the simplest way possible, we can travel to an area very close to the populous town of Matalascañas , in the municipality of Almonte, where some of the most iconic shifting dunes are located. It's a living nature, as the dunes move and change depending on the winds they receive, often from the Atlantic Ocean.

What is known as a dune train is formed, in which the movement of the dunes moves from one to another, almost completely covering the trees in their path. This situation has not always been the case, since, in other centuries, the dunes encountered a barrier in the coastal junipers and savins, which formed a kind of wall that impeded their movement. But human action, which gradually eliminated this flora to use the materials, for example, in the manufacture of fishing gear, ended up altering the situation.

The dune trail , located very close to Malascañas, is a perfect place to come into contact with the shifting dune systems, which will delight nature lovers, especially considering that we are in a landscape of singular beauty . You don't need to be an expert hiker or be in exceptional physical condition, as this is a very easy trail, 1.5 kilometers long and suitable for everyone.

To enjoy this experience, you just have to take a deep breath to inhale the unique aroma of this spot in the province of Huelva and appreciate the uniqueness of the landscape in which we find ourselves, where you can see several subsystems, ranging from the embryonic dune areas, found at the edge of the beach, to the first corral, where large trees are located.

Thus, the so-called embryonic dunes begin to form on the beach as the winds blow the sand. Little by little, these initial mounds grow, thanks to the sand brought by the wind, and then continue to advance and join others, eventually forming large dunes that extend hundreds of meters inland.

Shifting dunes are formed by the movement of the area's fine sand, changing shape, position, and size due to the action of the wind. These vast dunes, of impressive dimensions, sometimes even completely bury pine forests , only to be freed again when the wind blows again. A unique ecosystem where plant species and fauna coexist, capable of adapting to these completely extreme living conditions.