For our first stage on the Ibiza coastline walk, we wanted to combine spectacular scenery with a walk that would not be too challenging. Further, K. was still recovering from a yoga injury in her thigh, and wanted to have different options for bailing if she couldn’t take any more walking.
We parked our rental car in Cala d’Hort at around 8.30. As often in Ibiza, there was some morning mist, and the top of Es Vedra island could not be seen. However, the show of lights from the traditional fishermen piers in Cala D’Hort were simply spectacular.
It was also special to navigate our way out of Cala D’Hort, bushwhacking between high cliffs and tacky luxury homes. Some of the joys of an underdeveloped coastline trail, we reckoned.
We then tackled our steepest climb of the day, a beautiful forested stretch that would eventually take us to the much more developed areas of Cala Vadella, Cala Molí, and Cala Tarida. We had been warned about a long stretch on the road, but hey, there was a bike path and we didn’t dislike the ease of routefinding without having to check the gps track all the time. Plus, those longish, easy stretches lend themselves to conversation, and opening up to your partner.
That’s right. There is something liberating about being able to delve into a topic with basically no time limit and hardly any distractions. Being able to touch on all the nuances of a story until…well…basically you’ve said it all or the discussion naturally moves on to another topic.
Man, you really opened up there, she said, after a long conversation on my family.
We had lunch overlooking Cala Tarida, a rather urban beach but offering a fantastic combination of fine sand and turquoise blue waters. Then came a fascinating walk connecting Tarida and Corral, on a high cliff, past luxurious villas, and with some navigation issues – well, basically we ended up on the private property side of a fence, and struggled to find our way back to the public road!
After the walk, K. would share: You know, I’ve been to all these coves but I never walked between them. Now I know how the different places connect. What’s more, when you walk you learn that things are not quite the way they look on Google Maps when you’re planning the hike. You may think that it’s pretty straight forward to get from point A to point B, but then there’s a wall or a fence or thick bush and you find yourself checking the map and having to backtrack.
We hiked down Cala Corral and walked past a house were party music was being played. A man was smoking a cigarette. Bulgarian? He smiled at us, almost beckoning us to join. We smiled back and pushed on, wondering what kind of people they might have been. Construction workers enjoying a day off work? Mobsters belonging to some Eastern European cartel? We bounced off a few more clichés, some of which might have been correct – who knows in a place like this.
We then hiked out of Cala Corral, with close views of its narrow marina – now empty – and past its fishermen piers.
From here onward, it was pretty much familiar terrain for the both of us. Always with sea views and, after Cala Codolar, with only a few houses to spoil the landscape. Eventually, we hit Platges del Comte, one of our most frequent beach hangouts in the island. By then K. was hurting, but not so much her injured thigh as her calves.
Can you keep walking? I asked. I think so, she replied. We can make it to Cala Bassa, not farther than that.
And that’s what we did. Slowly, with the occasional shortcut, visiting Torre d’en Rovira and Cala Roja, especially red in the afternoon light.
Flat, easy, wonderful walking to close the day.
The facts
Length: 22,3 km.
Elevation gain: +658
Time: 7 hours (including breaks and lunch)
You may check my gpx tracks here:
B-Side Travels 
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