Punta Nati, the lighthouse of sunsets

This lighthouse stands on the cliffs of Punta Nati in the far north-west of Menorca, 6 km from Ciutadella.

Punta Nati lighthouse consists of two detached rectangular buildings and a 19-m high tower with a hexagonal base. It stands 42 m above sea level and flashes in groups of three and then one every 20 seconds. Its lamp can be seen 16 nautical miles away.

Punta Nati is one of the picturesque places on the island that has become a meeting point to watch the sunset. This means that during the summer afternoons too many people concentrate, losing much of its charm and causing problems due to the concentration of vehicles on a very narrow road.

Think that you are in the west of Menorca and at any point along the coast of Ciutadella there are countless points to enjoy a good sunset over the sea.

History

Built in just over a year due to pressure from the French government after the wreck of the steamship Général Chanzy in 1910, the lighthouse at Punta Nati was opened in 1913. Subsequently, the lighthouse at Favàritx was opened, which, along with the lighthouse on Cavalleria, completed the chain of lighthouses on the north coast of Menorca. The lighthouse at Punta Nati began using lamps powered by petrol gas, but in 1921 a non-automatic lamp powered by acetylene gas was installed.

Punta Nati surroundings

The lighthouse stands in a landscape known as dry Menorca, with tall cliffs that give way inland to a flat rocky landscape. The vegetation is scant and low, salt-tolerant, and with many wild caper plants. The lack of built-up areas has permitted the survival of endless dry-stone walls that are only interrupted by barraques or ponts de bens, shelters built from dry stone where cattle take cover in the event of bad weather. The headland is an excellent place for wonderful sunsets, with the island of Mallorca in the background on the horizon. At dusk during the breeding season, large numbers of Cory’s shearwaters form groups out to sea before they head for their nearby breeding colonies, the largest of this species on Menorca.

How to get there

Punta Nati is 6 km north of Ciutadella. From the center of the town, take the Camí de Son Salomó as far as a roundabout on the northern ring-road, from where the road to the lighthouse at Punta Nati heads north. If you are coming from Maó, the most direct route is to take the northern ring-road as far as this roundabout and then turn right towards the lighthouse.

Map of Punta Nati

See the map Lighthouses Menorca a Google Maps

  See all the lighthouses of Menorca