Two lighthouses, two ends of Formentera.

Two ends, two characters

Formentera is roughly 19 km long, and its two lighthouses sit at the far ends of the road network. The Far de la Mola stands on the eastern plateau, about 190 m above the sea. The Far de Cap de Barbaria stands on the southern cape, low and close to the water. Between them lie the villages, the two lagoons and the long beaches of Migjorn and Ses Illetes, and each lighthouse is the end point of a road that narrows as it goes.

Neither tower is a museum. Both are working lights on exposed ground, and the visit is mostly about the position: the land falls away, the wind arrives without warning, and the sea takes up the whole horizon. The two places feel different because the island is different at each end, limestone plateau in the east and low scrub over cliff in the south. Seen together they explain the shape of Formentera better than any map.

The lighthouse on La Mola

The road east from El Pilar de la Mola crosses the plateau between dry-stone walls and patches of juniper, then ends near the lighthouse. The tower stands at the seaward edge, where the limestone drops away to the water. The top of the plateau is flat and open, a mix of thin farmland and scrub, and the cliff edge arrives suddenly. There is little between the car park and the sea.

The light marks the eastern side of the island for boats in the channel and gives the plateau its landmark. Away from the buildings there is rock, the drop and the water, and not much else. The ground is uneven and unfenced in places, so the last few metres need care, particularly with children. In summer the car park fills early and the narrow access road becomes slow.

The view from the rim takes in open sea to the east and the length of the island to the west, with the white houses of El Pilar and the dark line of the Migjorn coast beyond. Nothing here is dramatic in the way of a high mountain. It is simply the end of the land, clearly marked, with the wind moving through the juniper.

• The plateauFlat limestone farmland, juniper and dry-stone walls, about 190 m above the sea.
• The edgeThe cliff falls directly to the water, with no fence along much of it.
• El PilarThe village nearby holds a market on set days; check the current days before going.
• The walkTracks run along the plateau rim; sturdy shoes help on the sharp rock.

Walking the rim of La Mola

On foot the plateau reads differently. Tracks run between walled fields and out to the rim, where the rock is cracked and pale and the sea sits far below. The surface is sharp in places and the wind pushes at anyone on the open sections. Shade is scarce, so early morning and late afternoon are the better hours. The signposted green routes are the reliable way to link the two.

The vegetation is low and adapted to salt and wind: juniper, rosemary, thistles, and in spring a thin cover of flowers on shallow soil. The Pitiusan wall lizard lives here, as it does across Formentera and its islets, and it disappears into the stones at the first footstep. The plateau has been farmed for a very long time, and the walls and the terraces show how hard that work was.

Cap de Barbaria, low and dark

The southern cape is the opposite of the plateau. The land is low and dark with scrub and broken rock, and the sea is around on three sides. The road runs south from Sant Francesc Xavier and ends in a car park, with a short walk to the lighthouse. The tower is modest and practical rather than decorative, and it stands close to the edge, where the cliff drops to the water.

This is the island's southern tip, and beyond it the horizon is unbroken sea. The scrub gives no shelter and the wind is stronger here than anywhere else on Formentera. Most people come for the sunset, when the light goes red and the water darkens, and the walk back afterwards needs a torch. Outside July and August it is one of the quietest places on the island.

• The roadA narrow lane runs south from Sant Francesc Xavier to a car park near the cape.
• On footThe last stretch to the lighthouse is a short walk over rough, stony ground.
• SunsetThe cape faces open sea; the light is best in the hour before dusk.
• No shadeTake water and a torch for the walk back after sunset.

Beyond the cape the horizon is unbroken sea, and the wind is stronger than anywhere else on Formentera.

Why the lights stand there

Lighthouses are placed where a coast is dangerous or where a route needs a mark. Formentera sits between Ibiza and the open sea, and the crossing from Eivissa to La Savina is short but shallow in places, with posidonia meadows under much of it. The two lights mark the two ends of the island for anyone approaching from the east or the south, and they do the same work for anyone trying to fix a position.

The island's economy once rested on salt, fishing and a little farming, and boats worked the water around both capes through the year. A light at each end made sense: one above the eastern cliffs, one on the low southern point. Both towers are maintained and both still carry a light, though satellite navigation has taken over most of the work. They remain the clearest markers on the island's outline.

Linking the two on foot is possible in stages rather than at once, using the signposted green routes and the village roads. The reward is not the towers themselves, which are plain and closed, but the change in the land between them: plateau, walled fields, lagoons, dunes and finally the dark scrub of the cape.

What the light stands over

Between the two capes the sea holds meadows of Posidonia oceanica, the seagrass that gives the Pitiusas their clear water and their pale turquoise shallows. The meadows are protected, and anchoring over them is regulated by a Balearic decree; in some bays mooring buoys are installed for the summer. Posidonia is not seaweed but a flowering plant, and it grows from the shallows down to about 30 to 40 m.

Above the water, both capes are good places to watch birds, especially on migration, when the scrub offers cover and the open sea gives a clear line of sight. The cliffs of La Mola take seabirds, and the low ground near Barbaria suits anything passing through. Binoculars help and patience helps more. Behind the dunes, Estany Pudent and Estany des Peix hold a different set of species.

• PosidoniaA flowering seagrass, not seaweed, that grows down to about 30 to 40 m.
• MooringAnchoring over the meadows is regulated; use a buoy where one is installed.
• BirdsMigration seasons bring birds through both capes; early morning is quietest.
• LizardsThe Pitiusan wall lizard is endemic to Ibiza, Formentera and their islets.

Getting there in any season

Both lighthouses are outdoor places that do not close, but almost everything around them does. Many businesses on Formentera shut roughly from November to April, and buses thin out; the main towns of Sant Francesc Xavier, Es Pujols and La Savina stay open year-round. Out of season the roads are quiet and the capes are empty, which suits some visitors and not others. Fuel, water and food need thinking about in the quieter months.

In high summer the Consell de Formentera caps the number of visitor vehicles on the island, and parking at both capes is limited. The signposted green routes are the reliable way to reach either end by bicycle, and the lanes are narrow enough to make a car feel like an encumbrance. Rules, timetables and limits change from year to year, so check the council's current advice before hiring or bringing a vehicle.

A day that holds both

The two capes are far apart on a 19 km island, but a slow day can hold both. A morning on La Mola, with the market at El Pilar on a market day and a walk along the rim, leaves the afternoon free for the south. The road between them crosses the middle of the island, past Sant Francesc Xavier and the lagoons. Driving is straightforward outside July and August.

Evening belongs to Barbaria. Arrive before the sun is low, walk out to the lighthouse, and stay for the change of light. Afterwards, eat in Sant Francesc Xavier or Es Pujols, or take the road north to La Savina for a ferry. Sailings are fewer at night and fewer again in winter, so check the timetable rather than assume. Neither lighthouse needs more than an hour.