Spain · Balearic Islands
Yacht Charter Formentera
The clearest water in the western Mediterranean, no airport, and a sandbank you can anchor beside.
Formentera has no airport, which means everyone on it arrived by sea and the island has never had to absorb a crowd it did not choose. It is twenty kilometres long, almost flat, and the water off its northern end is the clearest in the western Mediterranean — the posidonia meadow beneath it is a UNESCO site and one of the oldest living organisms on earth.
Ses Illetes and the sandbank
The northern spit narrows to a line of sand called the Trucadors with sea on both sides, and Ses Illetes runs along its western edge. Anchoring off it in the early morning, before the day boats cross from Ibiza, is the single best hour in the Balearics.
Espalmador, the uninhabited islet beyond the tip, has a shallow lagoon and a beach that is usually empty. The channel between the two is shoal and the crew will take it carefully or go round.
The rest of the island
The south coast has Migjorn, a long open beach exposed to the swell, and Cala Saona on the western side is a small red-cliffed bay that catches the sunset. La Mola at the eastern end rises to a plateau with a lighthouse and almost nothing else.
Inland, the island is fig trees, dry-stone walls and salt pans, and the whole of it can be crossed by bicycle in an afternoon — which is what most people who stay ashore do.
Practical notes
- No airport: everyone arrives by sea, and half an hour from Ibiza is the usual crossing
- The posidonia meadow off the northern end is a UNESCO site — anchoring is regulated and the crew hold the current zoning
- Ses Illetes is best before the day boats cross from Ibiza; by eleven it is a different place
- Three of this fleet's yachts are based in the Balearics
Reached from: Ibiza and the Balearics
Where to dine
A table by the water
Juan y Andrea
Ses IlletesOn the sand at the northern end, with a tender service that fetches you off the anchorage.
Es Molí de Sal
Ses IlletesIn a restored windmill on the salt pans, with the water on three sides.
Cala Saona
Cala SaonaOn the western side under red cliffs, and the place the island watches the sun go down from.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Ses Illetes
A line of sand with sea on both sides at the northern tip, and the clearest water in the western Mediterranean.
Espalmador
An uninhabited islet beyond the northern tip, with a shallow lagoon and a beach that is usually empty.
Cala Saona
A small bay of red cliffs on the western side, which catches the sunset and shelters from the east.
La Mola
A plateau at the eastern end with a lighthouse, a Sunday market and almost nothing else.
The fleet
Yachts available for Formentera
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Formentera
- Why is the water so clear?
- The posidonia meadow beneath it. It filters the water, it is a UNESCO site, and it is one of the oldest living organisms on earth — which is also why anchoring over it is regulated.
- When should we anchor at Ses Illetes?
- Early. Before the day boats cross from Ibiza, the sandbank is empty and the light is low. By eleven it is a different place, and being on your own boat is what lets you have the first version.
- What does a yacht charter to Formentera cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter at Formentera
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.