The Guadalquivir is among the longest rivers in Spain, through the heart of Andalusia, while the Guadiana follows the Spain-Portugal border.
The former rises in the Cazorla mountain range, watering and maintaining both an unspoiled natural environment and a rich and varied agricultural region as it passes through Cordoba and Seville (left) before flowing into the Atlantic at the Gulf of Cadiz. Fields of cereals, cotton, olives and citrus flourish on the plains, and rice and grapes for the famous Jerez sherry wine on the coast, where fighting bulls are also bred.
The Guadiana river basin extends from the southern Algarve up into the mountain if Spain but elso flows into the Gulf of Cadiz, hence both rivers can be combined on one itinerary in many instances for a full southern Iberian flavour. Visiting Seville usually includes a chance to sail past Donana Park, a UNESCO Natural Biosphere Reserve (below).
WHO GOES THERE: CroisiEurope.
