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Marked by a lonely lighthouse, this undeveloped area is officially a military zone, but as long as it’s not closed or guarded, you can walk out for a view of the entire bay. Nearby Portals Vells is another tranquil area, while Platja El Mago is a nudist beach.

The spot that precipitated the current conservation movement on the island is a great place to hike, take a picnic or just visit for the sake of the cruise. In season, you can get a ferry at either Sant Elm or Port d’Andratx.

A chapel-like structure at this lookout point has “Todo por la patria” (“All for the Fatherland”) over its door – a remnant from Fascist times – with “patria” blotched out some time ago by a liberal-thinking member of the new Spain. From here and a nearby café you’ll find dizzying views down to the sea far below.

Two pretty villages lie in a gorge opposite the towering presence of Puig Major, Mallorca’s highest mountain. So evocative is the silence of the gorge – broken only by sheep’s bells and the bleating of goats – that it has been sold as a record.

Created by seasonal torrents over millions of years, the ravine near Sóller and Puig Major is up to 400 m (1,312 ft) deep but only 30 m (98 ft) wide, with some sections never seeing daylight. Do not hike between the cliffs in winter.

A box canyon at the spot where the “Torrent of the Twins” meets the sea is one of the great sights of the island. The scale of the scene, with its delicate formations and colours, is amazing, and the sense of solitude undisturbed, even by the usual crowds you will encounter here. The tunnel-like path from Cala Calobra was carved out in 1950.

This jagged spur of the great Serra de Tramuntana range has been saved from overdevelopment mostly due to the fact that a large luxury hotel was built here in the 1920s. The drive out to the lighthouse is unforgettable.

Pliny wrote of night herons, probably from S’Albufera, being sent to Rome as a gastronomic delicacy. The wetlands were drained for agriculture in the 19th century. What land was left has now been restored and turned into a nature reserve – the Mediterranean’s largest wetlands.

The island’s easternmost point is a great place to hike around, though the terrain generally necessitates little more than easy strolling. You can go out to the lighthouse on its cape of sheer rock, or check out the pristine coves that lie lined up to the north and south, including Cala Agulla, Son Moll, Sa Pedrusca and Sa Font de sa Cala.

One of the newer preserves established on the island, this one is part nature, part heritage site. It incorporates a full range of island terrains, from wooded hills to sandy dunes, as well as an assortment of rural structures. Come here for hiking, birdwatching, picnicking, swimming or simply getting a feel for old Mallorca.