Sant Josep de sa Talaia

Sant Josep de sa Talaia is both a village and Ibiza’s largest municipality. The village is small: a broad square, a striking whitewashed church, a few streets. The municipality, by contrast, covers the entire south-west of the island, including Ses Salines, Cala Comte, Cala Jondal, Es Vedrà and Sa Talaia, the highest point on Ibiza.

History

Sa Talaia, the mountain above the village, is Ibiza’s highest point and owes its name to its function: a talaia is a lookout. From here, and from the watchtowers along the coast, the sea was kept under observation and warnings were raised when ships approached. The whitewashed parish church in the village is one of the best preserved on the island, with the characteristic covered porch you see all over Ibiza. The village itself lived for centuries off farming on the slopes and off the salt in the south of the municipality; the coast that is now the island’s most famous was then simply the hardest side to work.

What to do here

• Look at the parish church with its covered porch, one of the best preserved on Ibiza.
• Climb Sa Talaia, the island’s highest point, for the view over the south-west.
• Use the village as a starting point for Cala Comte, Cala Jondal, Cala d’Hort and Ses Salines — all in the same municipality.
• Visit the weekly market on the village square.
• Drive the road towards Es Vedrà and stop at the viewpoints along the way.
• Walk the old paths between the terraced fields on the slopes around the village.

Facts

• Sa Talaia is the highest point on Ibiza and lies within this municipality.
• The word talaia means lookout — the mountain genuinely served that purpose.
• Sant Josep de sa Talaia is the island’s largest municipality by area.
• Ses Salines, Cala Comte, Cala Jondal, Cala d’Hort and Es Vedrà all fall within it.

Good for

Walkers, anyone exploring the south-west, and anyone who would rather sleep inland than by the sea.