Las Salinas Natural Park (Formentera)
Formentera is the smallest inhabited island of the Balearics with an area of about eighty-three square kilometers. Form within those, next to Ibiza and several islets like Espalmador o espardell, the so-called Pitiusas islands.
Populated since Bronze Age, as confirmed by the megalithic complex of Cana Costa, Formentera has no less than sixty-nine kilometers of coastline formed by spectacular cliffs y magnificent beaches, many of them framed by dunes. If we add its vegetation of pine and juniper forests, we will have a dreamlike landscape which has turned the island into a tourist destination for all of Europe. If you want to know Formentera, we invite you to follow us.
What to see in Formentera
But not everything is landscape among the attractions of Formentera. It also has lovely mediterranean style villages and several monuments of interest. Let's get to know them.
Saint francis javier
It is the capital of the island and was founded in the XNUMXth century. It is a beautiful town that has managed to preserve its old charm of a fishing village. In it you are interested in visiting the Romanesque chapel of Sa Tanca Vella, around which the town was built; the church of san francisco, also built in the XNUMXth century, and the flour mills of Saint Miranda.
From the latter, you can enjoy magnificent views of the island, especially the wonderful Salinas de Ibiza and Formentera Natural Park, an area that is as valuable from an ecological point of view as it is spectacular from a landscape point of view. In addition to being a Natural Reserve and a Special Protection Area for Birds, it is a World Heritage Site. Finally, you have in San Francisco Javier a beautiful ethnographic museum about life on the island.
Church of San Francisco Javier
San Ferran de ses Roques
Located in the center of the island, this town and its parish term are found entirely in the aforementioned park. It has a nice iglesia from the XNUMXth century that, together with the square and the small pedestrian streets, forms a cozy historic center. Near this villa you can see the megalithic tomb of Cana Costa, already cited, and the defense tower of Punta Prima. We also recommend you visit the tourist center of Es Pujols, where you will find numerous bars and restaurants.
But, precisely because it is in the park, its greatest charm lies in the landscapes it offers you. This is the case of the peninsula of It's Trucadors, an isthmus of dunes three kilometers long, two hundred meters wide and beaches on both sides. And, just at the end of it, just fifty meters away, is the islet of Espalmador, which can be reached on foot when the tide is low, although it is not recommended to do so. In turn, almost attached to Espalmador are other small islands: those of Sa Torreta, castavi y des Porcs, in which you can see a lighthouse built in 1864.
The Espardell island, located about four kilometers east of the previous one. It has vertiginous cliffs, but also a beautiful cove, that of Mollet. In its western part, you can see the remains of an ancient muslim defensive tower and to the north the Tramuntana lighthouse, with fifty meters high.
El Pilar de la Mola, the plateau of Formentera
This town is located on a spectacular plateau surrounded by Cliffs almost a hundred meters high. In it you can visit the iglesia XNUMXth century and Lighthouse, from which you have wonderful views of the coast of Formentera. You can also walk through the Vineyards and for the hiking trails that traverse the plateau.
But its other great attraction is craft market It is held on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons and attracts people from all over the island. The rest of the days, it is a quiet and even somewhat isolated town. In fact, it is often spoken of as "An island within an island".
It's Trucadors
La Savina, gateway to Formentera
We hardly need to tell you about this town, since, if you visit the island, you will inevitably pass through it. It is the port where ships arrive from Ibiza and, in some months, from Denia. It also has a fisherman's wharf and two maritime clubs.
Every afternoon at La Savina a flea market style hippie around your hotels, bars and restaurants. You can also rent Bike to make routes through the Natural Park of Las Salinas.
It is Caló de Sant Agustí
This small town has so much fishing tradition that you can still see the ancients in it wooden boathouses, where the boats were sheltered from the sea water. Since 2002 they have been a Place of Cultural Interest.
On the other hand, very close to the village part green route 25, which runs along the historic path of La Mola called Camí de Sa Pujada and that gives you wonderful landscapes. Also before this town you can see the ruins of the Roman castle of Can Blai, declared a Site of Cultural Interest.
The beaches of Formentera
Another of the great attractions of the Balearic island resides in its beautiful beaches and coves. There is one for every taste. We are going to see the most important ones.
It is Caló de Sant Agustí
Saône Cove
The only one that you will find in the southwest of the island is Cala Saona, surrounded by cliffs and about one hundred and forty meters in length. It is perfect for you to practice kayak o paddle surf. And, if you approach the cliffs of Rasa Pointyou can do snorkel and observe their pretty underwater caves.
Ses Illetes
It is located on the peninsula of It's Trucadors and several islets such as that of North wind and des Forn. Therefore, its waters are calm and turquoise blue. If you add its fine white sands, you will have a dreamlike landscape. In fact, it has been rated more than once as "The most beautiful beach in the world".
Ses Platgetes
It is located in the northern part of Formentera. But we should speak in the plural, since it is about three small beaches separated by rocky headlands. They are framed by a forest of low junipers and it is perfect for you to practice diving.
Migjorn
Under this denomination all the south coast of the island, five kilometers of beaches which are more beautiful. The most popular and family-friendly are Ca Mari, The Arenales y In Copinar. All of them are close to the area of the main hotels and restaurants so you can enjoy local and seafood cuisine after taking a bath. Nearby is also Calo des Morts, a small cove under cliffs and full of fishermen's huts.
carry
As its name suggests, it faces east and is one of the most beautiful beaches in Formentera. At almost a kilometer and a half in length and a hundred meters wide, it has fine, clear sands and calm, crystal clear waters. For this reason, it was not enough, it is preceded by dunes and a forest that separate it from the salt deposits. In short, a wonderful landscape and huge ecological value.
Migjorn
Es Pujols
As you may have deduced, it is in the tourist area of the same name that we have already told you about. On the one hand closes it Punta Prima and on the other it communicates with the Llevant beach. It alternates stretches of sand with others of rock where there are covered slipways for boats. And, if you look towards the sea, you will see a spectacular landscape of small islets. Adjacent to this, in addition, you have the Sa Roqueta beach, less frequented by its strong winds.
Cavall den Borras
Another spectacular view is offered by this beach from which you can see, on clear days, the Ibiza coast. Its sunsets are also beautiful. It is also sheltered by a protected dune system and a juniper forest. Finally, we will tell you that its sands are white and soft and its waters are calm, despite its image. almost wild.
When is it better to travel to Formentera
The climate on the Balearic island is of type maritime mediterranean, therefore, very soft all year round. Winters are mild and pleasant and summers are warm. Average temperatures are around six degrees for the minimum and twenty-nine for the maximum. For its part, rainfall is scarce, concentrating mainly in the months of October and November. In addition, Formentera does not have great elevations, which makes the weather uniform throughout its territory.
Therefore, any time of the year is good to visit the island. However, we advise you the months that go from April to October both for the pleasant temperatures and for the absence of rain.
How to get to the island
Formentera does not have an airport. Therefore, the only way to get to the island is through the boats. There is a line of them from Ibiza and they make several trips a day that last barely thirty-five minutes. However, in summer ferries also leave from the peninsula, specifically from Denia, in the province of Alicante.
Once on the island, you can move around it in a rental car. It is small and the distances short. Its main road is the PM-820, which goes from the port of La Savina until La Mola lighthouse and therefore crossed it from east to west.
Isle des Porcs
However, the small size of Formentera means that you can also visit it in bike through its numerous green routes. To give you an idea, the maximum distance between two points on the island is slightly less than twenty kilometers, precisely between La Savina and La Mola.
What to eat in Formentera
On the other hand, you cannot leave the island without trying its excellent gastronomy. Is a traditional based on the one hand on fish and on the other on the products of its dry fields. Regarding the former, they are simply delicious grilled or roasted.
But they are also prepared in a more elaborate way. For example, in the peasant salad, which carries potatoes, bread and dried fish, or the fried octopus with potatoes, onions and peppers. And fried squid are also cooked in their ink; the Bullit of peix, which is a fish stew with potatoes and arroz a banda. Of similar preparation is the sofrit pages, only it is made with meat and livers.
As for the sweet, we advise you to try the orelletes, which are cookies with anise; the clay, which is an ensaimada pudding, and the flat, a cake made with fresh cheese and mint. As for the drink, try the wines indigenous to the island, which has been made since the XNUMXth century.
In conclusion, Formentera is a natural treasure full of beauty. With each step you take, you will find a landscape even more impressive than the previous one. But it also offers you monuments, a magnificent climate and delicious cuisine. Don't feel like visiting the smallest of the Pitiusas islands?