Campos, Spain: travel guide to the rural Mallorca town, the Es Trenc beach and the Salobrar salt flats

Campos is a rural town in the south-east of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, set on the agricultural plain between Llucmajor and Santanyí, about eight kilometres from the coast. Built of the island's warm golden sandstone, it is the laid-back administrative centre of a corner of Mallorca famous for its long sandy beaches, salt flats and protected wetlands.

For travellers searching for Campos Mallorca, Es Trenc beach, the Salobrar de Campos or southern Mallorca, the town offers an authentic, unhurried base away from the resorts, surrounded by exceptional natural landscapes.

History and town

Campos was founded by King Jaume II around the year 1300, on the site of earlier Roman and Arab settlements. Its most recognisable monument is the parish Church of Sant Julià, a Neo-Classical building completed in 1873 that preserves an older 16th-century bell tower. The small Gothic oratory of Sant Blai, built shortly after the Catalan conquest, is among the earliest churches on the island. The town comes alive on its market days, held on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Es Trenc and the salt flats

The municipality's greatest draw is the beach of Es Trenc, one of the most beautiful in Mallorca, with powdery white sand, shallow turquoise water and intact dunes, protected from large-scale development. Beside it lie the Salines d'Es Trenc, salt flats where salt and the prized Flor de Sal are still harvested by hand, and the Salobrar de Campos, a major wetland and nature reserve that is home to flamingos and more than 200 species of birds.

Practical information

Near the coast at Sa Ràpita and Ses Covetes, Campos also offers the Banys de Sant Joan, the only natural thermal spring on Mallorca, whose 38°C waters were already used in Roman times. The town is a convenient base for the beaches and natural parks of the island's quieter south-east.