
Both visully and historically, the province of Huelva is
a multicoloured mosaic. Visually, the sights range from
thousands of pink flamingoes nesting in the Fuente de Piedra
salt lakes to the delicious ruby-red strawberries piled
high in the marketstalls, from the greens and browns of
the woodlands and pastures to the whitecapped waves of the
Atlantic, and from the golden beaches of the seashore to
the vivid greens of the golf courses.
Historically, too, this is a very special land. Archeologists
have found evidence of neolithic settlements in the Caves
of la Mora and artefacts dating from the Bronze Age in nearby
Becerro. It was from Palos de la Frontera in Huelva that
Christopoher Columbus set sail on August 3, 1492, on his
historic first trip to the New World.
As an intesresting historical footnote, it was in this province
that the first game of golf was played in Spain, by British
mining engineers at the Rio Tinto mines. The makeshift course
they built was moved several times until it was sited on
what is now the nine-hole Corta Atalaya course.
Huelva's greatest natural treasure -and one of the greatest
treasures of all mankind- is the National Park of Doñana
which in 1980 was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
This enormous park at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River
comprises many distinct ecosystems made up of dunes, mountains
and wetlands. Understandably visits to the park are strictly
controlled and those wishing to visit the Doñana
should book ahead by calling the reservations centre in
Acebuche.
