Sa Dragonera island Mallorca

This uninhabited island off Mallorca's western tip was the focus for a turning point In Mallorcan history in 1977, when it was occupied by environmentalists protesting against a planned tourist development. The campaigners won, the island became a nature reserve instead, the seabirds survived, and for the first time the authorities realized that mass tourism had reached its limit.

Six kilometers long and crowned by an ancient watchtower, Sa Dragonera takes its name from its shape, said to resemble a dragon. You can visit in summer by boat from Sant Elm; In winter you have to make do with views of the dragon from the beach at Sant Elm or from the climb to Sa Trapa.