One of the most surprising environments in the Balearic Islands is found in the Pitiüsas Islands especially on Ibiza - Ses Salines. These salt pans and marshes which were designated a Natural Reserve in 1995. Endemic plant and animal communities co-exist here in a rich ecosystem where salt is a dominant feature. All this makes their landscapes and beaches unique and unrepeatable.

In earlier times, Ibiza was called the island of salt, and it is so to such an extent that its inhabitants were guaranteed a supply of the condiment by law. The first ones to exploit the marshes were the Carthaginians, towards the 5th Century BC. After the re-conquest of Spain from the Moors, they passed over to being the property of the University and became one of the most important saltworks in the Mediterranean. For various centuries they belonged to the Crown, until they passed into private hands with the sale of Church lands by Mendizábal in 1835. Today the extraction of salt continues as in the past, using traditional methods and creating a landscape of white mountains which seem to have come from another world.

Since 1995 this area has formed part of the Sea and Land Natural Reserve of Ses Salines. It includes almost all the southern tip of Ibiza, the north of Formentera and the islets which separate both islands. It is an ecosystem with a rich diversity, designated an Area of Special Protection for Birds. Among the 124 catalogued species are herons and flamingos which are easy to sight on their migratory journeys from July to October and from February to May.

The vegetation is conditioned by the salinity of the ground. There is a predominance of the endemic sempervivum, reeds and plants which thrive in brackish water. The hills, with a lower concentration of salt, are covered with savin juniper bushes, pine forests and shrub land of rosemary and rock roses. 

But Ses Salines also has another side with beautiful landscapes and lovely beaches. Thus, in the part on Formentera, we have the coastal lagoons of s'Estany d'es Peix, Estany Pudent and the Bassa de s'Espalmador and on Ibiza, the pebbly beach of Es Codolar and the white sandy beaches of Illetes, Cavallet (very special because of its dunes and traditionally a nudist beach) and Trinxa or Salines, close to the saltworks, from where you can see them loading cargoes of salt.

Dotted all around the Reserve, with its surface area of 1,988 hectares, are traces of man's presence in earlier times, such as the impressive prehistoric tower or talayot of Sa Talaia Joana (in Ses Salines), the Phoenician settlement of Sa Caleta (between Es Codolar and the Puig des Jondal), the 16th Century watchtower of Sal Rossa, the small church of Sant Francesc de s'Estany, Sa Revista church and Ses Portes tower, all dating from the 18th Century.

A cycle ride around this area is an excursion which is difficult to forget. If we can make it to Puig del Corb Marí we can enjoy a full panoramic view of Ses Salines, a place where the mountains are neither green nor brown, but white as salt.

The Ses Salines Natural Reserve has an information office in Ibiza (Tel: +(34) 971 302 561) open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

In the summer there is a private horse and cart service which runs along the coastal area of Es Migjorn and Es Cavallet, in Ibiza.

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