N'Ensiola Lighthouse

N'Ensiola Lighthouse stands at the southern tip of Cabrera, the main island of a small archipelago roughly 18 kilometres south of Mallorca. It's one of the most isolated lighthouses in the Balearics — there's no permanent land route to it, only boat access into a strictly protected national park.

Where exactly is the N'Ensiola Lighthouse?

The lighthouse sits on Punta de N'Ensiola, the southernmost point of Cabrera island. Despite the physical distance from Mallorca, the entire island falls administratively under the municipality of Palma, which is why Cabrera is sometimes grouped with the Mallorcan capital even though it lies out at sea, well beyond the coastline.

Why was a lighthouse built here?

The southern end of Cabrera guards the entrance to the archipelago's only sheltered harbour and overlooks shipping lanes running along Mallorca's south coast. Construction was first planned in 1861 and the building work was finished in 1868, but the lighthouse wasn't actually lit until 15 August 1870, once its optical apparatus arrived from Chance Brothers, the renowned British lens manufacturer.

What makes the lighthouse's design unusual?

N'Ensiola is a second-order lighthouse with an unconventional layout. Instead of a tower rising from the middle of the building, the structure is a circular building roughly 25 metres in diameter, with the tower set on the inner curve of that circle, facing out to sea rather than standing at its centre. Together with the Punta Grossa lighthouse, it was one of the first in the Balearics fitted with a lamp specified under the coastal lighting plan of 1847.

How do you get to N'Ensiola Lighthouse?

The lighthouse lies inside the Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park, established in 1991 to protect one of the best-preserved marine ecosystems in the western Mediterranean. The only way onto the island is by boat, mainly via ferries and organised excursions from Colonia de Sant Jordi on Mallorca, and visitor numbers are capped to protect the park.

What else is there to see on Cabrera?

Beyond the lighthouse, the island holds the medieval Castell de Cabrera, which was used to hold French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars. The waters around the archipelago are known for extensive Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, exceptional visibility, and dive sites such as Cova Blava, the Blue Cave.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside N'Ensiola Lighthouse? No — it remains an active navigational light and isn't open to the public inside. Visitors see it from the outside as part of a tour around Cabrera island.

How long is the crossing to Cabrera? The ferry from Colonia de Sant Jordi typically takes around an hour, depending on sea conditions.

Can you stay overnight on Cabrera? Overnight accommodation on the island is extremely limited because of its national park status, so most visitors explore the archipelago on day trips.

Is Cabrera part of Mallorca? Not geographically — it's a separate island in its own archipelago — but administratively it belongs to the municipality of Palma.