Sa Ràpita!

Today was the Sa Ràpita beach cleanup! Sa Ràpita is a beautiful beach in the south east of Mallorca. Historically it is notable for being a stronghold against pirate attacks! The watch tower of ‘Son Durí’ still stands in the port at the Club Nautic de Sa Ràpita. From the 16th to the 19th century this was one of the towers which would signal to beware of invading pirates. Today Sa Ràpita’s popularity is due to its proximity to the stunning, natural beach of ‘Es Trenc’. This beach stretches from Sa Ràpita to the larger town of ‘Colonia Sant Jordi’. Because of its turquoise water and soft white sand, this area has often been compared to the Caribbean! 

We had an early start to the day, meeting in Plaza España at 8am before taking a charter bus to our destination. As promised, the water was a beautiful turquoise blue and all the students were quick to jump in the water. After some free time playing in the ocean and soaking up some sun, the students made their way back to shore for our morning activity.

Mallorca attracts over 10 million tourists annually. The Mallorca Daily Bulletin reported that as of September 2023, the Balearic Islands ranked sixteenth in the world in terms of tourist numbers. With all of this tourism, many of Mallorca’s natural beaches have suffered the consequences. However, today CIEE students took action and intervened! Strategically we positioned ourselves to cover the most surface area possible, scanning the shoreline to find plastic caps, corks, bits of paper (etc.). After we placed our findings in a trash bag we carefully emptied everything into an open box, examining the trash and debris. One by one we chose an object, discovering new Spanish vocabulary words in the process. In our wrap-up, program leaders asked (in Spanish, of course) why beach cleanups are important, allowing the students to reflect on the negative effects of tourism and more ways to help preserve Mallorca’s beautiful environment! 

After some structured free time, some dark clouds forced us to leave a little early in anticipation of rain. Although our first field trip was cut a little short, it was an amazing introduction to what Mallorca has to offer beyond the city! More exciting discoveries await!