Travel to Formentera, Spain
Formentera (Balearic Islands)
With the boat it takes about half an hour to reach the island of Formentera from Ibiza. Formentera is a Balearic island with a feel-good character and high relaxation value. Calm, enchanting landscape and nature together with crystalline water contribute to this attribute.
Formentera is the fourth largest of the Balearic Islands, the size of thesmallIsland is just 82 square kilometers. Except for two plateaus, it is extremely flat. The two elevations are in the south. These are light chalk hills with the 107 meters high Puig Guillem and the massif of La Mola (192 meters high). Both are located on Cabo de Berbería and are connected by a flat, narrow headland.
The history of Formentera is not as well documented. However, this Balearic island has a multitude of relics from prehistory.
The climate in Formentera is said to be the healthiest in Spain. The air is relatively clean and the climate is temperate. All of the places on the island are no further than 10 km from the sea, so you can feel the well-known balancing effect of the water on the entire island.
The summers are dry and warm, but not too hot, the winters are usually very humid. The time from late spring to early autumn is excellent for a trip to Formentera. Rainfalls can be expected from mid-October to the end of February. When choosing clothing, you should think of sturdy shoes for hiking and in the evening you often need a jacket on the islands, and you shouldn’t forget to wear rain gear. Formentera has only one country road. You can get around the island by rental car, bus, taxi or rent a scooter. If you want to be active, take a bike tour, certainly a nice alternative to enjoy the beauty of the island. The port of La Sabina in Formentera can be reached regularly by ship from Eivissa in Ibiza. In addition, you can translate with a motorboat.
The capital of the island is Sant Francesc Xavier, better known by his Castilian name “San Francisco”. The town hall is here, as well as the main post office and the Formentera police station.
La Savina, a small port settlement on the island, is intended more as a transit station for most visitors to the island. The first impression is modern and a little impersonal. There is also a huge marina in La Savina, which in summer hosts yachts from all over the world. A visit to one of the harbor cafés lets you watch the hustle and bustle when the boats arrive or depart.
A popular anchorage for small boats can be found in the Estany des Peix salt lake which is southwest of La Savina. It is an important resting area for water birds and is also part of a nature reserve under special protection. Bathing is not very tempting here.
The Estany Pudent located east of La Savina. He is also called the “smelly fairy”. This is a brackish lake that develops a disgusting smell on very hot days and also attracts a large number of mosquitoes. To the north of the lake are the Salines Marroig, known as the largest salt pans on the Balearic island of Formentera. The salt pans on the island have been out of service for years, but they are of great importance for the ecosystem and therefore enjoy the status of “Reserva Natural de ses Salines” special protection.
The island has a tourist mecca: “Es Pujols”. Mostly package travelers spend their vacation here, but compared to Ibiza or Mallorca, for example, it has a rather village-like character.
Other attractions include: the Església Sant Francesc Xavier, built in 1726, a small chapel, Sa Tanca Vella, from the 14th century and the Folklore Museum Museu Etnològic with a collection of old costumes, tools and photos. Visit vaultedwatches.com for Spain travel destinations.
Many different habitats on Formentera allow diverse plant species to spread. Especially in spring, the blaze of color is huge and even on “poor” soils, there are real seas of flowers. Numerous herbs and wild flowers grow here, as well as capers, gorse, oleander, dwarf palms and lemons.
The wildlife in Formentera has not much to offer. There is a wide variety of reptiles, birds, and insects. Many butterflies, flamingos, lizards and the osprey are among the residents of the island.
Formentera geography
Formentera belongs to the archipelago of the Balearic Islands and is located in the western Mediterranean in the Gulf of Valencia. It is the fourth largest and at the same time the southernmost island of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. At the same time, Formentera belongs to the independent archipelago of the Pityuses, which consists of the neighboring island of Ibiza and many small rocky islets.
Formentera is about 100 kilometers from mainland Spain and about 250 kilometers from the African continent. The distance to Ibiza is about twelve kilometers. The total area of Formentera is 83 square kilometers. The island is around 14 kilometers long and can have a maximum width of 15 kilometers. Of the The main town of the island is Sant Francesc de Formentera.
Formentera is only separated from its neighboring island of Ibiza by a narrow arm of water. Although the island is not large, it can boast an almost spectacular variety of landscapes. Sandy beaches alternate with steep cliffs, and the interior of the island is characterized by pine forests, barren heather and fertile fields and orchards.
The otherwise rather flat Formentera consists of the two plateaus Cap de Barbària in the southwest and La Mola in the east. A narrow, flat isthmus connects the two small high plateaus. Sa Talaiassa is located on La Mola and, at only 192 meters, is the highest point on Formentera. Overall, the elevation profile is much lower than on Ibiza. The island’s 69-kilometer coastline is characterized by extremely long sandy beaches and very rocky cliffs.
As in Ibiza, Formentera has the salt pan so characteristic of the Pityusen archipelago. This typical landscape for the island emerged about six million years ago, when Formentera, which at that time still consisted of a mountain range, protruded from a desert of salt deposits and salty swamps.
