Enjoying a beautiful summer day in the coves of Formentera is one of the best ideas you can have when planning your next vacation.
These beautiful natural treasures in the form of hidden and discreet bays are wonders that nature has arranged on the island of Formentera to take advantage of its beautiful turquoise color and spend unforgettable days with your family, your partner or alone.
Where is Formentera?
Formentera is located about 20 kilometers away from Ibiza and is characterized as one of the quietest of the Balearic Islands, because it can only be accessed by sea. If you want to know more, you can take a look at our article on how to get to Formentera.
To visit some of the coves in Formentera that you will find in this article you should keep in mind that during the months of July and August is when the island is more crowded, so you should arrive early. However, some of the coves mentioned in this list are not very crowded even in high season.
However, if you go in May, June or September, you will enjoy in total splendor of its transparent waters, white sand and beautiful landscapes and many of the coves and beaches without crowds of any kind.
Tranquility, peace, sun, beach and sand are the most outstanding characteristics of this beautiful Mediterranean paradise, and this is what makes hundreds of tourists visit it every year.
Are you thinking of visiting the coves in Formentera, but want to know everything about them before you go?
This guide will help you make your summer getaway a dream come true: no bad surprises, no hassles and no distractions.
The 9 best coves in Formentera
The coves in Formentera are as impressive as those you see in a travel catalog or those you see when a travel agency prepares a marketing campaign about a cruise in the Maldives or the Caribbean… but nevertheless, they are in the Mediterranean Sea, one or two hours away by plane!
Its waters are beautiful, clean, crystalline, with a beautiful marine flora and surrounded by rocks that give it a touch of privacy.
The island of Formentera has nothing to envy to those beautiful turquoise paradises of the Caribbean Sea or the Indian Ocean.
So without further ado, let’s talk about the best 9 coves in Formentera so you can organize an unforgettable visit for you and yours.
Cala Saona
Cala Saona is one of the busiest and most popular on the island because it provides the tranquility and security that many tourists seek when they come to Formentera and is a wide cove that never overwhelms.
Cala Saona is a cove rather similar to a beach, since it is very wide. It has a triangular shape, faces west and is surrounded by beautiful pines and junipers.
It is the perfect cove to relax, sunbathe for a few minutes, enjoy the refreshing water, play volleyball on the shore of the beach and capture the best photos are some of the activities that await you in one of the coves of Formentera.
Where is Cala Saona?
This little piece of sand is located on the west side of the island, in a small and unique bay surrounded by cliffs that progressively opens towards the Mediterranean Sea. Its waters offer a beautiful rainbow of blues, where you can see the clearest and most crystalline tones to the most intense and striking.
The fact that it is surrounded by cliffs makes it an optimal place to snorkel, dive and discover the most colorful natural landscape of harmless fauna and flora of the island.
And if you are thinking about where to eat in Cala Saona, right on the sand of the beach you will find the Sol Restaurant, further up the Chacala Restaurant and on the beach itself the Chiringuito Saona. From this beach bar you can enjoy a refreshing drink while you fall in love with the panoramic views of the bay.
In addition, you can enjoy access to other services such as hammock, umbrella and kayak rentals, as well as hotel accommodations, such as the Hotel Cala Saona & Spa, which is located just 50 meters from the beach.
The sunsets in Cala Saona
And, if your thing is to fulfill that romantic and cliché dream of seeing the sunset in Formentera, if you are in Cala Saona, from the shore, or on the cliffs of Punta Rasa (next to the beach) you can enjoy one of the best sunsets on the island.
Caló des Mort
Caló des Mort is perhaps the best known cove of Formentera. If you arrive in summer at rush hour, it will be difficult to find a place on the sand!
There is not much to add about es Caló des Mort that has not already been said. It is one of the most visited and photographed coves and places of Formentera. Its turquoise waters, the fact that it is somewhat far from the main roads (you will have to access on foot from the nearby Es Copinar Beach), being a corner surrounded by cliffs and its little houses on the jetty make any image of es Caló des Mort a unique postcard.
Es Caló des Mort can be crowded in the high season months. As we said before, if you arrive mid-morning in high season it will be full of tourists, even on the surrounding rocks.
Where is Caló des Mort?
This gem of a cove is located on the coast of Migjorn. The nearest beach, and the one that most people usually access es Caló des Mort, is Playa de Es Copinar. The nearest beach bars and services are located on the beach, which is no more than a 10-minute walk away.
Cala en Baster
It is one of the most original coves in Formentera, as it has caves carved into the walls that were used to protect the boats of fishermen (and now you can use as shelter from the sun).
Where is Cala en Baster?
You can get there by following the road from the village of Sant Ferran, by car or motorcycle, it is about 4 minutes from the center of town.Es Carnatge
Right next to Cala en Baster we find Es Carnatge, which is not a cove but a coastal area of more than 3 kilometers with several hidden coves.
Es Carnatge is the name given to the north coast opposite Mitjorn. That is to say, all the part of the coast from Cala en Baster to Ses Platjetes beach, in Es Caló.. This coastal area of more than 3,500 meters long has many hidden corners and coves that only locals know about. is oriented to the north and has, as we have said, with characteristic caves to protect the boats and that nowadays are perfect to protect you from the sun.
The good news is that, if you plan to spend the day at Es Carnatge cove, you won’t have to encounter many tourists, as it is considered to have low or almost zero occupancy. What if you want to do nudism on the beach while enjoying the sun and sand? Few people you will find, so it is one of the perfect places for nudism/naturism.
Finally, you should consider that there are no restaurants, hotels or services in this part of the island, but it is the perfect place for fishing, snorkeling and hiking.
Where is Es Carnatge?
It is very close to Cala en Baster, and offers many bathing spots. You can reach it on foot from there.
Es Ram
Es Ram is one of the most unknown coves in Formentera and with some difficulty of access for tourists, which makes it ideal if you want tranquility and you like to explore little known places.
The cove of Es Ram is hidden among the lush and majestic pine trees that are located in this area of the coast of Migjorn. It is a cove located next to a cliff, where you have to go down a staircase carved into the rock or on the other side where the fishermen’s houses are located.
It is not very crowded because to get there you will have to walk for at least 10 minutes along the cliffs, it has no bars, restaurants or other services, so you should go prepared with at least water to spend the day there.
Posidonia does not retreat in this cove of difficult access and that is why you may find accumulations of this marine plant due to winter storms.
Where is Es Ram?
To reach this cove you can follow the path that comes from the very close Es Calo des Mort, and this is the option that we recommend. You can also get there by car from camí de es Ram; you will find the crossroads on the main road PM-820 on the way to la Mola.
Es Torrent des Arbocers
This cove is located between the cove of Es Ram and es Caló des Mort, and is a small bay that rarely has visitors.
This is a marvel among the coves in Formentera to practice diving and to know the richness of the marine flora and fauna of the region, as it is a semi-sandy and semi-rocky cove that makes it perfect for snorkeling. However, there are areas with some rocks, so it may not be easy to find a place to put the towel.
However, if you are looking for tranquility this is the perfect cove for you: it is little frequented, so it will be ideal for you if you want to isolate yourself from the crowds. This means that it is also the perfect place to practice nudism.
The cove of Es Torrent des Arbocers has a length of about 120 meters and a width of 8 meters. Behind the cove, as in the cliffs are rich in trees and forest of pines and junipers.
In this cove there are no services or restaurants, and as it happens with the cove of Es Ram and es Caló des Mort the nearest beach bars are in the beach of Es Copinar.
Where is the cove of Es Torrent des Arbocers?
This cove is located about 10 minutes (600 meters) away from Caló des Mort, and a little before the cove of Es Ram.
Cala Codolar
Cala Codolar is not recommended for people who do not like trekking and/or have vertigo: getting there is quite an adventure!
Looking for an adventure during your vacation visiting the coves in Formentera? Well, you’ve already found it.
This cove is not recommended for bathers, but rather for those tourists who rather wish to practice trekking or to make an exciting excursion through the southern cliffs of the Mola. Ehe access to this cove is complex and in some sections dangerous, so we recommend that you go only if you consider yourself an experienced adventurer.
Obviously, there are no services nearby, and the nearest restaurants are in the village of El Pilar de la Mola, at least 45 minutes away from this cove.
The beauty of Cala Codolar is that the views from the cliff are magnificent. You will have views of La Mola Lighthouse, as well as the turquoise waters of this part of the island of Formentera.
Where is it and how to access Cala Codolar?
To access it, you will have to venture down the cliff on foot. You can start your excursion at the Faro de la Mola, the access to this cove is in the middle of a small pine forest. There is also a more direct access by a path parallel to the road to the Faro de la Mola lighthouse.
Cove of “Es Racó de Sa Pujada”
It is one of the few coves in Formentera to which you have access only by boat (or swimming), which makes it a little more special than the others.
This cove has waters that stand out for their beautiful transparency, although you may find posidonia accumulated in the cove during the winter.
It is surrounded by 20 meter high cliffs and rocks.But it has a beautiful fine white sand and you can bathe in the sun or relax in the shade, because depending on the time of day you go and the position of the sun, the high walls will block the sun’s rays.
And what about the crowds? It is very uncrowded, apart from a few visitors who come with a zodiac from their sailboat, so it is perfect to find tranquility and enjoy moments alone with the sun, the beach and the sand.
As you can deduce, it has no restaurants or services, so go prepared.
Where is the cove of Es Racó de Sa Pujada?
This cove is just below the so-called Camino Romano, the old medieval road that was used to go from Es Caló de Sant Agustí to the area of La Mola. However, you can’t take the Roman road down the cliff, so the closest village to this hidden corner is Es Caló. If you have a boat, you will be able to access it easily, otherwise, you will have to walk as close as possible along the cliffs and then swim the last 200 meters.
Caló d’en Trull
North of Cala Saona, walking a few minutes, you find this small pier in the middle of the western cliffs of Formentera.
