It is hard to believe that the forests of Cap de Creus were once so thick that people from Cadaqués used to find it easier to travel by sea to Mallorca than to reach nearby Figueres overland.  Charcoal-burning, grazing and the planting of vines - subsequently destroyed by the Phylloxera epidemic in the 1890s - took toll of the forests of the area and today the windswept slopes of Cap de Creus are characterised by abandoned terraces dotted with a dense garrigue.  Since the original clearing of the woodland, regular forest fires and over-grazing have ensured that the area's cork and holm oak forests have never regenerated.

The typical Cap de Creus landscape today consists of cistus scrub (grey-leaved, narrow-leaved and sage-leaved) with thorny broom, French lavender, small-flowered gorse and Asparagus acutifolius.  A few stands of Aleppo pine have survived the frequent forest fires, green heather and ling thrive in moister gullies with deeper soils, and some variety appears in places in the form of Mediterranean mezereon, myrtle, wild olive and lentisc.  Herbs include birthwort and smearwort and, in more open areas, narrow-leaved lupin and three orchids: the rather similar green-winged (here subsp. picta) and champagne orchids, and  the pale-yellow flowered Provence orchid.

The best-preserved floral communities are confined to the narrow coastal strip directly influenced by sea spray where the prevailing northerly winds force shrubs such as sage-leaved cistus and prickly juniper to assume an unusual creeping habits.  Look around the northern part of headland for Seseli farrenyii, endemic to Cap de Creus, Armeria ruscinonensis, a thrift endemic to the northern Costa Brava, the sea lavender Limonium minutum subsp. tremolsii, yellow horned-poppy, silver ragwort and the spiny, white-flowered cushions of tragacanth which, within the peninsula, is only found on the northern Costa Brava and in southwestern Portugal.

For the best of the area's birds, head for the evocative monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, perched halfway up the north-face of the Serra de Rodes, and from there up to Sant Salvador (670m), the highest peak in the area.  Sadly a huge forest fire in August 2000 (6,000ha burnt) rather damaged the area scenically, although bird communities have remained largely intact.  Thekla lark, blue rock thrush and black wheatear are present all year round, and are joined by rock thrush, black-eared wheatear and common, pallid and alpine swifts in summer.  Crag martins also breed, Bonelli's eagles wander over from time to time and winter brings a small group of alpine accentors.  In scrub formations, Dartford warblers are the commonest birds, far outnumbering the Sardinian, subalpine and Orphean warblers, which you should look for in areas with a few trees or taller maquis.

A number of more montane species such as harebell, wild tulip and creeping snapdragon grow on north-facing slopes of Sant Salvador, providing a taste of the convergence of different floras that is best illustrated by the variety of ferns that grows in the park.  Fern fans may find Mediterranean species such as scented and scaly cheilanthes, Jersey fern and the sub-Mediterranean least adder's-tongue (appearing in autumn), typical pan-European species such as scaly male- and soft shield-ferns, and essentially Atlantic species that include royal fern and lanceolate and sea (on sea cliffs) spleenworts.

Sea-watching is worthwhile from Cap de Creus (follow the GR northwards from the end of the road for about 20 minutes for the best spot), especially in spring and autumn when both Cory's and Mediterranean shearwater pass by in good numbers, and in winter when a surprising number of Mediterranean gulls, kittiwakes, great and arctic skuas, gannets and razorbills enter the Mediterranean to winter.  Of the cetaceans, you most likely to see striped or bottled-nosed dolphins, with just the possibility of a fin whale.

The highly oxygenated waters of Cap de Creus are home to a wealth of submarine fauna, including red precious coral, spiny lobster, large-scaled scorpion fish and the rather scarce trigger-fish in shallow waters and the ocean sunfish in the deeps.

There is an information centre at Sant Pere de Rodes, open every day between June 1st and September 31st; but only weekends and public holidays the rest of the year (Tel: 972 193191). It is signposted off the Vilajuïga-Port de la Selva road.  Scuba-diving and sailing in the park are subject to restrictions.
 

Also in the area

Cap Norfeu, a calcareous headland sticks out like a hook into the Mediterranean from the southern sector of Cap de Creus.  Floristically speaking there is something to see here all year round, although a visit in early April is highly recommend when the grey-leaved cistus, tree- mallow, Coronilla minima and, best of all, the tree spurge on the northern slopes, are in full flower.  The north-facing limestone cliffs and cliff-lips have small cushions of Erodium foetidum spp. crispum and sarcocapnos in spring, while in autumn/winter, you cannot fail to see the shrubby globularia, friar's cowl, Aster sedifolius and autumn narcissus.  Look out too in spring for the tall Mediterranean spurge, felty germander, Pyrenean pink, mallow-leaved bindweed, Iris lutescens, common grape hyacinth and sawfly and dull ophrys.

Blue rock thrush and peregrine nest on the south-facing cliffs, Thekla larks are common throughout and there seem to be about 20 Sardinian warblers to every one Dartford.  The whole peninsula is excellent for falls of passerine, above all in September/October when you may come across almost any of the typical sub-Saharan migrants, in particular redstart, tawny pipit and pied flycatcher.

Expanses of bare rock harbour Moorish gecko, ocellated lizard, large psammodromus and Montpellier snake, with spring butterflies including large numbers of green hairstreak and black-eyed and Panoptes blues.

To reach Cap Norfeu follow signs in Roses to Cala Montjoi and Cala Jóncols.  Once at the holiday complex at Monjoi, continue along the dirt track for another 4km to the 'neck' of the Cap Norfeu peninsula.  From here walk southeast along the broad track that contours around the northern side of the peninsula which eventually turns into a path and climbs the cliff to the plateau.  From here, tracks lead east to the final headland, then west along the top of the peninsula and back down to your starting point.
 

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