Parque Natural de Sa Dragonera

Sa Dragonera is an uninhabited islet of 288 hectares off the western coast of Mallorca, less than one kilometre from Cabo de Sa Dragonera in the municipality of Andratx. Its name comes from the large colony of Lilford's wall lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, which inhabits the island and which historical sailors mistook for small dragons. The island is elongated, running northeast to southwest over roughly four kilometres with a maximum width of just over 700 metres, and its profile from the sea is that of a limestone ridge reaching 353 metres at Puig des Fabioler.

Access to the island is restricted to visitors arriving on the scheduled service boats from Sant Elm, the only authorised embarkation point. Daily visitor numbers are capped by park regulations to minimise impact on wildlife, particularly on the seabird colonies nesting in the cliffs. The silence over the island — broken only by wind and gulls — is one of the most immediate sensory experiences for anyone arriving from the Mallorcan mainland.

The most characteristic fauna includes three seabird colonies of regional importance. The Balearic shearwater, Puffinus mauretanicus, a critically endangered endemic, uses the northwest cliffs for nesting between February and August, during which access to that part of the island is prohibited. Audouin's gull, Larus audouinii, a Mediterranean species with one of its largest world colonies in the Balearic Islands, also nests on Sa Dragonera. The European shag, Gulosus aristotelis, is visible year-round on rocks and in the water. The Lilford's wall lizard colony, in the absence of introduced terrestrial predators, is dense and easily observed along the trails.

Vegetation is typical of calcareous Mediterranean islands under salt and wind influence. Coastal maquis of wild olive, Olea europaea var. sylvestris, lentisk, Pistacia lentiscus, and dwarf fan palm, Chamaerops humilis, covers the exposed slopes. More sheltered areas with deeper soil carry dense scrub of strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, and other shrubs. Cliff ledges and crevices host halophilous and rock-dwelling plant communities including Crithmum maritimum and Limonium spp. The removal of rabbits and feral goats when the island became a natural park has allowed vegetation to recover steadily since the 1990s. The island also retains two historic lighthouses: Far de Llebeig at the southern tip and Far de Tramuntana at the north, the latter housing a small exhibition on the island's maritime history. A single longitudinal trail of approximately six kilometres allows visitors to walk the island end to end, with open views across the Mallorcan sea and the Serra de Tramuntana on the horizon.