Dragonera Island

Weekends are for island hopping! Saturday we visited Dragonera, an uninhabited islet just off the shore of Mallorca. 

We took a bus to the western side of Mallorca where we caught a water taxi to Puerto de la Dragonera.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a park ranger who explained to us that the island was nearly turned into a resort before local ecologists protested. Thanks to their passion for conservation, we are able to enjoy the island in its natural state almost 50 years later. 

The name Dragonera comes from the dragon-like shape of the island as well as the multitude of endemic (and very friendly) Lilford’s wall lizards that can be found there.

After a snack and some quality time with the lizards, we hiked to the Tramuntana lighthouse for some beautiful views of the sea and Mallorca.

Then we hiked back for some fieldwork and snorkeling. Students learned to identify different types of marine life and catalogued the species they saw as they swam around the cove. 

Sleepy, sandy and sun-kissed from a full day of island exploration, we headed back for a relaxing evening on campus.