The Mondrago Natural Park is a nature reserve in the Migjorn region of Santanyí. It is located between the coastal villages of Portopetro in the northeast and Cala Figuera in the southeast of the island of Mallorca.
The 765.69 hectare nature park was protected under an initiative of the environmental organization GOB (Grup d'Ornitologia Balear) in December 1992, and declared a special bird protection area by a law of the Balearic Parliament in 1995.
Tens of thousands of visitors come here each year to enjoy the untouched nature. A visit to the nature park can also be a detour to the two located in the immediate vicinity of the most beautiful bays on the island, S'Amarador and Sa Font de N'Alis connect.
The diversity within the nature reserve Parc natural de Mondragó impressive. In addition to wetlands with lakes, large torrents that find their mouth on the beautiful beaches, heathland and pine forests can be found here also beautiful dune and beach sections. Cereal cultivation is also practiced on some agricultural land. Also plantations of fig, almond and carob trees characterize the picture.
A paradise for zoologists and ornithologists
Unter den mehr als siebzig registrierten Vogelarten befinden sich auch zahlreiche Zugvögel, den größten Teil stellen jedoch die heimischen Singvögel.
Zu den seltestens Arten gehören Schwarzkehlchen, Rotkopfwürger, Grauammer, Zaunammer und die Uferschwalbe. Zum Ganzjahresbestand gehören u.a. auch Blässhühner, Rotschenkel und Ohrentaucher. Speziell in den Wintermonaten kann man Fisch- und Seidenreiher und Stockenten beobachten.
Auch verschiedene Schlangenarten, Hausziegen, Wildkaninchen, Ginsterkatzen, iberische Hasen, Marder und Wiesel sowie Fledermäuse sind in der Region beheimatet.
Among the more than seventy registered bird species are numerous migratory birds, but most of them are native songbirds.
The earliest species include Stonechat, Red-headed Shrike, Gray-hammered, Fencer and the Bank-swallow. The year-round inventory includes u.a. also Coots, Redshank and Ear-diver. Especially in the winter months you can see little egrets and mallards.
Various species of snakes, domestic goats, wild rabbits, genets, Iberian rabbits, martens and weasels and bats are also native to the region.
Even the botanists get their money
Wild olive trees, oleander and Phoenician juniper grow near the coasts. A sea of lavender, rosemary and many-flowered heather fills the air with a wonderful fragrance.
The area also provides habitat for numerous rare plant species of the island of Mallorca. In addition to many different types of orchids, the giant kangaroo, the pyramidal honeycomb and the true tongue stalk can be found. In the wetlands reed, cattail and bamboo are spreading.
Also a variety of mushroom species such as the dune head, various Wulsting varieties, the pink-hogged Egerlingsschirmpilz, the dune sapling and Edelreizker can be found here.
Visitors to the reserve are offered various routes. On the one hand, there are easy-to-walk trails and, on the other, well-developed cycle paths leading to the various ecosystems. Guided visits can be booked.
The information center of the park, sanitary facilities and a small souvenir shop are located at the parking lot of Sa Font de n'Alis. It is open all year from 09:00 to 16:00. (Except 25 and 31 December)
Telephone number and fax: +34 971 181022.
The nature reserve Parc Natural de Mondragó has two entrances. Both are on the Carretera de Santanyí road, one near s'Alqueria Blanca, and the other near the Cala Figuera bay.