Ses Balandres Cove

The way down is the first thing anyone mentions. A wooden ladder, then a rocky slope where you lower yourself on a rope the local fishermen fixed there: hippies once named the route Heaven's Gate.

At the bottom the cliffs close round in a horseshoe, banded in layers of sediment between 65 and 195 million years old, over a thin strip of sand and pebbles. Along the cliff foot the fishermen have walled up the natural caves into boat sheds, with slipways running down to the water.

The water is clear enough to follow the seabed through a snorkel mask. In the middle of the cove stand the rocks of Ses Margalides, worn into a low sea arch that divers come for.

• The only way back up is the way you came down: the rope slope, then the ladder.
• You need good fitness and a head for heights. Leave it out with small children or anyone unsteady on their feet.
• There are no toilets and no drinking water at the cove or nearby. Carry enough water for the climb out.
• Bring a mask and snorkel: the water is clear and the seabed is the reason to linger.
• Swimming out to Ses Margalides is for strong swimmers, and only when the sea is calm.

Ses Balandres lies 1.9 km north of Santa Agnès de Corona, below the cliffs of Ibiza's west coast. The nearest parking sits about 850 m away in a straight line, with a second, unpaved area about 1.6 km away. The nearest bus stop, Santa Agnès, is about 1.6 km away in a straight line.

The last stretch is the descent itself: a wooden ladder first, then a rocky slope taken with the help of a rope fixed by local fishermen. It is steep the whole way, and you climb out by the same route.

Best: a calm, dry day, in the cooler hours of morning or late afternoon, with plenty of daylight left for the climb back.

Avoid: rough sea, wet rock after rain, the midday heat of high summer, and starting down close to dusk.

The rope slope turns slippery when wet, the climb out is hard work in the heat, and the swim to Ses Margalides only makes sense on a flat sea.