Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
POP 410
The narrow country Ma1030 road twists deep into pine forest from S'Arracó to emerge
in Sant Elm. While it's by no means a secret, the relative remoteness of this beach resort
has kept mass tourism at bay, and there's something magical about watching the sun plop
behind the silhouetted Illa de Sa Dragonera.
Sights & Activities
A couple of nice walks head north from Plaça del Monsenyor Sebastià Grau, at the north-
east end of town. One follows the GR221 long-distance route for about 1¼ hours or 4km
to
La Trapa
, a ruined former monastery. A few hundred metres from the building is a
wonderful lookout point. You can start on the same trail but branch off west about
halfway (total walk of 2.5km; about 45 minutes) to reach
Cala d'En Basset
, a lovely bay
with transparent water but not much of a beach.
Platja Sant Elm
BEACH
Sant Elm's main town beach is a pleasant sandy strand (no shade) that faces the gently
lapping Mediterranean to the south. Within swimming distance for the moderately fit is
Illa Es Pantaleu
, a rocky islet that marks one of the boundaries of a marine reserve. To
the south of Sant Elm's main beach is
Cala es Conills
, a sandless but pretty inlet (follow
Carrer de Cala es Conills).
Illa de Sa Dragonera
ISLAND
Part of the marine reserve is dominated by the 4km-long
Illa de Sa Dragonera
, a ripple
of an island that stretches out like a slumbering dragon to the west. Constituted as a nat-
ural park, it can be reached by ferry. The ferry lands at a protected natural harbour on the
east side of the island, from where you can follow trails to the capes at either end or as-
cend the
Na Pòpia peak
(Puig des Far Vell, 349m). The ferry operators also do
glass-
bottomed-boat tours
around the island. If you want to dive off the island, try Scuba
Activa.
Keida
ADVENTURE SPORTS
( 971 23 91 24;
www.keida.es
; Plaçs de na Caragola 3; hours vary)
Keida offers a huge ar-
ray of activities, from guided hikes (€38 to €60) to half-day boat excursions to Illa de Sa
Dragonera (€42), three-hour horse-riding excursions (€60) and 1½-hour paddle-surfing
courses (€45). You can also hire a bike (half-/full day €10/15) or a kayak (half-/full day
€11/15) here.
