3. Formentera,
4 Formentera, 12 Fig trees like cathedrals
the colours of paradise
16 An island for discovering from
7 Stunning sand and water the sea
experience the 10 Island of treasure and adventure 18 Geographical map of Formentera
and tourist information
Mediterranean
4. Illetes beach
Formentera, Paradise is a state of mind. It is based on a
harmonious landscape, full of beauty and at
the same time, welcoming. On a sense of time
the colours of paradise
that is slow, encircling, profound. And above
all on the feeling of being in a closed world,
removed from problems and conflicts, far away
from everything. An approachable, human-size
world. A treasure island. And these are
precisely the characteristics of Formentera.
Formentera is the southernmost island of the
Balearics. And ever since hippy times it has
served as a symbol of paradise, the perfect land,
the place where you can be happy. The fact that
it can only be reached by sea lends it a romantic
character. You have to embark on a sea crossing,
experience arrival minute by minute.
4
5. diving
Diving Posidonia Sea bed
Watching Ibiza fall away behind you, seeing And human relationships benefit from that
the islets one after another, and how the boat tranquillity, too. There are no large towns on
suddenly heads for a flat land, with Formentera. Sant Francesc de Formentera,
promontories at the tips. the centre of the municipality, and Sant
Ferran de ses Roques are open, placid,
An island that looks like something out of a pleasant towns. Pilar de la Mola is still a
storybook, because you can see from afar how dispersed hamlet, and Es Pujols is a small
the light sparkles, the reflections. As though tourist resort.
we were entering a different dimension.
For many years now Formentera has
And in a way, we are. As an island within symbolized the antidote to the rushing and
other islands, Formentera is a land with evils of the modern world. Sensations are
its own rules. The first one is, there’s no complete here. You touch a stone, you
rush. Since the landscape is so flat, the contemplate the turquoise sea, and you
sky looks very big. And you can see how want to become an artist. Because the
the clouds float by very slowly. The dusks magic, the secret of Formentera, speaks
are never-ending. directly to your soul.
5
7. sun and beach
Ses Salines Migjorn beach
What dazzles visitors most is the water of
Formentera. A sea that ranges from a very
pale and intense blue - almost whitish - to
Stunning sand
and water
the deep green of the underwater sand.
The most spectacular zone is in the north,
close to the port of La Savina. This is where
the Ses Salines region lies, which forms part
of the Ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera
Natural Park.
These salt marshes stretch along a sandy area,
dominated in the south by the mirror formed
by the pool of Estany Pudent. And to the
north, a path leads you amidst pine groves and
dunes, to the beginning of Ses Illetes. This
sandy promontory extends northwards, as
though it were trying to reach nearby Ibiza.
7
8. Barbaria lighthouse
It is a unique place. A tongue of sand allows a freshwater pool in the interior. Difficult to contrast with the sea and the nearby
one to enjoy two seas, one of which may be find anywhere where one could feel further silhouette of Ibiza. They are highly
calm and the other choppy. One dark blue and from civilisation. photogenic and offer numerous secret nooks
the other silver. The light sand contrasts starkly and crannies for bathing or sunbathing.
with the sky and the sea. And nothing else. The coast of Es Pujols, the island’s small
This is absolute purity of landscape. tourist resort, has a delightful beach. With the The island’s other large stretch of sand is the
advantage of extremely easy access and the beach of Migjorn, the southern arch of the
The stretch of sand gradually narrows as proximity of all kinds of services. It is one of island. After the dunes, where some now-
you approach the northern tip. Until it ends the island’s most family-friendly beaches. mythical beach kiosks are operational, the sea
at the channel of Es Trucadors. A little sweeps along the whole of the horizon. It is a
sound that separates the island from the And for anyone looking for quite the opposite limitless sense of freedom. From here one can
nearby islet of S'Espalmador. A Robinson there are places like Punta de sa Pedrera. To see the Cap de Barbaria headland, jutting out
Crusoe-like image. reach it one walks along the shore of Estany like a rocky promontory, with the lighthouse
des Peix, a mirror-like pool of water that is that was made famous by Julio Medém’s film,
S'Espalmador, which can only be reached by always calm, resplendent. Many boats sleep “Sex and Lucia”.
boat, looks like an authentic desert island. It here. At Punta de sa Pedrera the shapes of an
has just two houses, a sandy beach, cliffs and old quarry look like theatrical settings. They
8
9. all kind of blues
Camí de Sa Pujada Es Caló de Sant Agustí
As well as these broad beaches, Formentera Bathing in Formentera means enjoying
contains a host of charming nooks and complete sensations. Submerging in the
crannies. The kind that enable you to enjoy transparent, luminous water, seeing the deep
different bathing, entering into a personal blue of the sky, feeling the hot sand under
dialogue with the landscape. Between Es Caló your feet. It feels like a cleansing ritual, a
de Sant Agustí and La Mola, there is a rocky purification. Something that not only fills the
stretch of coast, with tiny little spots. Half stimuli of the body with plenitude, but also
hidden amongst the rocks, you can find the provides a near-spiritual calm. Fusion with
traditional boathouses where vessels are kept. the scenery, the water and the sun. Fusion
And the stone forms platforms and narrow with the universe.
inlets for those who now how to find them.
La Mola rises up amidst the shadows of cliffs,
leaving the area of Es racó de sa Pujada at its
feet, with azure waters and a former
sandstone quarry. The vision is truly magical.
9
10. Island of
treasure and
adventure
The singularity of Formentera starts with its
history. The megalithic sepulchre of Ca na
Costa, 4,000 years old, is the most spectacular
monument of the first human occupation of
the Balearics. This large dolmen was
constructed using huge slabs of stone.
At Cap de Barbaria several prehistoric
villages have also been conserved, and in
different caves at La Mola remains from the
same era have been found.
Later, Phoenicians and Carthaginians also
frequented Formentera, which was then
known by the Greek name of Ophiousa, or
Island of the Snakes. Which is rather
strange, since there are none of this kind of
reptile on Formentera.
The evidence of the Roman presence is quite
clear. A vestige of that era is the name
Formentera, which some believe is derived
from Frumentaria (wheat) and others from
Promontoria (because of its two promontories).
The cliffs of La Mola are riddled with the
mouths of numerous caves. One of them, the
Cova del Fum, was the scene of an event that
was reflected in the Nordic sagas. Church of La Mola
10
11. culture In the 11th century, when the island was ruled
by the Muslims, the Norwegian King Sigurd
a lack of resources that forced them to
emigrate to America.
attacked a group of pirates who kept their As a consequence, they are tough people,
booty in the cave in question. To get them accustomed to hardship. They are considered
out, he had a Viking ship go down over the good sailors, and have faithfully preserved
rocks, throwing burning torches into the cave their traditions such as the “cant pagès”, very
and suffocating those inside. Moorish in style and sung whilst covering the
face with the hand.
This adventurous character was to continue
centuries later. In the 16th and 17th centuries The traditional attire is different to that of
Formentera was on the front line of the war Ibiza. The most striking thing is the
between Christianity and Islam. combination of the broad-brimmed straw hats
The island was abandoned and left worn by the women and the traditional
uninhabited because of the continuous costume, which is black or very dark. In Sant
pirate incursions. It filled up with dense Francesc de Formentera, the Ethnological
vegetation, and it is said that more than one Museum allows one to contemplate objects
Berber pirate hid the fruit of his pillage here. from the island’s past, such as the windmills
Treasure island. or the salt exploitation devices.
In the 18th century the island was The gastronomy is peculiar, too.
repopulated. This explains the church of “Peix sec”, fish dried beside the sea, is used as
Sant Francesc de Formentera, as solid as a a condiment in dishes like salad.
fortress, since it also served as a defence The most popular confectionary is “orelletes”,
like the towers that still watch over the as well as fritters and “flaó” (cheesecake with
island’s coasts. mint). Not to forget the wine made in
Formentera, or the traditional “vi pagès”.
One of Formentera’s riches was salt, which
was extracted under extremely harsh In this way Formentera offers sensations of
conditions. The pools where some of the sea adventure, of a return to the past. Like in the
Peasant woman
water was first evaporated and the salt then La Mola lighthouse, facing the sea that leads
crystallized can still be seen today. to Algeria. A romantic image, reminding one
of the mention Jules Verne made of the island
The island was discovered by hippies in the in his novel, Hector Servadac. And one
‘sixties. It became the symbol of “paradise, which runs its eye of light over the extension
now”. Many things still remain from that era, of La Mola every night.
from the crafts and woollen jerseys to the
music and the street markets.
Formentera has not had an easy history. Its
inhabitants have had to fight against pirates
first, then the problems arising from insularity,
Typical house 11
12. Fig tree
Fig trees One of the great advantages of Formentera is
its size and terrain: 83 square kilometres
with no mountains or differences in
like cathedrals
altitude. Making it the perfect place for
moving around in by bike. Above all thanks
to the green circuits that allow one to
penetrate inland Formentera, the heart of
the island, in the form of over twenty
signposted itineraries.
The scenery of Formentera surprises
everyone, especially thanks to its huge fig
trees sustained by wood poles. Inside the
trees you can observe creative shadow
pictures that in summer are combined with
the lights, whispers and shadows of the
leaves. These fig trees are real nature
12
13. nature
Rural landscape
cathedrals that one can easily divise with of Migjorn. The fine sand is criss-crossed by
their long branches and unmistakable the roots of trees that look like sculptures.
silhouettes. It isn't odd the hippies used them
as great “mansion”. One singular area is that occupied by the
two pools, which are like the island’s “eyes.
The stone walls running alongside the fields The reflections that form in them at dawn or
are low, and in general Formentera’s flat dusk attain truly incredible tonalities. A
landscape has a highly bucolic appearance – play of clouds, blues, greys, pink or reddish
houses surrounded by fenced-in pieces of hues. At times you don’t know which is sky
land, sheep, goats, vineyards. All very much and which is pool. As though the island had
in proportion, like those naïf drawings that two skies.
represent it so well. And always, in every
single corner, the inevitable lizards, with
their greens as intense as a precious stone.
And Formentera also has pine groves, savine
woods and above all, the large area of dunes
that surrounds the salt marshes and the beach
13
14. Ses Salines
Cap de Barbaria offers a vision that reaches La Mola is another, different world. Being a
the soul. When you cross the area called Pla plateau, it constitutes a kind of “second
del Rei, the feeling of solitude is Formentera”. Traditionally it was reached via
overwhelming. Just a straight road, leading the so-called Camí de sa Pujada, a winding,
directly to the lighthouse. And on either side stony path. From it one can gaze on the
an extension of land that is almost lunar, with whole island as though it were a model, a
living rock. Slabs castigated by the sun and place on a map of the world.
the wind, that creak when you step on them.
In the background, the cliffs full of seagulls.
Authentic precipices from where one can
glimpse the waves breaking against the rocks.
This is where the famous Cova Foradada is,
with a cavity that leads you to the edge of the
abyss. It receives so many visitors one can
quite clearly see the path that has been worn
out in the middle of the stony ground.
14
15. walks
La Mola lighthouse Camí de sa Pujada
When you reach La Mola, you get a very Since it is a perfect plateau, one can also
special feeling. You dominate the horizon, move around the edge of La Mola.
the sea. And all around you there stretches a This enables you to discover surprising
minute geography of houses, fences, little places, like Sa Cala, a small cove set at the
woods, that almost seem to make it infinite. foot of the cliff, or Cala Codolar, where for
many years provisions were unloaded for the
La Mola is a universe in itself. Here one can lighthouse keepers. The steps that go up to
find the tiny church of Pilar de la Mola, near the top from the sea are quite giddy.
to which the craft market is held on
Wednesdays and Sundays. Not to be missed
when one is in Formentera.
15
16. An island for
discovering
from the sea
If there is one ideal place for nautical
tourism, that place is Formentera. Several
factors make the island a navigational centre.
First of all, the variety of its 69 kilometres of
coastline, enabling one to discover and enjoy
very different kinds of scenery in a short
space of time. The island’s nautical facilities
are in the port of La Savina, where the ferries
and speedboats from Ibiza arrive. It is a good
place to put in at, sheltered and with plenty
of services.
The existence of rich sea beds explains the
fact that diving is really the “star sport” of
Formentera. The transparency of its waters
and its biological wealth mean that
immersions regale one with unforgettable
moments.
Today, La Savina is a modern port, with
hotels, restaurants, shops and an active rent-
a-car and bicycle hire sector. In spite of the
innovations, it has preserved all its
character. From the port one can see the
horizon of Ibiza and the mass of the islet of
Es Vedrà in the background.
s’Espalmador
16
17. nautical Another destination for many sailors is the
islet of S'Espalmador, located to the north of
is a wild area, with no shelter, and only small
coves like Sa Cala or Cala Codolar.
the island. It has a good refuge in the bay of
s’Alga, strips of sand and scenery that has El faro de La Mola, situado a 118 metros de
not changed in centuries. The waters in this altura, centra la zona oriental de La Mola.
stretch between Ses Illetes and S'Espalmador Tras pasar la Punta Roja, la ruta nos lleva
acquire chromatic varieties and a luminosity hacia otro varadero ya en la parte final:
it would be difficult to find in other parts of s'Estufador. En las alturas se contemplan
the Mediterranean. bosques y torrentes. Se entra así en la extensa
playa de Migjorn, un amable arenal que traza
To the east of Formentera lies the projection una especie de medio círculo y que acaba
of Punta Prima, right beside the tourist conduciendo al segundo promontorio de
resort of Es Pujols. And from here one can Formentera: el Cap de Barbaria.
travel along the north coast of the island,
which has little cliffs and rocky areas, Like La Mola, “es Cap” – as it is known on the
without the sandy beaches of the south. island – is an authentic spectacle from the sea.
This coast has its own peculiar charm, For the majesty of its cliffs and the abundance
above all in the fishing port of Es Caló de of marine birds that inhabit it. It is the
Sant Agustí. The origin of this tiny, oval- southernmost tip of the island, and after
shaped wharf surrounded by numerous passing it one enters a rocky zone, that
boathouses lies in the existence of a eventually leads to Punta de la Galera and
Punta Prima
monastery at La Mola during the Middle Punta de sa Pedrera. The area of sea that
Ages. It is one of the most picturesque begins here and reaches the islet of s'Espardell,
images of the island. The traditional boats located east, forms part of the Ses Salines
or “llaüts” leave from here to fish beyond La d'Eivissa i Formentera nature reserve, and has
Mola, and when they return they are pulled been declared world heritage for the wealth of
up the ramps to protect them from the sun. its posidonia meadows.
After Es Caló de Sant Agustí the cliffs of La Contemplating Formentera from the sea is like
Mola begin, right in the corner known as Es going back in time. Everything is nearby, there
Racó de sa Pujada. An inlet surrounded by is always shelter. And seeing the silhouette of
cliffs, with turquoise waters and some sea its cliffs from close quarters, as though you
caves. It looks like a scene from The Odyssey. could touch them, is an experience it is
difficult to forget.
Travelling around La Mola by sea is a unique
experience. The cliffs rise up, solid and
impressive, like an enormous castle. At their
highest point they stand nearly 200 metres
tall. On the walls one can see hundreds of
Es Caló de Sant Agustí
hollows, caves and near-vertical rock faces. It
17
18. HOSPITAL
NATURAL AREA
INFORMATION
CHAPEL AND SANCTUARY
LIGHTHOUSE
DEFENCE TOWER
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
MUSEUM
CYCLING
NAUTICAL ACTIVITIES
18
