Mondragó Natural Park

Mondragó Natural Park covers around 765 hectares in the municipality of Santanyí, in southeastern Mallorca, and is one of the most representative protected natural spaces on the Balearic coast. Declared a natural park in 1992, it encompasses two main coves — S'Amarador and Cala Mondragó — surrounded by Aleppo pine forests (Pinus halepensis), mastic scrubland and fine-sand dunes that the wind shapes steadily toward the Mediterranean shore. The protected area includes the coastline, forested interior and freshwater ponds, giving the park an unusual diversity of habitats for a coastal space of this size.

Walking the park's trails means discovering the transition between ecosystems. In just a few kilometres, route PR-Me 39 links the Sa Font de n'Alis car park with the coves, crossing a low-growing forest where the scent of rosemary and cistus cuts the afternoon air. The path descends gently between Eocene limestone outcrops covered in grey lichen, and on the more open stretches the views reach the marine horizon. Secondary trails allow exploration of the heathland and cistus scrub, where red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) often takes flight just a few metres ahead. The routes have minimal elevation gain, making the park accessible to families with young children and visitors without prior hiking experience.

The freshwater ponds beside S'Amarador are among the rare coastal wetlands of Mallorca and support a notable bird community. Grey heron (Ardea cinerea), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and gadwall (Anas strepera) are regular residents; during the autumn migration, marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) and, in favourable years, black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) also appear. Dawn at the pond's edge, with the croaking of frogs and the slow circling of the heron above the reeds, offers a birdwatching experience rarely found along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Inclusion in the Natura 2000 network as both a SAC and SPA recognises the ecological importance of these wetlands.

The park's coastal profile alternates Eocene limestone cliffs with small beaches of white calcareous sand. The water above posidonia meadows (Posidonia oceanica) shifts between shades of turquoise depending on the time of day: emerald green at noon, deep indigo at sunset. Posidonia, endemic to the Mediterranean, serves as a nursery for juvenile fish and oxygenates the water; its banks of dead matte — reaching up to one metre in some areas of the park — signal the health of the marine ecosystem. The seabed in front of the coves supports snorkelling and introductory diving with typical visibility of 10 to 15 metres, where salema (Sarpa salpa), Mediterranean barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) and multiple mollusc and echinoderm species are common sightings.