Es Vedrà

Es Vedrà is an uninhabited rocky islet off the south-west coast of Ibiza. You cannot land on it — it is protected — so “visiting Es Vedrà” means in practice visiting the cliffs above it, or sailing past. The rock is the island’s most recognisable silhouette and the reason this whole stretch of coast has stayed so empty.

History

More stories attach to Es Vedrà than to any other place on Ibiza: sirens from the Odyssey, magnetic fields, strange lights. Those stories are exactly that — stories. What is certain is that the rock was for centuries a landmark for anyone sailing this coast, and that in the nineteenth century people briefly lived and worked on it, among them a priest who stayed there in seclusion. On the cliffs facing the rock stands the Torre des Savinar, one of the watchtowers that guarded the coast; the path to it is still the classic route to the view. Today Es Vedrà, together with neighbouring Es Vedranell, is protected land.

What to do here

• Drive to the viewpoint by the Torre des Savinar and walk the last stretch; from here you see the rock head-on.
• Drop down to Cala d’Hort, the small beach directly opposite Es Vedrà, and swim with the rock in view.
• Go round it in a boat to grasp the scale — from the water it is a different object than from the cliff.
• Go for sunset, but expect company: this is one of the busiest viewpoints on the island.
• Bring proper shoes; the cliff paths are loose, dusty and steep.
• Do not try to land on the rock itself — it is protected.

Facts

• Es Vedrà is uninhabited and lies off the south-west coast of Ibiza.
• The islet and neighbouring Es Vedranell are protected; landing is not permitted.
• The stories about magnetism and sirens are folklore, not established fact.
• The Torre des Savinar on the cliffs opposite is one of the coast’s historic watchtowers.

Good for

Walkers, photographers, and anyone who wants one view that sums the island up.