Ses Salines and the beaches: the back story

About Ses Salines and the beaches: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Formentera Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The north of Formentera lies in the Parc Natural de ses Salines d’Eivissa i Formentera, reclassified as a natural park by Law 17/2001 of 19 December and run by the Govern de les Illes Balears. Its Posidonia seagrass meadows are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, declared in 1999, and about 210 species of birds have been recorded here, from flamingos to Audouin’s gulls (caib.es).

Ses Illetes and Llevant

A long tongue of white sand runs north from the salt flats towards s’Espalmador, with Ses Illetes on its western side and Llevant on its eastern side.

The Posidonia

The Posidonia meadows protect the beaches from erosion and keep the dunes alive; the Govern describes them as among the best preserved in the Mediterranean (caib.es).

Bathing in or using the mud of s’Espalmador’s lagoon is prohibited (Ses Salines natural park).

The rules

Inside the park, anchoring on Posidonia is prohibited: anchor only on sand where the rules allow it, or book a buoy. Jet skis and spearfishing are banned. Landing on the islets between Ibiza and Formentera is forbidden, except on s’Espalmador through its entry channels, and bathing in or using the mud of s’Espalmador’s lagoon is prohibited. The salt pans, the dune systems and Cap des Falcó in the nesting season (1 March to 31 July) are off limits (caib.es).

The rest of the coast

Cala Saona in the west, Migjorn in the south, Es Caló at the foot of La Mola and Es Pujols in the north are all on the Consell’s list of beaches (formentera.es).

Our advice: come to Illetes by bike or bus, early in the morning; by the afternoon the boats and the crowds arrive.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Ses Salines and the beaches: the back story before you go.