Ses Illetes

Ses Illetes is the beach on the narrow tongue of sand that runs north from Formentera into the sea towards Espalmador. You have water on both sides: sheltered and shallow on one, open sea on the other. It sits inside the nature park and is the island’s best-known beach.

History

This tongue of sand is geologically young and unstable: it formed from sand deposited between rocky points, and every storm redraws it. What holds it in place are the posidonia meadows underwater: the seagrass breaks the waves, binds the sand and produces much of the fine white material the beach is made of. That is also why those meadows are protected and why boats may not anchor over them. Before tourism this northern point was mainly the territory of fishermen and salt harvesting; what stands here is recent, and there is not much of it.

What to do here

• Walk the spit right out to its northern tip, looking across to Espalmador and Ibiza.
• Switch between the two sides: the sheltered side for calm swimming, the other if you want some swell.
• Snorkel along the edge of the seagrass beds — that is where the life is.
• Come early; access to the area is restricted and parking inside the nature park is limited.
• Bring your own shade, because there is none: no trees, no dunes to speak of.
• Leave the seagrass alone, in the water and on the sand; the washed-up leaves protect the beach.

Facts

• Ses Illetes lies on Formentera’s northern sand spit, running towards the islet of Espalmador.
• The beach is inside a protected nature area and vehicle access is regulated.
• The posidonia meadows offshore are UNESCO World Heritage and are what hold the sand in place.
• There is sea on both sides of the spit, which is unusual in the Balearics.

Good for

Swimmers, snorkellers and anyone who wants one beach that justifies the journey.