The route in a sentence
Two days on the sunset side of the island: swim in the two most beautiful coves of the west, sleep in the pines at Camping Cala Bassa, and catch back-to-back sunsets at Cala Comte and Es Vedrà.
Day 1 — Sant Antoni to Cala Bassa (about 25 km)
Start in Sant Antoni with coffee on the harbour and any supermarket shopping for the day (there is a Lidl and a couple of local supermarkets on the way out of town). Then head north along the coast road to Cala Salada, the pine-framed cove that locals argue over with Cala Bassa for the title of the island’s prettiest. The car park is tiny and guarded in summer — this stop rewards an early start, or a bike.
Come back down the hill for a lazy village lunch in Sant Agustí, then the afternoon belongs to Cala Bassa. If you are staying at the campsite, check in first, hang your swimsuit on the line, and walk the 250 metres through the pines to the beach. Swim late — the water glows in the last light.
Sunset one: drive (or take the L4 bus) the ten minutes to Cala Comte. Find a rock on the western headland, order something cold, and watch the sun drop between the islets. This is the postcard; you are in it.
Day 2 — the Es Vedrà corner (about 37 km)
Drive the scenic inland road through Sant Josep and down to the island’s south-west tip. Cala d’Hort is a small cove facing the great rock of Es Vedrà, with a row of old fish restaurants right on the stones — book a table on the terrace if you can, or order a paella to share. The light here at midday is stark and beautiful.
After lunch, take the rough track up to the Torre des Savinar car park and walk the last fifteen minutes to the watchtower. The view over Es Vedrà from the clifftop is the island’s most dramatic free viewpoint. If you have legs and daylight left, Sa Talaia from Sant Josep village adds the highest view on the island to your collection.
Sunset two: either stay at Cala d’Hort for dinner and the Es Vedrà sunset, or head to Time & Space near Es Cubells — a stone-circle artwork on a wild headland that faces the setting sun. Both are quiet, golden, and completely Ibiza.
Good to know
- Summer parking: Cala Salada and Cala Comte fill early. The L4/L7 buses from Sant Antoni are the backup plan.
- Fire risk: this is pine-forest country. All cooking fires belong in the campsite’s barbecue areas — never in the coves.
- Sunset times: around 21:00 in June–July, 18:30 in late September. Plan dinner accordingly.
- Booking Cala Bassa’s pitches in July–August should happen weeks, not days, ahead.