El Acebuche is the main entry point to Doñana from the Matalascañas side, and the place where almost everything else starts. The guided 4x4 tours depart from here; the birdwatching hides at the adjacent lagoon are among the most productive in the park; and the visitor centre itself has clear, well-organised displays on the park's ecosystems, conservation history, and wildlife. It is free to enter, and the car park is large enough that it rarely fills, which cannot be said for El Rocío on a busy weekend.
The lagoon just outside the centre is watched over by three or four hides, reachable on a short circular path through cork oak scrub. Purple herons are regular. Ferruginous ducks and marbled ducks — two species rare enough to get serious birders excited — show up with some frequency in the right seasons. Arrive well before ten in the morning to have the hides to yourself; by midday the light is flat and most of the interesting activity has moved elsewhere. The access road from Matalascañas is clearly signed and runs through the Doñana coastal buffer zone, where red deer are often visible on the verges even before you reach the centre.