Mondragó Natural Park

Parks and Nature | Santanyí

The Mondragó Natural Park is located in one of the areas with the richest bird life in Mallorca. It has a great variety of landscapes, such as winding river torrents which flow out into beautiful beaches and oak woods with an abundance of orchids. This Natural Area of Special Interest is in the south-east of Mallorca, in the municipal district of Santanyí. It was designated a Natural Park in 1992 and since 1995 it has been regarded as an 'Area of Special Protection for Birds' by the European governing body; not in vain, since more than seventy species have been recorded in the park, most of them migratory birds and those typical of marshland areas. The zone is made up of horizontal strata of calcareous sands which formed part of the reefs during the Miocene Period. The park has a surface area of 785 hectares and is 57 metres at its highest point. It has a great variety of landscapes. Along the coastline are ravines carved out by winding river torrents which culminate in beautiful beaches with small dune systems; there are also cliffs; and marshlands with a vegetation of reed beds and rushes, such as those at the coves of S'Amarador and ses Fonts de n'Alis. Inland, however, there are oak woods with numerous orchids. Great diversity of birds The park is home to a great variety of birds. At any point along the coast it is easy to sight shags or Audouin's gulls, and from time to time, ospreys land near the lagoons. Apart from its ecological value, Mondragó is interesting from the ethnological point of view. In the past, part of the park was used for agriculture and livestock farming, and bearing witness to this are the barraques de roter, small buildings of dry stone which were used as dwellings and rest places for animals; the barraques de curucull, used for keeping cattle; or the sínies, which served to extract the underground water with which they used to water the crops. Visitors can follow different itineraries in the park, on foot or by bicycle, and enjoy the different ecosystems. The Mondragó Natural Park has two entrances: the road from Santanyí to s'Alqueria Blanca, and the road from Santanyí to Cala Figuera. There is an information centre in ses Fonts de n'Alis, open all year round from 9 to 16 h. except on 25th and 31st