Place where the nature becomes art, where the sea and Piedras river are joined, giving life to the ancient port "El Terrón".

It was declared as port in 1989. It´s the third vastest in the Huelva´s province (2.530 Ha). It is between 0-10 meters height above sea level.

It is an enclave with an interesting ornithology, aquaculture and ecology, whose main uses are the fishing and the cultural tourism and leisure. Since distant times, the human has used several activities so traditional as the shellfish work, fishing or marine cultivations. Nowadays,  in this nature reserve has developed others activities like hiking, environmental education or birdwatching.

This place is remarkable by its singularity, the Nueva Umbría´s sandbar, a parallel sand barrier to the coast which began being created by itself over 200 years ago, and grows year after year around 40 cm with the brought sand by the ocean. Its width varies over 300 and 700 meters and it´s located at the mouth of the Piedras river.

If you have a look at Nueva Umbría, you could find 15 km long of white sand and blue sea, virgin beaches (one of the most preserved In Europe), a set of natural riches that makes this place a perfect environment for nature lovers. Because of that, it have been studied and researched.

This environment is also characterized by its species quantity and diversity, both fauna and vegetation, some of which, endangered, find here as its natural shelter because of the weather mildness and the good preservation of the damp zones. This good conditions turn it the most ecologically valuable area of Lepe and have made it worthy of being incorporated into the protected areas network in Andalusia. Visitors can enjoy an extensive nudist area, where the sea join with the nature in a paradisaical environment.

Beaches and dunes are used as a breeding place for several adapted species to the exeptional salinity, humidity or drought conditions, such as the Kentish Plover. It also contains some colonies of terns.

Riches of Marshes provide habitat for a variety of fauna (eel, gilthead bream, sea bass, red mullet, clams, crab,sea horses... ), Besides of attracting birds like actitis hypoleucos, tringa nebularia, pandion haliaetus, mergus serrator, melanitta nigra, thalasseus sandvicensis. On beaches, however, the major species are the gulls, terns... between reptiles, the chamaleon is the most emblematic specie, because in Euroope its ditribution area is restricted to Málaga, Cádiz and Huelva provinces and to portuguese Algarve as well.

As regard the vegetation, you could find it very adapted to the salinity, emphasizing species like Sarcocornia fruticosa , Muscari neglectum, Portulaca oleracea, Salsola vermiculata, and Erica arborea. While on the sandy area, worst affected by the drought and the extreme exposure to the sun, abounds with mud, Eryngium maritimum, Pancratium Maritimum, Lotus uliginosus, magnoliophyta... The most representative specie is constituted by a kind of thyme, Tymus carnosus, which are find in this zone one of its few distribution areas.

The port-sport called "El Terrón" is inside this area.

We can watch this whole place from the natural viewpoint "Catalan" tower, or from the green thoroughfare that connects La Antilla and Islantilla beaches.