People make fun of me all the time because when I travel, nothing can ever be “just a beach” or “just a coffee.” I always want to find the best coffee, the best beach, the most unique beach, the most unknown place, the local spot…and the list goes on. Punta Galera in Ibiza is no exception to the rule. Could I have gone for another sandy beach like Aguas Blanca? Why yes, of course. But what’s the point in going to a beach that’s easily accessible to everyone. Punta Galera is less known and super cool in it’s formation, so it’s a unique experience you likely can’t experience on any other beach in the world. This experience is exclusive to Ibiza. You can always find a sandy beach, but a rocky one like this? No.
Location: Neighborhood of Saint Anthoni, Northwest Ibiza
First impression: Super cool formations, but ridiculously uncomfortable, small, narrow, and with no shade
Facilities: None, it’s essentially just a cliff with rock balconies for everyone!
Best for: Snorkeling and cliff jumping
Best time of day to visit: Morning and late afternoon – there is legitimately no shade except for super small areas that people fight for so go during a cooler time of the day
Sveva’s Pick: The rock formations on the right hand side that collide with one another
Is it easy to get to? No. Is it comfortable? God no. But what makes Punta Galera worth the trek is it’s unique formation. It’s a cliff that has rock formations that jut out like shelves or private little balconies so that each person has their own. It looks like a series of steps that take you down to the glistening Mediterranean Sea.
Getting there isn’t easy or clearly labeled. Just plug ‘Sa Punta Galera’ into Google Maps and follow the way. You will drive past Cala Saladeta to the end. It will take you to the bottom of a hill. You will see a ton of cars parked on the side of the road. Park and get walking for 10 minutes until you reach a cliff overlook where you can see all the jutting rocks and make your move from there. BRING PROPER FOOTWEAR. This is not for the faint of heart. It is really tricky to walk the rocks and can be dangerous depending on how you decide to get down. Stick to the easy rocks on the right hand side and try to avoid going left. Those are tricky and steeper.
Pat and I spent about an hour or so jumping in and out of the water – it was way to hot to sit still for more than 5 minutes – walking and exploring the rock formations, and enjoying lunch before heading back up. Tanning isn’t exactly the number one thing to do here. I mean many do, but God is it uncomfortable. I mean, after all, you’re literally lying on pure rocks. You’ll be so hot, you’ll be spending most of your time in the water anyway so don’t be too concerned with that.
You will notice plenty of stones placed on top of one another. But why? Because story has it there was a cave dweller who lived here and took care of the area. He had a Buddha’s head that was surrounded by pebbles in columns as an altar. When he left, he took the Buddha head with him, but the ritual of stacking stones on top of one another remained.
Since there are no facilities, we had brought our own bottle of water and bocadillo, a local sandwich made with Spanish bread, usually a baguette or similar type of bread, cut lengthwise. Since we were by the sea, I got a tuna bocadillo with some tomatoes and capers. The bread was super soft and the fish and tomatoes tasted like something straight out of the sea infront of me. Cafe Girasol made a pretty good bocadillo in my opinion. Although rumor has it, the award goes to Bar Costa in San Gertrudis for making the best bocadillo on the island, specifically the bocadillo el salchichón de ciervo.
>> Next: Experience El Bigotes Bullit Restaurant on Cala Mastella
