Cabrera Archipelago

Cabrera and its nineteen islets lie about ten kilometres south of Mallorca and were declared a national park in 1991, protecting one of the least altered stretches of Mediterranean coast, with clear water, extensive Posidonia meadows, endemic lizards and important seabird colonies including Balearic shearwaters. A castle of the fourteenth century guards the harbour. The island's history is bleak: after the battle of Bailen in 1808, several thousand French prisoners were left here almost without supplies, and most died. The standard trip includes a stop at the Cova Blava, a sea cave where light entering underwater turns the interior an intense blue. Visitor numbers, mooring and landing are all controlled by permit.

What you actually see

• The Cova Blava - a sea cave lit blue by light through the water.
• The harbour castle - a fourteenth-century tower above the anchorage.
• The Posidonia meadows - seagrass beds giving exceptional water clarity.
• The prisoner memorial - a monument to the French dead of 1809 to 1814.

When to go

May to September, the boat season; trips are cancelled in wind and numbers are capped daily. Private boats need a permit obtained in advance with limited moorings.

Honest expectations

Access is entirely by licensed boat with capped numbers, and trips book out in summer. Time ashore is limited by the schedule. There is a single small bar and no other facilities. The crossing can be rough.

Nearby

Colonia de Sant Jordi is the main departure port; Es Trenc and the salt pans are alongside it.