Parc natural de ses Salines d’Eivissa i Formentera

Fullet itinerari Camí Estany Peix

Stages

Estany des Peix
You follow the perimeter of the Estany des Peix along the entire walk. The Estany des Peix is a semi-enclosed natural bay still connected to the sea through a pass known as Sa Boca (the mouth). This canal lets the water inside the bay renew itself with seawater and also lets small boats in for shelter. The shallow water inside the pass makes it impossible for larger vessels to enter. It has been used as a shelter for a long time and figures in the chronicles of Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, who described this custom on Formentera. Evidence of human activities in the area is not limited to the marine environment; along the Estany des Peix are fields and rural houses. The roads leading in to the estates are lined with high, characteristic dry stone walls that give the area a very special look.

A variety of environments
Without doubt the most representative environments in this area are the marine and coastal areas. The submerged part of Estany des Peix is characterised by a symbiosis between a green algae (Caulerpa profilera) and a kind of seagrass (Cymodocea nodosa). Around the entrance canal, Sa Boca, there is a posidonia meadow (Posidonia oceanica) growing at sea level. The ecosystems you encounter on the walk are alternating sandy beaches and small rocky inlets. The different morphologies along the coast allow for a variety of plant communities to grow. In areas that are often submerged in salty water you see salicornia and reed. Further on there is a large coastal juniper wood. And all along the hike you come across different species of the sea-lavender genus (Limonium sp.), some of them endemic to Formentera. Following the itinerary you come to a small corner where there are some fishermen’s huts among the junipers, just by the water. They are simple wooden structures with roofs made of palm fronds and other plant material that were used to guard and protect boats as well as fishing equipment. Using the Estany des Peix as a natural port for many years has given it a rather special character, very connected to boats and fishing culture. There are many small boats anchored in the water and you come across fishermen’s huts still in use near La Savina, at the end of S’Estreterol de Sa Boca and so on.

Estanyets de Can Marroig
Following the trail and after the stretch that is furthest from the sea you arrive at an area known as Estanyets. Together with the arm that separates the Estany des Peix from the sea, this group of small ponds is known as Ses Bassetes and they have a history connected with salt production. It is considered to be the oldest salt production site on Formentera and dates back to Roman time. The area is basically made up of two larger lagoons separated by the dirt trail that you are walking along. There is also a series of separating dikes with halophile vegetation (salicornia for example). The characteristics of the separating dikes, their vegetation and the small sandy and muddy beaches around the lagoons make this an important place for many water birds to breed, feed and rest. Among them the nesting Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), the black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) and the common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) that come here to feed. The latter two species breed on Formentera but they only come to the Estanyets area to rest and feed. Among other habitual visitors are the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the grey heron (Ardea cinerea), the sandwich tern (Sterna sandvicensis), the European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and the great black cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo). Once you have walked past the Estanyets and Can Marroig areas, walking across a parking area, you come to a wooden walkway that takes you through a very well preserved juniper forest that stretches all the way to the coast. This area is known as Es Caló de S’Oli. It is an open bay from where you can see the port in La Sabina, a part of Illetes up to Pas de Trucadors and, where the view disappears towards S’Espalmador, the island of Ibiza. The area is characterised by a low, rocky coastline that is well protected from eastern and western storms. From the finishing point of this hike you can see another group of fishermen’s’ huts located along this stretch of coast, leading up to the point Sa Pedrera de Can Marroig. The underwater area near the coast hosts an extensive and spectacular posidonia meadow (Posidonia oceanica). Towards the end of summer or beginning of autumn the plant starts to lose its leaves and large amounts of residue piles up on the beaches. The leaves are transported by the wind and actually help many plants near the water to survive, as this is practically the only organic contribution they get. These plants are highly adapted to the difficult conditions presented along rocky coastlines such as this and cope well with elevated salt levels and a lack of water. One of these species is the Silene cambessedesii, a delicate-looking plant native to Ibiza, Formentera and the eastern coast of the Spanish peninsula. Further back from the water you see a different kind of vegetation, dominated by a subspecies of juniper (Juniperus phoenicea subsp. turbinate). The coastal juniper woodlands in this part of the Formentor coast are well preserved and full of interesting species.

Fullet itinerari Trucadors

Stages

Camí de sa Guia
Leaving the port of La Savina, next to the fishermen’s wharf, there is a small ramp that leads up to a dirt trail: the Camí de Sa Guia. There is where your itinerary begins. You are right in front of a large linear path and from this slightly more elevated point you can see a beautiful view of Estany Pudent on one side and a panoramic view of Es Cavall d’en Borràs beach on the other.
The salt industry was in operation on the island of Formentera until the late 1980’s. The Estany Pudent played an important role in the process, acting as a pre-concentrator pool, and water was led from there to the salt-producing areas Ferrer and Marroig.
Along this walk you will come across many constructions associated with the ancient explotation of Formentera, such as the old guafes, big deposits constructed with dry stone walls where salt was stored. You will also see Sa Sèquia, an artificial channel from the 19th century that the Church ordered to built to avoid illnesses caused by the stagnant water. The canal in use today is actually the second opening to the built, because the first one was closed when a hatchery was built for fish caught in s’ Estany Pudent. You can see the hatchery near the opening of Sa Sèquia.
As your walk past sa Sèquia, the path takes you through a coastal runs juniper wood on a very well-preserved system of dunes and right by the sea. This part of the coastline consists of alternating small rocky and sandy beaches. You can see big piles of Posidonia remains that the sea deposits here during storms. These remains fill a number of different important functions in the maintenance and balance ot the various habitats in the area: it protects the coast from storms and it provides the plants growing on the dunes with nearly all the organic material they ever receive. Teh walk continues along the old Sa Guía track, where the salt train trasported salt from the ponds to the port in La Savina.
The journey continues along the old Sa Guía road, where the salt flats train transported salt from the salt ponds to La Savina port.

Salinas D’en Marroig
Ponds are distributed alongside each other from south to north in this area. They are connected with S’ Estany Pudent at the southern end and the crystallizing ponds are located at the end nearer Molí de Sal (to the north). From the trail you can see the runoff channel as well the channel that goes around the ponds. The purpose of the former is to make a sure freshwater does not mix with the water in the ponds. The latter transported water with high salt content (brine) to whichever pond needed filling. In addition to the heritage and ethnographic interest, this area is also of great importance from the point of view of conservation. Once the ponds were abandoned different kinds of salt remained (magnesium salt, gypsum, etc.) and they host a variety of important and exclusive plant communities dominated by different species of the genus Limonium. They also function as breeding ground for the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and the common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). Other species also use the area to feed and rest.
The route passes by the Marés well, which in addition to drinking water supplied the locomotives of the salt train and ends near the salt mill, also known as the Cargador mill. In the early stages of the salt flats this structure consisted of a windmill to grind the salt. Next to it was a square where the salt was piled up and a warehouse to store it. In the early days, the loading of the ships was also done from this point of the coast, to which only small boats could reach. Later, the place to grind salt and load it onto the ships was moved to the port of La Savina.

Ses Illetes
Once you have walked past Molí de Sal you enter the area known as Ses Illetes. This is a series of small beaches with very white sand and transparent water. The system of dunes here is well preserved. A number of halophilic plants grow on the dunes nearest the beach, among the “molinet” (Silene cambessedesii), the sea holly (Eryngium maritimum), the European searocket (Cakile maritima), the shore bindweed (Calistegia soldanella) and teh European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria). Further back there is a well consolidated juniper woodland on top of the dune system. Apart from all these first-class natural values ethnographic elements also keep appearing. On the Ses Xalanes beach there is a dry stone well where there used to be fresh water. This was well known and very appreciated fact among seafarers and there are stories about 18th century sailors who wouls come from other locations around the Balearics just to get water from this particular well. The plant communities along this coastline are some of the most significant natural values ​​in the area. The juniper (Juniperus phoenicea turbinata) plays an important role dominating the coastal woodland and enabling small passerine birds to stablish colonies, such as the endemic Balearic warbler (Sylvia balearica). The trail continues to the beach of N’Adolf, much bigger than the previous but again one with white, fine sand and with an important dune system. At the northern end of the beach is Puig de n’Adolf, a small rocky outcrop from where you get spectacular view of the whole way you have just come: the Es Trucadors peninsula, the Es Freus pass and the Eivissa island . Visitors who come here are always surprised at being able to see the sea on both sides of the mountain, Poniente and Levante. When we have already come down from the hill from east to west. As you come down the hill the path continues along the narrow Es Trucadors peninsula. The sea is very near on both sides during this part of the itinerary, nearly at your feet. You again follow quite a long stretch where saml beaches with white sand alternate with rocky inlets. You finally arrive at Pas de Trucadors. This is a narrow stretch of water, not very deep with strong currents, that separates the island of Formentera from S’Espalmador island.
Note: visitors must be warned that it is FORBIDDEN to try to reach S’Espalmador through the Es Trucadors pass, since the area is subject to strong currents that can be very dangerous.

Fullet itinerari Camí d’es Brolls

Stages

Estany Pudent
Estany Pudent is a large coastal lagoon with an area of 3.5 km2. It only has one artificial channel to the sea — Sa Sèquia — located at its northern end. The Church ordered the construction of the canal during the 19th century to avoid illnesses caused by the stagnant water. The large size of the lagoon combined with the small connection to the sea makes the water very still. The salt content varies during the year, but the water is on average three times saltier than the sea. This means that the animals and plants you see along the way are highly adapted to these harsh conditions. The salt industry, present on Formentera until the 1980s, took advantage of the lagoon’s characteristics and used it as a pre-concentration pool. The hypersaline water was later conducted to the salt concentrating pools at Ferrer and Marroig. In order to optimise the Estany Pudent for salt production its coastal border was adapted it is surrounded by a wall separating it from a canal known as circumval•lador (circular), which functioned both as a channel and a concentrator.

Es Brolls
Continuing along the path, we come to an area where the soles give way to a freshwater plant community, with reeds (Phragmites australis), oxen (Typha angustifolia) and reeds (Arundo donax). This is due to freshwater springs, hence the name Camí des Brolls. This water, together with the rainwater, is collected in the runoff channel, which goes around the Pudent lake and ends up pouring it into the sea (in the port of La Savina and in the Estany des Peix). The aim was to prevent these fresh waters from causing the salinity of those destined for salt extraction to fall. The rest of the vegetation in this area is made up of communities with reeds (Juncus acutus) and black reeds (Scirpus nigricans), junipers (Juniperus phoenicea), bush (Pistacea lentiscus) and different species of the genus Limonium.
These peculiar conditions have allowed the settlement of a community of waterfowl quite different from the rest of Pudent Lake. The section of the runoff channel that runs through the Brolls is the only place in Formentera where the waterfowl (Gallinula chloropus) and the green-necked grebe (Anas platyrhynchos) nest. The banks of the canal also provide a good habitat for other species more typical of saline environments, such as the white duck (Tadorna tadorna). The route continues along the main road around Pudent Lake. After passing this first area with the birth of fresh water, we find a second spring, also characterized by vegetation more typical of marshy areas than salt marshes.

Es Pujols
The route continues along the southern part of the lake. This area has a number of very important transitional environments for the settlement of different wildlife communities. This is an area of ​​great importance for the nesting of species such as the woodpecker (Charadrius alexandrinus), the white mallard and the woodpecker (Himantopus himantopus), which take advantage of the walls of the salt structure to deposit their ous. The current conditions of sediment clogging have also favored the creation of small beaches, which in turn favors the feeding of these species.
In this southern part of Lake Pudent, the sidewalks become very wide, occupying large areas of flooding. The landscape is characterized by large expanses of small ponds among halophilous vegetation, dominated by communities of soles and rushes. During the winter, the area is full of water, and many birds use it to rest and feed. On the other hand, during the summer it looks very dry, with a great water deficiency.
The ornithological importance of Pudent Lake is not limited to the presence of several nesting species. Every year, the arrival of a whole series of migratory birds, which come to Formentera for the winter, gives greater importance to this area. These species include the large concentration of plovers (Podiceps nigricollis), which overwinter in the waters of Pudent Lake. This species begins to arrive during the summer, when the breeding season in areas further north in Europe is over. Gradually the numbers increased, until, before the beginning of winter, concentrations of thousands of specimens were reached. They stay in the pond all winter, and in the spring they return to their breeding grounds.
The path gradually goes around the lake, docking more and more in the Es Pujols area. In this last section, and in a discontinuous way along the whole path, there are small rolls of tamarins (Tamarix sp.). These groves are of enormous importance as visual shields to ensure greater tranquility to nesting and migrating species in the area. On the other hand, they increase the diversity of biotopes and allow small passerines to be present on the sidewalks of the lake. The last section of the route, as at the beginning, has a more anthropized aspect, and the proximity of the town of Els Pujols is already evident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fullet itinerari Torre de la Gavina

Stages

Crop fields
Just in front of the house and walking past the visitor interpretation centre, take a path that runs through old crop fields with the original plant cover in various states of recovery. In the area between the juniper wood (Juniperus phoenicea) and the crop fields you come across the old threshing floor that used to be surrounded by haystacks. On the fields themselves, arvensic and ruderal plants predominate, species that are closely linked to human activity. In the midst of these plants junipers are trying to regain their old territory and you can see stands of different sizes scattered among the fields. In the beginning settlers on Formentera practised dryland farming, which got more and more intense. At the Can Marroig estate the main crops were cereals, vines and fig trees. Along the trail are traces of an agricultural and cattle-rearing past. In the middle of a large field you can still see a water wheel structure used to pump water and next to it a big water tank. A canal was constructed from the tank to distribute water through the fields of nearly the entire estate. A few metres from the water wheel you can see the remains of an old windmill, also used for pumping water: the Molí Petit de Can Marroig (small windmill), which retains parts of its shaft and sails. The path continues through the expanse of fields around the estate; they are not in use but still play a very fundamental role as recuperating ecosystems essential to many kinds of steparian birds. Examples are the sky lark (Alauda arvensis), the Thekla lark (Galerida teklae) and the stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus). You also come across other objects related to the estate’s agricultural past. Next to the trail there is the Molí Gros (big windmill), excavated in calcareous sandstone as part of a complex irrigation system together with another large water tank. This windmill has lost the entire shaft and wing structure and the tower — due to the nature of sandstone — is in a very bad state of conservation. Only a few metres from the Molí Gros, to the right of the trail and in a more forested area, are the remains of a small shed that was used to store tools. More recently it has also been used as a pigpen. Along this part of the walk vegetation becomes much more forested and for a long stretch of the itinerary you hike through a more protected and shady area thanks to the expanse of pine forest that covers a large part of the public estate. The changing environments and ecosystems on show at Can Marroig is one of its appeals and a great natural asset. As mentioned previously, the areas nearer the houses are characterised by ruderal and arvensic vegetation on the abandoned crop fields. But it is pine and juniper that dominate the forest at Can Marroig: pine trees further inside the forest and juniper woodland towards the estate’s coastal areas. Another specific community of plants you will find inside this nature reserve is made up of aromatic plants like rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Coastal area
Continue through the pine wood and exit into an open area where vegetation changes radically. You are now on a great plain full of stones with the typical vegetation you find on coastal cliffs. There are small junipers here shaped by salty winds from the sea, but also other species such as sea lavender (Limonium spp.) and shrubby everlasting (Helichrysum stoechas), dotting the vast expanse of rock with small pinpricks of colour. From here you can see the silhouette of the Torre de Sa Gavina (tower) from the 18th century, built between 1762 and 1763. It was an active defence element, even if evidence suggests it was never equipped with artillery. The tower had visual contact with the towers Sa Guardiola (S’Espalmador), Punta Prima (Es Pujols) and Punta de Ses Portes (Ibiza). The structure is that of a standardised second-class tower, eight metres high, outside diameter twelve meters and inside diameter seven metres. The dry stone wall that rises up next to the tower is the border of the Castell estate, so once you have had a little rest and enjoyed the view from the rocky coastline, it is time to start heading back. On the return you will walk along the coastal part of the Can Marroig estate. The trail runs over stony ground near the sea cliffs that rise between five and eight meters above sea level. It will also take you near Racó des Banc: a shelter for small boats and one of the few usable access points — from sea as well as land — to this north-western part of the island. Practically the entire coastal stretch of the Can Marroig nature reserve is pockmarked by small sandstone quarries. At one time public or private sandstone quarrying became very prevalent and this expanse of hollows and mounds were created as a result of extraction and accumulation. Many of the hollows are now inhabited by junipers that play a fundamental role stabilising and retaining sediments. To avoid this maze of hollows and hills the trail veers more towards the interior. Soon you enter the woods and again pine trees start dominating the landscape. Now you are near the end of the excursion and the Can Marroig houses are close by.