What you can see on the Sant Elm webcams
From just behind the beach, a live view looks west over the parasols and palms on the sand to the moored boats, the rounded islet of Es Pantaleu and the long ridge of Sa Dragonera beyond, so you can see how busy the beach is and how calm the channel looks before the boat trip. Higher up, in the pine-covered hills east of the village, another view looks north-west over the treetops to the white houses at the water's edge and the whole island stretched across the horizon, replayed as a time-lapse of the day: ideal for following the cloud over Dragonera and the light changing towards evening.
Sant Elm beach webcam, facing Es Pantaleu and Sa Dragonera
This camera is set above the road behind the beach of Sant Elm and looks west over the village's small bay. In the foreground are the street and the beach kiosks, then palms and rows of straw parasols on the sand; out in the water the rounded islet of Es Pantaleu sits among moored boats, and behind it the long ridge of Sa Dragonera rises to its summit. On the right, the houses of the village run along the shore.
It shows the beach, the boats and the channel to Dragonera at the same time, so it answers the practical questions: is the beach busy, is the sea calm enough for the crossing, is there cloud on the island? From late afternoon it looks straight into the sunset, when the sea turns to gold and the islands become silhouettes.
Sa Dragonera and Sant Elm from the hills
Set high in the pine forest east of Sant Elm, this camera looks north-west over a sea of treetops to the coast. The houses of the village line the water's edge on the right, the small rocky islet of Es Pantaleu sits just off its beach, and behind them Sa Dragonera fills the middle of the picture, its ridge rising to two summits left of centre before tapering away at both ends. On the right, the wooded slopes of the mainland climb towards the hills of La Trapa.
It is a time-lapse of the day. Watch the cloud over the island, the surface of the channel the boats cross to Dragonera and, in the evening, the light fading behind the island.
Sa Dragonera, the dragon island
The name means "dragon island", and its long, spiny profile fits. Dragonera is about 2 miles (3 km) long and only a few hundred metres wide, yet its highest point rises to about 360 metres (1,180 ft). Its last residents were the lighthouse keepers, who left once the lights were automated between the 1960s and the 1970s. Plans to build on the island were fought by environmental groups in a long legal battle, and in 1995 the Balearic government declared it a natural park, together with Es Pantaleu and the islet of Sa Mitjana.
When to watch Sant Elm
Majorca is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland all year. Both views face west, so they are at their best in the afternoon and evening, when the sun goes down over the sea beyond Dragonera and the island turns into a dark silhouette. Summer mornings are usually calm in the channel, and the sea is warmest, about 26 °C, in August.
Around Sant Elm
A footpath climbs north through the pines to La Trapa, the ruins of a former Trappist monastery high above the sea. Port d'Andratx, with its yachts and waterfront restaurants, is a short drive away, and from there the GR 221 long-distance path sets off along the Tramuntana mountains.
Visiting Sant Elm
Palma airport is about 35 miles (56 km) away by road. In season, boats to Dragonera leave from the jetty in the village, a crossing of about 15 to 20 minutes when the weather allows; nothing is sold on the island, so take water and food with you.
