Touring Southern Ibiza

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 46
Comment this article

Behind the airport at the island''s southern tip, lie Ibiza''s salt flats where the production of salt from sea water is the island''s traditional industry. On the other side of the airport and down a dusty track to a free parking area, is the beach at Es Codolar. Not generally popular, this beach is often frequented by nudists. The aircraft noise and pebbles underfoot can''t compete with other sandy beaches, but it is nevertheless a picturesque starting point. The startlingly blue sea is so gentle and clear you can see the individual stones through the water. The village clusters at one end with homes and huts built right on the rocky shore with small boats pulled up alongside them.

Following the road west from here, you''ll soon reach the beach of Sa Caleta which could not be more different. This sandy beach is at the foot of a wide horseshoe of cliffs that form a protective barrier from winds. The gentle slope of the beach into the sea gives a shallow area of water that is particularly safe for children. The fish restaurant here is a popular lunch spot for locals, and in the summer is also open for evening meals, although ...
... you would be well advised to book ahead to take advantage of that.

A very different night-time experience awaits you at Cova Santa on the road north from Sa Caleta. Here entrepreneurs have made the most of the spectacular caves with their impressive stalactites and stalagmites. They have also added a restaurant with a flamenco cabaret, and a separate discotheque where you can dance until the small hours. Daytime tours of the caves and restaurant visits are also available.

Back on the main road west from the airport, the village of San Jose is on the slopes of Ibiza''s highest mountain, Sa Talaia. You can get fuel and, if you are lucky enough to get parked there, you''ll find holiday accommodation, shops selling the local crafts, restaurants and entertainment to suit all tastes, and an interesting church towering over the village. The brave hearted can drive to the top of Sa Talaia and get a spectacular view of the island and even the mainland from 1560 feet above sea level. The way passes Ses Roques Alte where a cemetery marks the place of a horrific air crash in 1972.

Back at San Jose, turn south to another viewpoint at the coast at Es Cubells where there is a little hermitage dedicated to the Virgin of Carmen. From here, to reach what is probably the most isolated beach on the whole of the island, you may decide to leave your car and walk along the tortuous track to Cala Llentrisca. However you get there, the beauty of this tranquil cove, with its few traditional fishermen''s homes, will be worth it.

Allowing time to enjoy the scenery and attractions of your visits, you''ve probably gone far enough for one day. As you wend your way back to your holiday accommodation, you can look forward to more fascinating places to visit in your hire car in the days to come. Bonny Kominek is very fond of the Balearic islands and has been going to Ibiza for years. Getting car hire Ibiza is essntial, you can get cheap car hire Ibiza from Ritmocars.co.uk