﻿Kiko monitors Menorca from Faro de Cavalleria

Kiko, you tourist guide

Kiko monitors Menorca from Faro de Cavalleria

The other day I was told a story about the Lighthouse Cavalleria and I have decided to go and see it myself today. It is on the north side of Menorca, 94 meters above sea level, and they say it's best to go in the late afternoon and watch the sunset.

A defense tower and a Roman settlement

We are almost there. We're going down a long, narrow road and suddenly to the left we see the port Sanitja. It is a small bay of calm water with a few moored boats. There stands a defense tower built by the British military engineers in 1800 and now is in very poor condition.

Near this port you can visit the archaeological excavations that are being realized in Sanisera, a Roman city from the first century BC. It is a large military camp and the only one on the Balearic Islands.

Caves for smugglers

To the right there is a path that leads us near to the Cave of the Vell Marí that according to legend, was used by pirates and smugglers to store their treasures. It is difficult to see the cave from of the ground. Someday I will make a kayak excursion from Cala Tirant to be able to see it and other caves around the area.

Goats on the beach

Between the harbor and the lighthouse, there is a small road to Cala Viola. It is an unspoiled beach with hard sand where sometimes you can see goats grazing freely. Large rocks divide the bay into two bathing areas where usually people go to snorkel. It is part of the Northern Marine Reserve in Menorca, that´s why you can see many fish and seahorses swimming over there.

More than 700 shipwrecks

We are approaching the end of the Cabo de Cavalleria, this part of the island is furthest northwards and is where the lighthouse stands. It is an area with many stones, that´s why I came well prepared with proper shoes on and a small backpack with water, a snack, a cap and a camera.

At the entrance towards the exhibition I met the Director of the Royal Son Bou Family Club, where I also have my house at Club Kikoland. What a surprise! He, Tumeu Janer, explained me that this lighthouse was built in 1857 because since the fourteenth century there had been over 700 shipwrecks. The lighthouse, which emits two flashes of white light every 10 seconds, now guides ships.

A galleon and 17 guns

In 2009, they discovered in the waters remains of a galleon and 17 iron cannons that measure two meters long. Moreover, there are anchors and other wreckages that the archaeologists estimate that are from the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

The Cavalleria is the oldest lighthouse of Menorca and this summer the hosts held an interpretation center where you can asked for many interesting data’s. I liked seeing how the lights used to be and how it has evolved so far.

There is also a terrace bar where people can wait to see the sunset. I'm behind the lighthouse and the view is breathtaking! Looking down about a hundred meters from the cliff makes me dizzy. You have to be very careful around this area and watch carefully where you step.

Menorcan lizards

The island des Porros or Sanitja, is a small island that is very close to the lighthouse. There lives a very curious kind of lizard that can only be seen in the Balearic Islands, the sargantana. But the ones on this island are subspecies, like their cousins, and have a green body with black or blue spots. The head and legs are brown and the belly, red. I would like to see one of them!

Next to the lighthouse is a cave where you can from about 15 meters see this small island but I've found to realize that the entrance is closed because rocks have fallen down and you cannot pass.

A giant watch

I walk around the lighthouse. A group of people are sitting on the rocks and the remains of an ancient site where the artillery republican army protected the island during the Spanish civil war from attacks that came from sea.

I found a good place to see the sunset. From up here, there is a good view of the northside of Menorca. I feel like a lighthouse, a giant one for the ships, making sure they do not crash against the cliffs.

Once it´s dark I will go back to my house to tell my friends what I've seen and show the pictures of the tour.

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