Cala en Baster
While the crowds pile onto Ses Illetes and Migjorn, Cala en Baster quietly sits on Formentera's western flank — a narrow rocky inlet framed by pine trees and red limestone, with water the colour of a swimming pool and almost never more than a handful of people on its small pebbly shore.
Finding the cove
Cala en Baster is reached by a 15-minute walk down a pine-shaded track from the road between La Savina and Sant Francesc Xavier, near the Es Pujols turn-off. There is a small unsigned car park at the trailhead — easy to miss, which is precisely why the cove stays quiet. The path descends gently through fragrant rosemary and cistus scrub before the turquoise water appears through the trees.
The cove itself is a natural harbour with an old wooden fishing jetty still used by a handful of local fishermen. There are no facilities whatsoever — no chiringuito, no sunbed rental, no lifeguard — which means you need to bring everything you want, including water and shade.
Swimming and snorkelling
The water at Cala en Baster is exceptionally clear even by Formentera standards, partly because the rocky inlet channels the tidal flow and keeps the seagrass meadows immediately offshore in excellent condition. Snorkelling around the base of the limestone walls reveals moray eels, rainbow wrasse and dense schools of salema porgy.
The best time to visit is a weekday morning in June or September, when you may genuinely have the entire cove to yourself. Bring a picnic, a mask and fins, and plan to stay for at least half a day — once you are in that water, leaving becomes very difficult.
Cala en Baster on video
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