Rejoice because every place is here and every moment is now. (Dalai Lama)
Formentera (in Catalan and Castilian) is the smallest of the four main and inhabited islands of the Spanish Balearic Islands. It is located south of the island of Ibiza with which it forms all the Pityuses Islands. The island is also a commune. In the sixties, tourism developed. The Hippies were very early on attracted to Formentera.
The island incorporated the Autonomy of the Balearic Islands, when it was founded in 1983. In 2007, it obtained a specific status, its island council becoming autonomous from that of Ibiza. Formentera is a main island located about 6 km south of Ibiza and is 19 kilometers long. Balearic Islands
The island has a population of nearly 12,000 for 83 square kilometres. La Savina is the village where the port and marina of the island is located, the other villages are: Sant Francesc Xavier (the main village of the island), Sant Ferran de ses Roques, El Pilar de la Mola, Es Pujols
How to get there?
The island is accessible only by boat, from the island of Ibiza, as well as from mainland Spain. To discover the island of Formentera in complete freedom, just rent a car, a scooter or a bicycle at the port of Savina, right next to the ferry landing dock. The tour of the island by bike is possible in 1 day (75 km.) but I advise you to avoid the hot season.
Espalmador Island
Espalmador is a private island near Formentera. Although it belongs to a Castilian family, the island can be visited; The beautiful S'Alga beach alone is worth a visit! If some travel guides suggest that you can walk through the shallow waters that connect Formentera to Espalmador (El Pas Strait), we strongly advise stead. It is better to take the boat that leaves La Savina and commutes several times a day: you will be sure to arrive safely. Indeed, in Espalmador, there are more yachts, boats and sailboats than anything else, most of them come from the nearby island of Ibiza. In the centre of the island of Espalmador is a muddy pond, prized by those who believe in the virtues of mud baths. For visitors, it has almost become a tradition to take a mud bath and then run to the sea to rinse. Private property uninhabited but its 146 hectares are accessible to bathers (nudists) who also appreciate the famous sulphur mud baths, which form in natural bowls near its long natural beaches of fine sand. Boats can get wet in the heavenly coves of S'Alga in the centre and its Torreta in the northwest.
Hiking for the island tour
First leg: 28km in 7 hours. It is not a difficult stage but his long distance, his heat and some difficulties on the course complicates him. Views of great beauty, important and unknown surprises and some of Formentera's most famous places on a single itinerary. We leave from Sa Rosa des Vents in the port of La Savina, towards S'Estany des Peix, take the path that leads to Can Marroig and Torre de sa Gavina. Then follow the coast to Cala Saona, the last chance to find a place to sw quench (if it is open). There is no difficulty on the road. Leaving Cala Saona, the path begins to climb, you will see areas with spectacular cliffs. Then you reach the vicinity of the dump of the Cape of Barbaria. From there, the path becomes more complicated, stony, several torrents, the first two are more complicated to go down and up. You arrive at Es Far des Cap de Barbaria and Sa Torre, very representative places of Formentera. As you continue, you still go through torrents, but easier to pass. The biggest difficulty comes when it comes to passing Torrent Fondo, it's a dizzying descent that may not be easy to see at first, but isn't that hard when you're there. Later, you reach a civilized area until Es Raco de s'Alga. Finally, alternating a few stretches of hard sand and a footbridge, visit the Torre des Pi des Català and finish around the Formentera Playa Hotel.
Second stage: 25km in 5 hours. This is a relatively simple step except at the point indicated as "Wild torrent". From the Formentera Playa Hotel in Migjorn, you head to the footbridge, along the coast to the Death Calo and Es Ram. Then an intense climb that takes you to the top of La Mola. Along the clear trails, we reach the Es Far district of La Mola, one of Formentera's must-sees.
We continue our route by entering by the Vendenda des Monestir, first by a clear path and then by a stony terrain and very close to the cliffs. There is no clear path and we go several kilometers, avoiding as much as possible the stones and shrubs. Once you arrive at the "wild torrent" you get the feeling that it is impossible to pass, but a path passes and the descent as well as the climb require all your attention. Once past the torrent, we find a stony ground, then a path very close to the cliff, now it is through the forest that we advance to the Cama de sa Pujada, which this time goes down to the beautiful village of Es Calo de Sant Agusto.
Stage three: 21 km in 5 hours. of the Tour de Formentera after the Formentera All Round Trail (FART) of 2013, although this time almost no track is necessary, because the road is quite coastal (although in Punta Prima we made an alternative). Despite June, there had been a thunderstorm at night and the route could be done without excessive heat problems, although there are already a lot of people on all its beaches as we passed. This very hot step can be very painful. The route is absolutely spectacular. Leaving Es Camo, you cross beaches and rocks to Cala en Baster, highlighting the spectacular color of the water at all times. In Cala en Baster begins the only day climb to the cliff of Punta Prima, including its tower. Later, we moved inside a tourist establishment (which can be easily avoided if you wish) without any problems to get to Es Pujols, where all the tourist infrastructure was already at full capacity. After a swim, we will continue through the beaches area of Ses Canyes and Sa Roqueta, until we reach the beaches of Llevant. At these places, there are many kilometers to go on the sand, which makes the passage difficult, there are several bars open if a snack is needed. Once you leave the last establishment of the Illetes (Minister's) on the left, follow the more rocky section to Trucadors, the northernmost area of Formentera with a step towards Espalmador, sometimes dangerous. We went back to the other side (where the wind blew a lot more this time) and went through the most famous district of Formentera (Illetes) almost empty, then from the restaurant Es Molo de Sal we passed by the beach of Es Cavall den Borràs, leaving it is sanded by the beach bar of Beso Beach and heads towards La Savina , ending with the rose of the winds of the port.
Cultures
The landscapes of vineyards, olive trees and small fields of wheat… or cacti, and in general the hiking trails that also discover at a detour the deep caves formed by water in the karst rock.
What to see?
At the turn of the hiking path linking the hamlets of Las Salinas to its Pedrera along the two salt ponds, appears the Punta Pedreras (to the west of the island and south-west of the port of Savina: a large mineral expanse dotted with holes that the sea has transformed into natural swimming pools, also filled with sulphide sludge and bordered with salt. The saltworks and structures that feed them are unavoidable, as are: the historic windmill, the old watchtowers around the island, the small traditional peasant houses and the small stone chapels with very few openings. The villages have a lot of charm, especially San Francesco Xavier with its whitewashed houses and local craft shops. Formentera is also home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: its islands. Its white sand contrasts with the captivating colour of its waters. One of my favourite places in Formentera is the Mola Lighthouse, a place cut off from the world and perched on a cliff. This lighthouse is accessible only by one road. The panorama is truly breathtaking and icing on the cake, you will hardly meet anyone.
The salt flats
The Formentera saltworks were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. They are an exceptional site shaped by more than 2,000 years of history and are home to Europe's largest marine salt lake, fed by naturally filtered seawater oxygenated by posidona Oceanica's largest underwater meadow in the world.
David Calzada Pous restarted salt production in Formentera in 2008. It was by wanting to test the quality of the water that he discovered that in a liquid form, Formentera salt had a very harmonious taste comparable to other quality sea salts. Laboratory tests showed that Formentera's liquid salt contained only 8% sodium. It was then that David Calzada Pous launched the marketing of this product to allow people to enjoy the taste of salt while limiting the risks associated with sodium.
The beaches
Formentera has some 20 kilometres of beautiful white sand beaches lined with turquoise waters (a colour due to the presence of posidonias, an aquatic plant; indeed, Formentera has the largest posidonia meadow, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1999). The beaches have been preserved thanks to very low urbanization, with no large real estate complexes. At Formentera, naturism is allowed on all beaches and all beaches are mixed, so it's up to you whether or not you want to keep your swimsuit! So yes, it's probably best to look for the beach that suits you best and find the right piece of sand to settle in.
Since Formentera is a small island, it will be easy to travel the short distances from one beach to another to find a sheltered corner of the wind. As there is daily wind, choose a beach located against the current: if the wind blows from the north, go to the south of the island; If it's a westerly wind, go east… You will see on each beach the flags indicating the swimming conditions: be very careful what they say. For the record, the green flag means "authorized swimming," the yellow "dangerous swimming" and the red flag means "no swimming." Although the sea may seem calm, some places are bathed by strong currents that can be dangerous.
Illetes / Llevant
Located in the Salines Natural Park, these beaches are accessible by car or motorbike for an entrance fee (From May to October, 4 euros for cars and 2 euros for two-wheelers). Illetes and Llevant are located on the Es Trucadors Peninsula. Illetes is to the west and Llevant to the east, but you could almost say that it is a single beach with two sides. Illetes is formentera's most famous beach, filmed in a number of commercials. That is certainly why it is invaded in August. However, this pristine beach has several beach bars. The bathing waters are generally quite calm, protected by the many islets that run along the coast. Illetes is easily reached by road, car or bus, or on foot from La Savina. The beach of Llevant, to the east, is wilder and less crowded, mainly because of the wind blowing. Indeed, the island of Formentera being exposed to ocean winds, Llevant is often swept by the wind with a rougher sea, while the other side (Illetes) is calm and quiet. This beach is easily accessible by road, car or bus, and a short walk from Es Pujols.
Migjorn
The longest beach in Formentera (almost 8 kilometers), Migjorn is located in the south of the island. It is a succession of beaches separated by small piles of rocks. The beginning of the beach is wilder with a lot of algae, while the other end has a large stretch of sand (called Es Arenals). At Migjorn, it is really important to heed the coastguard's warnings, as submerged reefs parallel to the coast cause strong currents that can be very dangerous. Here, when the flag is red, you should NEVER, and really NEVER bathe. The beach of Migjorn is extended by the beaches of Es Cupina and Es Cjo des Mort, charming places to be. It is very easy to reach Migjorn, just follow the signage on the main road.
Tramuntana / Ses Platgetes
This beach is landlocked between two fishing areas: Cala en Baster and Es Calo de Sant Agusto. This coast is often battered by squalls from the North, but you can easily find a few sheltered places. Before arriving at Es Calo de Sant Agusto, you will come across Ses Platgetes, small coves with rocky headlands, a splendid sea and stretches of fine sand. Like other beaches, it is easily accessible by car or bus.
Cala Saona
This beach is located on the west coast of the island. It is also one of the busiest thanks to the presence of a hotel next to the beach. It is a beautiful large beach (about 140 meters long and 120 meters wide) nestled between two cliffs. Access by car is convenient (route indicated from Sant Francesc) and buses serve the station.
Es Pujols
Es Pujols can be considered an urban beach, as it has been integrated into the village. It is very well protected thanks to the presence of isles. This beach is particularly beautiful in low season, when the village regains its tranquillity. It loses some of its charm in high season.
Cavall de en Borràs
It is located at the very beginning of Illetes, near the port of La Savina. Besides, you can come on foot from La Savina
WELCOME to Formentera
The real journey of discovery is not to look for new landscapes, but to have new eyes.