Hormigas Islands

The marine reserve of Cabo de Palos and Islas Hormigas is a natural underwater area protected since 1995, ensuring conservation of the seabed fauna and flora, one of the best preserved in the Mediterranean region. Additionally, scuba diving lovers will be delighted by the shipwrecks resting on the seabed such as Sirio, a cruise ship sank in 1906, and Naranjito, cargo ship that wrecked  in 1946. 

 

Some two nautical miles from the coast of Cartagena, opposite Cabo de Palos, there is a group of little islands known as Islas Hormigas, with the largest one being 200 meters in length and 13 in height.

 

The seabed, sand banks and large shallow areas around these islands, as well as intense sea traffic that has sailed near the islands for centuries, have resulted in abundant archaeological sites in the area. To warn on the dangers of sailing near the islands, the so-called Hormiga Island Lighthouse was built.