Port Cros, the French island National Park in the Mediterranean off shore between Toulon and St. Tropez, isn't listed in many hiking guides but it features a huge variety of Mediterranean environments, marine and land, which are relatively unspoiled. Many of the trails are through vegetation tunnels, usefully protecting the hiker from the heat of the sun or the violence of the storms. Individual Mediterranean environments exist to some extent on the mainland but here on Port Cros they are all together.
I stayed overnight so as to enjoy the calm of the island without day-trippers, who come mainly for the beaches or perhaps the snorkelling and diving.
Reminiscent of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia (French is Marquises) but the hiking on Port Cros is much better facilitated so I was able to hike on my own and so at my own pace. A flashback quickly shows the difference of the real Tropics: My Polynesia photo blog.
Port Cros has a long and varied military history, the remains are evident throughout the area. Among many dates, the British invaded in 1793 and Port Crops played a significant part in the landings of Allied troops in Provence in 1944.
No cars or bicycles and only the motorised vehicles of the village and military services. But also no camping and a very restricted supply of accommodations.