The immense landscape of Cala d’Albarca

A corner of the island where the forces of the wind and the sea bring you back to a prehistoric past.

Ibiza

In the last article I talked about the Ibizan quarry of Sa pedrera de Cala d’Hort. An area to the west of the island, now converted into a special site for lovers of the sun and posture.

Unlike the other areas, the north one turns out to be very different from the stereotypes we are used to. There are no bars, chiriguitos, discos or umbrellas to shelter from the scorching summer sun. This part of the coast is a succession of rocks and cliffs up to 200 meters high. For lovers of parties or of posing with the newly purchased costume, perhaps it is not the best option to enrich themselves with likes on social networks.

But for those who love the brute and wild force of nature, the north coast is one of the best places to admire the incessant work of the sea and wind. Ibiza has many faces to show. In addition to the tourist one it still preserves, in small corners, the charm of a time now past. When man timidly changed the landscape to be able to support himself.

Santa Agnés

Moving away from the tourist agglomerations, lost in an plain called Corona, is the urbanization of Santa Agnés. A small nucleus where an ancient church, a couple of bars restaurants conform the center crossed by just three streets. All around reigns an ancient and harsh landscape now declared a protected area. Houses surrounded by almond, orange, lemon plantations and earth. Arriving in Santa Agnés is a bit like going back 50 years when Ibiza was not yet overrun by concrete and mass tourism.

In a few minutes by car, continuing to Sant Mateu and following the signs, you will arrive at the Cala d’Albarca car park. From here begins a path of land wounded by the sun and violent storms which descends to the bay of Albarca hidden by a thick vegetation of pines trees.

I get out of the van, prepare my backpack and set out to walk.

Just nature

During the journey I appreciate the smell of the sea mixed the pines. Due to the strong wind of the past days I can hear the roar of the waves that occasionally break the silence. Despite the smells and sounds, the fronds of the trees do not allow me to clearly understand what awaits me once I get to the bottom. So I focus on the landscape at a short distance.

The vegetation frantically covers the entire bay made up of small plants, vines, ferns and isolated olive trees alternating with large trees that dominate the entire landscape. An indication that the air is cooler and more humid here. Going down little by little behind me, high rock walls rise interspersed with various terraces built who knows when. They are structures that hold up without concrete which make me think they are from several decades ago. Maybe the bay was once a green area of pasture and cultivation of shepherds and farmers? Immersed in my thoughts fantasizing about how this area cleaned of vegetation could once be. Suddenly a glimpse of the panorama opens up.

I remain to admire the image that the trees finally grant me. In the distance, an immense cliff that returning with a large curve turns into a series of giant rocks facing the sea loaded by waves.

Prehistoric landscape

The immense landscape of Cala d’Albarca is a corner of paradise where green and blue leave you breathless but at the same time warn you that the world will go on even without us. Thirsty to see where the road ends in a few minutes I arrive at my destination. The sight that opens up enters my eyes with force.

The walk ends right in front of a curious and spectacular conformation. A stone bridge sturdy enough to cross it, under which the waves break on a 10 meter high wall of a past era. The cliff overlooking the sea is accompanied in the distance by cyclopean rocks that let themselves be hit hard by the waves. The stone on which I walk, shaped by an ancient sea, at times sharp reinforce the feeling that I am in a prehistoric past.

I drown astonished in the landscape as spectacular as it is angry where perhaps only the dinosaurs would be missing flying between the rocks and the sea.

The trees overlooking the sea show their tenacity in the face of the cruelty of natural forces that followed one another over the years. Sea storms, wind and scorching sun. The incessant waves break against the sheer cliff creating splashes of over 10 meters high.

The stone bridge formation is well known by those who love to explore the island on foot and depending on the season you may not be alone contemplating the landscape. I remain mesmerized for some time by the constant noise of the waves, the gusts of wind and the vision of a place as remote as it is wonderful.

Some people arrive after me and they too remain to photograph the area and then go back up the path. Me not.

I want to see up close and walk the entire bay and understand if along the sea, a path opens up that takes me to the other side of the cliff that I see in the distance.

The trekking continue here or do you want to read another article? Check out the Trips, tips and stories section or check out my gallery below!

Marco Pachiega