The Fifth Balearic Island

The Balearic Islands are generally thought of as four main inhabited islands: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. But there’s another little island that is sometimes described as the fifth – Cabrera. It is the largest island in a separate archipelago belonging to the Balearics. Lying just south of Mallorca, the Cabrera Archipelago consists of 19 islands and rocky islets. The whole area is protected as a National Park, established in 1991, and is a complete contrast to the busier, more developed islands.

During the last Ice Age, when sea levels were considerably lower, Cabrera was actually connected to Mallorca by a strip of land. People and animals could once move freely between the two. As the ice melted and sea levels rose, the land bridge disappeared beneath the water, leaving Cabrera separated from its much larger neighbour.

The name Cabrera comes from the Latin Capraria, meaning ‘island of goats’. Wild goats once roamed the island in considerable numbers, but with no natural predators their population grew and they eventually caused great damage to the native vegetation. They were eventually removed as part of conservation efforts to allow the island’s unique plants and wildlife to recover. So, despite its name, there are no goats to be seen today!

Visiting the archipelago is carefully controlled because of its protected status, with boats required to obtain a permit and use designated mooring buoys. We arranged our permits and made the short passage south from Cala Mondragó, we weaved our way through the small islands with rocky cliffs and caves, towards Cabrera.

As we approached Cabrera, we could see the old castle perched dramatically on top of the rocky cliff, overlooking the entrance to the harbour.

Once we arrived in Puerto de Cabrera, we picked up our allocated buoy and settled Ziggy in the lovely clear water with a great view of the castle. Built in the 14th century, the castle was originally constructed to protect the island from pirate attacks, with its elevated position providing a perfect lookout over the surrounding waters. It formed part of Mallorca’s coastal defence system, with warning signals sent across the sea whenever enemy ships were spotted.

The little harbour is surrounded by hills and rocky coastline, with just a handful of basic buildings clustered around the shore. There’s a small cantina and a National Park information office, but very little else. No hotels, shops or rows of restaurants, just a tiny settlement known as Es Port. It feels as though you’ve stepped back in time.

No street lighting or bright lights ashore meant that after the sun went down we had a very peaceful night in the calm water with complete darkness around us. There are no longer any permanent residents on the island, although some National Park staff, military personnel and researchers stay there occasionally, most arrive each day by small boats.

In the morning, we headed ashore and started our visit with breakfast at the little cantina. Sitting in the sunshine, watching the boats arrive with workers and visitors. It was hard to believe that this quiet little harbour had such a fascinating and, at times, tragic history.

After breakfast, we set off following the paths inland and up through the pine forest leaving the harbour behind. The trees provided some welcome shade as we climbed up over the hills, with glimpses of the sea appearing between the branches.

As we walked along we noticed a lot of little lizards darting across the paths and disappearing between the rocks. Cabrera is particularly famous for its Balearic wall lizards, which have evolved into distinct populations on the different islands.

After the forest we came to the stone monument to the French prisoners, one of the island’s most poignant historical sites. It commemorates the thousands of Napoleonic soldiers who were brought here following their defeat at the Battle of Bailén in 1808, during the Spanish War of Independence.

Between 1809 and 1814, around 9,000 French soldiers and officers are thought to have passed through Cabrera. They were effectively abandoned on this isolated island, with very little shelter, food or fresh water. Many lived in caves and makeshift shelters, struggling to survive in incredibly harsh conditions, there is still some evidence of these small and simple dwellings. Supplies arriving from Mallorca were often irregular, so hunger and disease took a terrible toll. Only around 3,600 eventually survived and returned to France when the war ended.

The monument was erected in 1847 in memory of those who died. A sobering reminder that somewhere which now feels like a peaceful paradise, was once the scene of such suffering.

There are other reminders of Cabrera’s past, including a small sailors’ cemetery. Among the stories associated with it is that of a Mallorcan remembered as En Lluent, although accounts differ as to whether he was a farmer who died of a heart attack or a fisherman lost at sea.

There are also tales surrounding a German airman, Johannes Böckler, who drowned near the island during the Second World War and was buried there. His story has become part of local ghost folklore, with legends of a restless spirit roaming the island every night, longing to return home and be buried with his loved ones. Decades later, the Commission of German War Victims exhumed the body and brought it back to Germany. However, this did not end the haunting. The ghost kept roaming the island. It is said that he can be heard moaning in barely comprehensible language, now wanting to return to his grave by the blue sea!

Continuing our walk, we came across the old threshing floor, where crops would once have been processed to separate the grain from the stalks. Another reminder that Cabrera wasn’t always the uninhabited island we see today.

Until around the middle of the last century, the island was home to approximately a dozen Mallorcan farming families who cultivated the land and made their living here. There was even an attempt to establish an agricultural colony in the late 19th century. The Feliu family acquired Cabrera in 1890 and developed vineyards, building a winery and a small settlement called Villa Cristina. The venture eventually failed, but the old winery, Es Celler, has now been converted into a museum.

The small museum covers the history of the archipelago, traditional ways of life and the natural environment. It provides an insight into the people who once lived on the island, their daily lives and how they managed to make use of its limited resources.

Nearby are the gardens, including a botanical garden with plants native to the Balearic Islands. We had a wander around before deciding to continue up and over the hill towards the lighthouse at Punta de n’Ensiola.

The lighthouse stands high above the rugged coastline in a dramatic position overlooking the Mediterranean. Construction began in 1864 and it was completed in 1870. Originally, lighthouse keepers and their families lived in a small dwelling at the base of the light. This provided a very precarious and isolated existence. The light was automated in 1971.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t walk all of the way. Access is restricted to organised walks with a National Park guide. We’d also heard that the terrain further along was quite rough and rocky, a ‘highly sensitive natural area’ with potentially dangerous creatures such as scorpions, so it wasn’t somewhere to go exploring on our own.

Although we didn’t reach the lighthouse, the views were spectacular, looking out across the rugged coastline and the smaller islands scattered around the archipelago. We headed back down, it wasn’t long before we could see the castle in the distance, and walked along the coastline rather than retracing our steps through the pine forests. It was a lovely walk around little coves and rocky headlands overlooking the bay and blue water.

We had hoped to explore the castle, but unfortunately it was closed for safety reasons, while restoration work is underway to repair erosion and deterioration to its walls, terraces and staircases, so we had to admire it from a distance.

Eventually we arrived back at the harbour, where we stopped for another visit to the cantina for some well earned refreshments before heading back to Ziggy.

After our walk, it was nice to have a cooling swim in the calm blue water, which more like a swimming pool than the sea, the perfect way to finish the day.

This was definitely one of those places that reminds us why we love exploring the Mediterranean by boat. It proved to be a highlight of the season and we are very glad we visited.