The Natural Park of Mondragó in Majorca

The territory of the Nature Park is located on the town of Santanyí in the county of Migjorn.

There are three access roads to the park on the north since S’Alqueria Blanca, west from Santanyí, southwest from the road from Santanyí to Cala Figuera. There has free parking lots to the north and southwest entries and information center at the north entrance. The easiest access to the beach of Cala Mondragó is via the north entrance (S’Alqueria Blanca), 700 m from the beach, access to the beach S’Amarador is the southern entrance West (Cala Figuera), with parking located on the promontory of lowland west of the creek.

Geographical coordinates of the park to the north entrance: 39° 21’ 25” N, 3° 11’ 28” E

The protected area covers an area of ​​785 hectares, including 95 hectares in the public domain, and the remaining 690 hectares are privately owned, including farmland very fragmented. However, inside the park there are several hotels, inns, restaurant and cafes, and a few scattered along the road leading to the creeks private houses, these buildings were built before the creation of the Park and enjoy an acquired right.

The Natural Park of Mondragó this extraordinary ecological value with many diverse backgrounds such as natural vegetation like pine forests and scrub, and areas of traditional dry farming, but also dunes, rocky or sandy beaches, cliffs and wetlands. The reserve is home to rare orchids, these wetlands - located in the extreme southeastern tip of the island of Mallorca - provide a suitable stop on the road of migration, more than 70 species of birds, dunes and scrublands support populations of native endangered turtles.

The park also has an ethnographic interest: centuries of agriculture and livestock have shaped the landscape, with a large amount of dry stone walls and barraques de roter, which were stone huts used as housing for persons or as shelter for farm equipment; curucull huts with conical cover, used to house livestock. Rarer are the terraces, which are located in the ravines there are also constructions related to the use of water: water wheels asinine to extract groundwater for irrigation, wells, ditches, ponds and tanks. Other testimonies are related to logging: coal (sitges), huts coal and lime kilns.

These streams flow into the two main creeks where, respectively S’Amarador beach and the beach of Ses Fonts de n’Alis. To the east of the promontory of Sa Guardia d’en Garrot, is a third beach, beach Caló des Borgit. The three beaches are connected by rocky trails. There is a fourth beach - tiny - southwest S’Amarador the Caló d’en Perdiu.

• the trail of the Belvedere of Ses Fonts de n’Alis (20 minutes) that goes to the beach Cala Mondragó ;
• circuit Sa Guardia d’en Garrot (30 minutes) that goes around the promontory that juts into the creek;
• the path of Punta de ses Gatoves (25 minutes);
• the trail S’Amarador (30 minutes) which leads to the wetland and beach S’Amarador.

The name S’Amarador refers to an old use of the pond S’Amarador for immersion, for a while, boots flax or hemp to be used in a production of fibers, there also immersed trunks of trees to give them strength and can use them to build boats or as beams of houses.

It is easily accessible from the north of the Park entrance. Since Cala Mondragó, you can go to the beach S’Amarador along a path towards the west, taking a path to the east, we are heading towards the beach of Caló des Burgit.

The largest part of the Natural Park Mondragó consists of a multitude of roters, small plots of land rather poor, usually closed in dry stone walls, which are practiced mixed dry tree crops and cereals, among these crops dominate those of the almond (Prunus dulcis), the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) and fig (Ficus carica) cultivated cereals are barley, oats and wheat.

On soils too poor to be grown dominates the Mediterranean maquis, mainly comprising species such as the wild, wild olive or olive (Olea europaea var. sylvestris), the mastic or mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), the oleander (Nerium oleander), the wired narrow sheet (Phillyrea angustifolia), intermediate Phillyrea (Phillyrea media), the buckthorn buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), the cottony cistus (Cistus albidus), cistus leaf sage (Cistus salviifolius), the Montpellier cistus (Cistus monspeliensis), the Ampelodesmos Mauritania (Ampelodesmos mauritanica), the officinal rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), the many-flowered heather (Erica multiflora) and toothed lavender (Lavandula dentata). In some places there are some wooden boxwood of the Balearic Islands (Buxus Balearica).

The forests of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and holm oak (Quercus ilex), occupy the ravines of the streams. In these forests grow the fake butcher holly, or small-holly (Ruscus aculeatus), interlaced honeysuckle, honeysuckle or the Balearic Islands (Lonicera implexa), the Balearic cyclamen (Cyclamen balearicum)

Under shrubs of scrub and pine forests are found orchids: the giant orchid (Barlia robertiana), the pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), the tongue orchid (Serapias lingua), locally called "gallet" (cock) and serapias with small flowers (Serapias parviflora), and various species of the genera Orchis and Ophrys, as the varnish Ophrys or mirror Ophrys (Ophrys vernixia).

In areas, coastal windswept, there are the Sabine (Juniperus sabina) and the Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea), prickly lettuce (Launaea cervicornis), named "socarrell" in Catalan. On the rocks grow samphire or snowdrops stone (Crithmum maritimum) and immortal Mediterranean (Helichrysum angustifolium).

In the dune system, poor in nutrients - especially in this S’Amarador - pushes the sea-holly (Eryngium maritimum) and marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) on beaches, sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) and read Shipping (Pancratium maritimum).

In both ponds, brackish water, located behind the beaches S’Amarador and Ses Fonts de n’Alis, there are rushes quills rush (Juncus acutus) and common reed reed (Phragmites australis) and bamboo (Bambuseae), cattails (Typha sp.), tamarisk (Tamarix sp.), purple samphire or grass crystal (Salicornia ramosissima), shrub samphire (Salicornia fruticosa), yellow samphire (Arthrocnemum macrostachyum) Limonium Mallorca (Limonium majoricum), named "saladina" in Catalan, sea lavender (Limonium companyonis) Limonium in wand, or stiff Limonium (Limonium virgatum). Underwater develops seagrass (Ruppia maritima).

In the woods and scrubland meet the stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), the wood pigeon (Columba palumbus), the turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), the hoopoe (Upupa epops), the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) and the scops owl (Otus scops). As birds of prey found the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and the booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus). There are also many small birds, including songbirds, such as the great tit (Parus major), warblers (Sylvia sp.), the Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia sarda), locally called "tallareta" the African Stonechat (Saxicola torquata), the shrike-headed (Lanius senator), the corn bunting (Miliaria calandra), the Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) and Swallow (Riparia riparia).

The rocky coast, with many cliffs, is conducive to nesting peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), the shag (Phalacrocorax Aristotelis) Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii), the yellow-legged gull (Larus ridibundus). We sometimes see a few ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in migration.

The wetlands waterfowl. Wetland west, the Estany de S’Amador is deep, soft and surrounded by reeds, some couples live coots (Fulica atra), the moorhens moorhens (Gallinula chloropus), grebes in Black-necked (Podiceps nigricollis), the water rails (Rallus aquaticus) and sometimes mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). The wetland is, the Estany de Ses Fonts de n’Alis is shallow, a little salty and visited by waders, the gray heron (Ardea cinerea), the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), the stint (Calidris minuta), the common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) and snipe (Gallinago Gallinago).

Among the mammals found the hedgehog Algeria (Atelerix algirus vagans), the European weasel (Mustela nivalis), the common genet (Genetta genetta), the pine marten (Martes martes), some rodents such as rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis), the Cape hare (Lepus capensis), the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and common dormouse (Eliomys quercinus). A bat, the mastiff of Cestoni (Tadarida teniotis), is also present.

On dry stone walls and the rocks of the south pole of Taranto (Tarentola mauritanica) and nocturnal gecko, or warty mémidactyle (Hemidactylus turcicus) lies in the scrubland Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni), which was reintroduced. In ponds meet the hooded snake (Macroprotodon mauritanicus), the viper snake (Natrix maura), the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), Pérez frog (Rana perezi) and the Balearic green toad (Bufotes balearicus). Regarding the fauna are present gray mullet (Mugil cephalus), the mosquitofish, or mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) and the common eel (Anguilla anguilla).

Address: Carretera Cala Mondragó s / n - 07691 Santanyi

Hours: 9:00 to 16:00, closed on 25 and 31 December (Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day).

Phone: 00 34 971 181 022

One can get maps of the park.

There is also a Visitor Center of the Park of Mondragó in Santanyí :

Address: Can Crestall Carrer Can Llaneres, 8-07650 Santanyí

Hours: Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to 15:00.

Phone: 00 34 971 642 067

The line stopped at many places in Greater Cala d’Or, Cala Ferrera up from Portopetro before reaching Cala Mondragó. The bus runs seven times a day and the journey takes 30 minutes and costs € 1.40.

Information on line 507: www.tib.org

Cala Mondragó is also the terminus of a tourist mini-train that runs along the coast from Cala d’Or through Portopetro, only during the summer season, from May to September, fee about 3 €.

Approximately 110 € for a room in high season. Closed from November to March.

Address: Cala Mondragó s / n - 07691 Santanyi

Phone: 00 34 971 643 566 (in summer) 00 34 971 657 402 (in winter).

Site on the Web: www.playamondrago.com

Approximately 40 € per person in high season. Closed from November to April.

Address: Cala Mondragó s / n - 07691 Santanyi

Phone: 00 34 971 657 756

Site on the Web: www.hostalcondemar.com