Spain and Portugal for Visitors

The only national park in the Balearic Islands, the Parque Nacional Archipiélago de Cabrera is "the best example of unchanged insular ecosystems in the Spanish Mediterranean," according to the relevant Spanish Ministry of the Environment's web page. It sits a mere 10 km or a 40-minute boat ride south of "mainland" Majorca, but is proximity belies its singularity. Cabrera is home to a rich variety of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, including a large number of species endemic to the Balearic Islands, not a few of which are only found in the archipelago and its waters. It has only been a national park since 1991, but has never been more than sparsely populated, this lack of human interference being what has maintained the ecosystems in question intact. Indeed, although access is limited to 200 visitors a day (300 in August) it has been suggested that even this low level of impact may be as damaging as pre-national-park status human activity.

The national park comprises Cabrera (island), its archipelago (another 18 or so islands and islets) and the sea around them, making it a combined marine-terrestrial nature reserve, though in fact the area of sea is six times that of the land. The park as a whole covers over a hundred square kilometres, only 13 square kilometres of which is land. The natural point of arrival on Cabrera is its harbour in the north of the island, hidden, sheltered and marked by the Cap de Llebeig and its lighthouse. On the quay, park guides offer a variety of (free) guided visits: you can strike out on your own, though your movements will be strictly restricted.

From the quay, you can visit a couple of beaches (Playa des Pagés, next to the quay, or Playa S'Espalmador, on the other side of the harbour - access to this area is not restricted). There are a number of other guided walks, the shortest of which is up to the castle, built towards the end of the fourteenth century for protection from pirates (Barbary pirates, I venture to guess). Another is up to Es Celler, a small museum, and Cabrera's curious monumento a los Franceses. During the Peninsular War (which the Spanish naturally consider their Guerra de Independencia, thousands of French prisoners-of-war were held on Cabrera after a crucial Spanish victory at the Battle of Bailén. The irregularity of the supplies arriving led to many of these POWs starving to death. An obelisk commemorates the gruesome event.

Other walks (obligatorily with a guide) are up the hill to Na Bella Miranda, the viewpoint, or the longest trail, south down to the lighthouse on Punta de S'Ensiola: this takes around four hours.