Ses Salines Natural Park & Salt Flats
Stretching across Ibiza's southern tip and continuing across the water to Formentera, the Ses Salines Natural Park protects a hypnotic landscape of geometric salt pans, ancient dunes, Posidonia seagrass meadows and one of the most important migratory bird stopover points in the western Mediterranean.
The Salt Flats
The salinas have been harvested continuously since Phoenician times — the salt funded Ibiza's entire economy for centuries and today produces the prized flor de sal you'll find at the Mercat Vell.
From the observation area off the road between Ibiza Town and the airport, you can watch the salt crystallise in the shallow pans, which turn extraordinary shades of pink and violet in summer due to the halophilic algae Dunaliella salina — the same pigment that colours flamingos.
Greater flamingos feed here from October through April in numbers that can exceed 1,500 birds; black-winged stilts, avocets and Audouin's gulls are present year-round.
Ses Salines Beach
At the park's southern edge, Platja de Ses Salines is consistently rated among the most beautiful beaches in Europe: a long arc of white quartz sand backed by fragrant juniper and pine, with water that graduates from transparent to deep turquoise over a Posidonia meadow — the reason it's so clear.
The beach has two beach clubs (Jockey Club and Sa Trinxa) serving decent food and cold drinks, but the western end near the dunes is free of infrastructure and genuinely wild-feeling.
Getting There & Birdwatching
The salt flats are best observed from the free car park on the CV-800 road (Ibiza–Ses Salines), about 12 km south of Ibiza Town; a flat walking path runs along the eastern edge of the pans for approximately 2 km.
Bring binoculars — the park is an official IBA (Important Bird Area) and a serious birdwatching destination; the Ibizan ornithological society publishes a free sighting list updated weekly at the car park noticeboard.
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