Formentera · North
Espalmador
A small private island between Ibiza and Formentera. The bay of S'Alga is the photograph everyone has seen and assumed was edited.
spalmador is the small private island that sits between the south coast of Ibiza and the north tip of Formentera. The bay of S'Alga, on its eastern side, is the photograph everyone has seen and assumed was edited — three-metre depth over white sand, twenty-metre visibility, the colour of the water that requires no filter.
We anchor in S'Alga in 3–4m, drop the swim platform, and the children are in the water before the engines have fully cooled. The island is private — guests can swim ashore for a short walk along the beach (no built structures, no facilities), and we recommend the small sandbar that exposes at low tide for an unhurried photograph.
Anchorage facts
How the day reads on paper.
Best time: Late morning through afternoon
Anchorage
Bay of S'Alga, 38.784 N · 1.422 E
Depth
3–5 m, white sand
Wind shelter
Good from W, exposed to E
Distance from Marina Ibiza
≈ 18 nm · 1h cruising
Visibility
15–25 m on a calm day
At Espalmador
What to do on the water.
- 01Swim in three-metre water over white sand — the cleanest swim in the Balearics
- 02Walk the sandbar that exposes between Espalmador and S'Espardell at low tide
- 03Combine with Playa Illetes for lunch ashore at Es Ministre
- 04Overnight at anchor — the most-recommended single-night charter the office runs
If you step ashore
Tables we reserve through the office.
- ·No facilities — the island is uninhabited.
Questions we hear
Espalmador — answered.
Can we walk on Espalmador?+
Yes, but discreetly — the island is privately owned and there are no facilities. Guests step ashore on the beach for a short walk; we ask that bags and belongings stay on the yacht and no rubbish remains.
Can we anchor overnight in S'Alga?+
Yes — it's our most-recommended overnight anchorage in the Pitiusas. The bay is sheltered from the prevailing westerly, the holding in 3–5 m of sand is excellent, and the night is silent. We avoid it when easterlies are forecast.
How long is the crossing from Ibiza?+
About one hour at 16 knots from Marina Ibiza, or 40 minutes on a faster sport boat. The route runs south past Es Cavallet, then east across the channel between Ibiza and Formentera.
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