Isla de Benidorm rises 73 meters above the Mediterranean, a limestone promontory formed 6.5 million years ago when tectonic shifts separated it from the Serra Gelada headland.
Locals called it L'Illa until the 1950s, when package tourism rechristened it Peacock Island after a failed attempt to introduce the birds as a photographic attraction. The peacocks died within two seasons, but the nickname persisted in English guidebooks. What survived instead were the Audouin's gulls, a threatened species that nests here each spring in colonies monitored by the Generalitat Valenciana.
The island became a natural park in 2005, protecting 4.4 hectares of terrestrial scrubland and 1,400 hectares of surrounding seabed. No commercial development is permitted. The only structures are two navigation markers and a weather station installed in 1987. Visitors arrive by ferry from Playa de Poniente or Playa de Levante, a 15-minute crossing that operates year-round except during easterly storms. The shallow coves on the western shore — Cala de Poniente and Cala de Mal Pas — attract snorkelers seeking the posidonia meadows, a UNESCO-priority seagrass that oxygenates the water and shelters juvenile fish. Visibility averages 12 meters in summer, dropping to 8 meters after autumn rains stir coastal sediment.
Benidorm boat trip to island tours now include scuba diving permits for depths up to 25 meters along the northern cliffs, where moray eels inhabit crevices in the limestone substrate. The Conselleria de Agricultura restricts daily diver numbers to 40 to prevent anchor damage to the posidonia beds. Surface swimming remains unlimited. Archaeological surveys in 2019 identified Roman amphora shards 200 meters offshore, evidence of ancient maritime trade routes between Dianium (modern Dénia) and Carthago Nova. The shards are protected under regional heritage law and cannot be removed.
The island's steepest ascent — a 20-minute scramble over loose talus — reaches the summit plateau, where the navigation beacon flashes every six seconds after dark. From that elevation, the Benidorm skyline appears toylike, its high-rises compressed by distance into a single serrated edge. The descent requires steady footing; handholds are sparse. Most visitors remain at sea level, circling the shoreline in 40 minutes or anchoring in the coves between ferry departures. No freshwater or shade exists on the island. The last ferry typically leaves at 18:00 in summer, earlier in winter months.
2 hr 30 min
