The lost paths of the Mediterranean

Turquoise blues, yellows, gold, greens, ochres and silver… For this third day of your stay in Formentera, we suggest that you travel through Formentera’s colour palette, its most impressive and authentic sites. And with a final surprise awaiting you in Cala Saona, the beach from where you will enjoy an unforgettable sunset. Out of a postcard, as people say. 

The idea is that of starting the route from La Savina and calculating a full journey lasting an hour and a half on foot or 35 minutes if you choose to go by bicycle. You will wander through one of the most beautiful sites of rural Formentera, Portossalé, and you will be able to revel in the emblematic Estany des Peix and its mud and sand beach. This pond, as you will see, is a kind of natural salt lake on which small boats are allowed to moor and navigate. Its waters are very calm and are protected from the wind and the currents, which means you should not waste the opportunity to rent a kayak and see the island from the sea.  

The beach of Estany des Peix opens to the Mediterranean via a channel known among the locals as Sa Boca; it is a whim of nature such as you will not find on any other of the Balearic Islands. The sandbank is a wide one and covers the whole area from the left arm of La Savina port to the Caló de S’Oli. You will see that this territory, apart from a large beach, also has small coves in which one can rest and find shelter. Many regular visitors, in fact, go to these beaches to practice nudism away from the more frequented tourist circuits. 

Once you have finished your walk through the Estany des Peix, you must submerge yourself again in rural Formentera on paths surrounded by junipers, white houses and dry stone walls. Following a brief walk, you will arrive in Cala Saona, a place full of colour that contrasts with the more typical countryside of Formentera. The cliffs here are low, as if constructed on sheets over the sea, and they are noted for a deep reddish colour in contrast with the monotony of greens and turquoise blues you will see elsewhere on the isle. A spectacle worth a thousand photographs. 

Since the route will take up your whole morning, once you reach Cala Saona the time will be perfect for having something to eat at the restaurant on the beach. Take advantage of the sun and swim in its crystalline waters, have a siesta and finish the afternoon admiring the sunset from the bar you will find in one of the cliff areas of the beach.

This being a natural reserve with a very strict conservation policy, you must follow the routes indicated and not stray aimlessly from these as the ecosystem of Ses Salines is very rich but very weak. That of Sa Pedrera is the most famous and will allow you to go through the whole area from La Savina to the Punta de la Gavina, whose Sa Gavina tower will put an end to today’s tour. 

To start the day with energy, have a heavy breakfast and prepare a picnic for carrying in your rucksack: you will spend the whole day surrounded by nature in its purest state, far from all the typical services of tourist areas and enveloped in surroundings that will fully transform you. The Can Marroig area is a mixture of classical Pitiüsa vegetation and arid sites, wide stone grounds that were formerly used for extracting the sandstone seen in most of the island’s constructions. 

Among these rockier areas, which will make you feel as if walking on the surface of the moon, particular mention should be made of the area taken up by Les piscinetes, in Punta Pedrera. These natural pools are the resulting of the Mediterranean entering the irregular sheets of the Can Marroig coast, forming small ponds in which the water stagnates and becomes warm under the sun, thus resulting in what many people regard as a natural spa. 

Here, in Punta Pedrera, following a relaxed walk admiring the countryside, you can stay to enjoy the day. Yes, a whole day in the middle of nature and without checking your watch: swimming in the pools, eating something, reading under the sun, having a siesta with the murmur of the sea against the rocks, watching the wildlife that inhabits these parts of the Natural Park of Ses Salines, admiring Es Vedrá from the cliffs, practicing snorkelling and discovering the depths of its seas, the concealed underwater caves of its coasts… 

When sunset comes, go to the area of the Sa Gavina tower, which offers exceptional views of this rugged coastline of crystalline waters and an infinite horizon. It is moreover said by the locals that on very clear days, without clouds or mists, one can see the profile of the peninsular coast right in front of the waters of Formentera. After the sun sets, go back to la Savina with the last lights in the horizon and enjoy a traditional supper in the most typical restaurants: you have only a few hours left in Formentera so you must make the most of it.