Cala Carbó – Cala d’Hort – Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort Route (circular walk)
A beautiful route along which you will visit two of the island’s finest beaches whilst enjoying spectacular views of the islet of Es Vedrà and learning a little more about the history of Ibiza. This is a route with fantastic sea views and pleasant walks in the heart of the countryside where walkers can take refuge from the sun under large pine trees. It is a relatively easy walk, just 5.8 km including 100 metres of steep slopes. It is not a strenuous walk, but we do recommend that you wear sports shoes and bring sun protection cream and of course water.
Map of the Route
Difficulty: Average
Distance: 6km
Estimated Time estimado: 2 hours
Recommendations:Sport shoes and drinking water
You will visit Cala d’Hort and Cala Carbó, two of the most picturesque beaches on the west coast of Sant Josep, as well as the Punic-Roman settlement of Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort which has remains of houses and a necropolis dating from the middle of the 5th century BC. Let’s go!
The route starts at the entrance to Cala Carbó Beach. Between the car park and the beach itself there is a mountain on one side and one of the beach restaurants on the other side. Right in front of the restaurant you will find an uphill trail. This is where the route begins.
This path winds up among pines and natural vegetation with the coast on our right at all times. From the cliffs, you can take in some impressive views of Es Vedrà or a beautiful panoramic view of Cala Carbó.
After walking for about 10 minutes you will come across a unique little cove: Cala Truja. This small cove is just 12 metres long and has a dry dock hut. It is quite difficult to get to, but sometimes you can see swimmers here that got here by kayak or boat. It is worth a look from the clifftop.
And so the journey continues. At this stage it is a good idea to take a short cut, cutting across the route as shown on the map, but you can also continue along the cliff to enjoy the views of Es Vedrà and Es Vedranell.
You are close to Cala d’Hort. You might decide here to follow the steps next to the restaurant down to the boathouse and the beach for a refreshing swim or to just enjoy the views. If your timing is right and you arrive for lunch, then, of course, a good paella with sea views and a few splashes before continuing on your way might be the thing to do.
The route continues on towards Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort along the road marked on the map. Although it is not very busy, it is important to keep an eye out for cars.
Follow this route now for about 1.5 km until you reach a crossroads then walk down the road for about 50 metres to take the turn-off on the opposite side of the road. Here you will see a signpost for Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort. Please be very careful crossing the road.
These stone walls are the ruins of a rural settlement from the Punic and Roman periods, which was founded in the middle of the 5th century BC and continued to survive through the early and late Roman Empires until the beginning of the 8th century AD. It consists of a large building used as a dwelling (and for the development of various agricultural industries) that is in an acceptable state of conservation, another one in a very deteriorated state, and two necropolises, one from the Punic period and the other from the Byzantine period.
The Punic necropolis onsisted of twenty hypogeum-type tombs (underground rooms that were cut out of the rock and were accessed through a pit), some of which even contained two sarcophagi made of stone slabs and numerous pieces of Punic-Ibizan and imported ceramic funerary items, razor blades, molten glass objects, scarabs, etc. From the top of the complex, you can see two moats from the Byzantine period overlooking a spectacular landscape with the islet of Vedrà in front. This settlement was excavated between 1917 and 1982-1985.
Walking down a few metres you will find an extension of the Ethnography Museum of Ibiza: Can Sorà. It is usually closed if no excursion is planned.
And now it’s time to head back! You can return along the same road you came by, passing by Cala d’Hort but there is another more direct option to Cala Carbó. After leaving Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort, continue along the Cala d’Hort road in the opposite direction to the beach until you reach the crossroads with the Cala Carbó road. Continue for about 2km to reach the beautiful Cala Carbó cove again.
If you have started the route in the morning and are back in Cala Carbó around noon, why not book a table in one of its restaurants and enjoy a good lobster stew (“caldereta de langosta”), a tasty baked fish or a rice dish to recharge your batteries?
