Parque Natural de Llevant

The Parc Natural de la Península de Llevant covers 1,671 hectares on Mallorca's north-eastern tip, spanning the municipalities of Artà and Capdepera. Declared a natural park in 2001 and incorporated into the Natura 2000 network, it protects a stretch of coast and low mountains where Mediterranean woodland, sea cliffs and hard-to-reach coves have kept tourist pressure unusually low. The public estates of Albarca, es Verger and s'Alqueria Vella, former livestock latifundia, form the park's core and preserve rural infrastructure — possessió farmhouses, dry-stone walls, lime kilns — that document centuries of agricultural use.

The park's terrain is shaped by the Llevant ranges, the eastern extension of the Serra de Tramuntana with lower altitude but the same limestone character. Talaia Freda (564 m), the highest point, provides a 360-degree panorama taking in the Bay of Alcúdia to the north, the Capdepera coastline to the east and Mallorca's central plain to the south-west. Other notable peaks include Bec de Ferrutx (519 m), Puig des Porrassar (491 m) and Puig de sa Tudossa (441 m). Ravines running from the ranges to the sea form intermittent streams that feed small coastal wetlands.

The park offers 14 waymarked hiking routes across distinct ecosystems. The s'Alqueria Vella to es Verger trail (7 km one way) passes through mature Mediterranean holm-oak woodland with Quercus ilex specimens over 300 years old, interspersed with wild olives (Olea europaea var. sylvestris) and Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis). The s'Esquena Llarga route descends to the northern coves, where limestone rock drops straight into the turquoise Mediterranean — the contrast between dry garriga scrub and blue sea is best appreciated at dawn, when low-angle light picks out the stone textures.

The Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo hermanni), a species declining across its European range, maintains one of its most stable Balearic populations in Llevant. The park participates in a breeding and reintroduction programme coordinated with the Govern de les Illes Balears. Beyond the tortoise, the park hosts raptors such as Bonelli's eagle and the peregrine falcon, plus a significant seabird community on the coastal cliffs. In spring, the garriga fills with bloom: cistus, rosemary, heather and over 40 documented wild orchid species in the damp meadows at the valley floor.

The northern coves — Arenalet d'Albarca, es Matzoc, Cala Estreta — are accessible only on foot after walks of 45 minutes to 2 hours from trail starting points. This absence of motorised access preserves Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds in good condition and water of remarkable clarity. The s'Alqueria Vella refuge, managed by Ibanat (Institut Balear de la Natura), offers basic accommodation with advance booking for hikers, allowing overnight stays in the heart of the park and early morning starts when wildlife activity peaks.