Ses Salines Natural Park, Ibiza & Formentera
Straddling the southern tip of Ibiza and the northern shore of Formentera, Ses Salines Natural Park is one of the Western Mediterranean's most important wetland habitats — and one of its most visually arresting. Pink flamingos wade through blush-coloured salt lagoons while the beaches on either side rank among Europe's clearest waters.
The Salt Lagoons and Birdlife
The park's ancient salt pans have been harvested since Phoenician times and still produce sea salt commercially today. Between August and October, up to 2,000 greater flamingos stop here during migration — an extraordinary sight against the white salt crust and the terracotta-pink water tinted by halophyte algae.
The lagoons also host Audouin's gull, black-winged stilt, kentish plover and osprey. The viewing path along the eastern edge of the salinas, accessed from the Es Cavallet road, is the best birding circuit — flat, easy and about 3 km return.
The Beaches on Either Side
Platja de Ses Salines on the Ibiza side is one of the island's most beautiful beaches — long, backed by protected dunes and Posidonia seagrass meadows that keep the water a remarkable shade of jade. The beach bar Jockey Club has been a low-key institution here for 30 years.
On the Formentera side, Platja de Llevant is even wilder: a narrow strip of sand with no development, lapped by water so shallow and clear that it looks like the Maldives on a good day. Rent a bike in La Savina and cycle the 6 km there.
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