Sa Talaia Summit

From the top, Ibiza falls away on every side: pine-covered ridges, the southwest coast, and on a clear day Es Vedrà rising out of the sea with Formentera low on the horizon. At 476 m, Sa Talaia is the highest ground on the island.

The summit itself is plain. Masts and their outbuildings take the very top, so the view is the whole reward, and the rough drive up is the price of it.

The mountain also gave the area its name. Talaia means watchtower in Catalan, and the municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia is named after it.

• The track to the top is rough and poorly maintained: tricky by car, but doable.
• In places the track runs past big drops with no barriers.
• Nothing waits at the summit except masts and outbuildings.
• There are no toilets or drinking water nearby, so bring water with you.
• There is no wheelchair access to the parking or the summit.

The way up is a rough, poorly maintained track that climbs to the summit. It is tricky in a car but doable, and in places it passes big drops with no barriers, so take it slowly.

Two car parks lie about 1,650 m and 1,900 m from the summit in a straight line. The nearest bus stop, Can Verger, is about 1,700 m away in a straight line, below the summit.

Best: a clear, dry day, in the afternoon, when the light comes in from the west across the sea.

Avoid: hazy summer days, the hours after heavy rain, and driving the track down after dark.

Haze blurs the far views that are the point of the climb, rain leaves a rough track at its worst, and the unbarriered drops are no place to be in the dark.