Boat houses below La Mola.

A harbour of boat houses

Es Caló de Sant Agustí sits at the foot of the La Mola plateau, where a lane drops to the water and stops. The boat houses are the first thing you notice: small, square, built into the rock at the water's edge, with white walls and wooden doors, used for storing gear and for shade rather than for living. Behind them are a slipway, a small beach and a handful of low buildings, and that is the whole of the village.

The place grew around fishing rather than around tourism and it still reads that way. La Mola rises behind it to about 190 m, so the shade arrives early and the light changes quickly in the afternoon. The lane ends at the harbour, which means nobody passes through on the way to somewhere else. It is a place of early boats and long siestas. In August, when much of the island is busy, this corner stays calm.

• Boat housesSmall stone and whitewash stores at the water's edge, still used by fishing families and part of the island's working history.
• The slipwayA concrete ramp where small boats are hauled out, and the practical centre of the harbour.
• The beachA short sandy cove beside the boat houses, sheltered and shallow close in, good for a quick swim.
• ShadePines and low buildings give cover through the middle of the day, when the harbour empties.

Clear water over posidonia

At Es Caló the water is the main event. Rock runs out on both sides of the little beach, with wooden platforms laid over it for sunbathing and for getting in and out without slipping. The seabed close in is sand and rock, and further out the darker patches are posidonia, the seagrass that keeps the water clear here and along the whole coast between the Pitiusas. Visibility on a still morning is high.

Swimming is easy from the beach and from the platforms, and the inlet is shallow enough for children to paddle close to the boat houses. Small boats still use the harbour, so keep an eye out near the slipway. There is no long sandy run of beach here; this is a place for a short swim, a snorkel along the rocks and a book in the shade. Bring footwear for the rock, and walk out along the platforms to find a quiet patch of water.

Beaches and sights nearby

Within a short ride, the island opens up. The long sandy beach of Platja de Migjorn runs along the south coast, with shallow entries and stretches that stay quiet even in season. Cala Saona, on the west side, is a sheltered cove with a sunset that draws a crowd. Es Pujols has the nearest concentration of shops and life, and the megalithic tomb of Ca na Costa, about 4,000 years old, lies within walking distance of the village.

Above the harbour, the La Mola plateau is a world of dry stone walls, juniper and wind, with the Far de la Mola lighthouse at its eastern end and the small village of El Pilar de la Mola in the middle. A craft market is held there in season, and the days change, so check before setting out. Across the island's north, the lagoons of Estany Pudent and Estany des Peix sit inside the Ses Salines Natural Park, with birds on the water in migration.

• Far de la MolaThe lighthouse on the cliff at the plateau's eastern end, reached on foot or by bike on quiet lanes.
• El Pilar marketA seasonal craft market in the plateau village; days change, so check with the Consell de Formentera.
• Ca na CostaA megalithic tomb near Es Pujols, around 4,000 years old and the oldest known monument on the Pitiusas.
• Green routesSignposted circuits verds for walking and cycling, linking the harbour with the plateau and the south coast.

Who it suits

Es Caló de Sant Agustí suits people who want their evenings quiet and their mornings bright. Couples, walkers, cyclists and families with older children settle in easily here, because everything worth doing is a short walk, a short ride or a short swim away. It suits a stay of three or four nights rather than a single afternoon, since the pleasure is in the repetition: the same swim, the same table, the same view of La Mola.

It is less good for anyone who wants nightlife within walking distance, a long beach at the door or a car parked outside. The nearest sandy run is Migjorn, and the nearest town with year-round life is Sant Francesc Xavier. People who prefer to be in the middle of things, with shops and buses on the doorstep, are usually happier in Es Pujols or in the capital. Parking near the harbour fills early in high summer, which is worth knowing before you choose.

Evenings and food

In the evening the harbour is the whole of the entertainment. A handful of small places along the front serve fish, rice dishes and the local dried fish that has been made on this coast for centuries. In high season tables fill early and the kitchens run late; out of season the choice narrows sharply. It is worth asking what came in that morning rather than working through a long menu.

After dinner there is little to do but walk. The lane above the harbour is dark, the water is audible and the lights on the far shore are few. Stargazing here is better than on the busier south coast, and the plateau blocks any glow from the east. It is the kind of evening that ends early and stays with you, and it is the reason many people come back to this corner of Formentera year after year.

The lane above the harbour is dark, the water is audible and the lights on the far shore are few.

Getting there from Ibiza

Formentera has no airport, so the route runs through Ibiza. Fly into Ibiza Airport (IBZ), about 7 km south-west of Ibiza Town, then reach the port in Eivissa and take a ferry to La Savina. Fast ferries cover the crossing in about 30-35 minutes and conventional ferries take about an hour; sailings are frequent in season and fewer in winter, so check the operators. From La Savina, Es Caló is about 11.3 km in a straight line.

From the port, the road runs east through Sant Francesc Xavier and then out towards the plateau, with a turn down to the harbour near the end. Buses serve the island in season and thin out in winter; check the island operator for lines and times. Cars, bikes and scooters can be hired near the port and in Es Pujols. In high season the Consell de Formentera caps the number of visitor vehicles, so check the rules before bringing a car across.

Getting around without a car

Es Caló is small enough to walk in ten minutes, and the rest of the island is best reached by bike. The signposted green routes connect the harbour with the plateau, the south coast and the lagoons, mostly on quiet lanes and tracks. Distances are short but the heat is real between June and September, so ride early or late and carry water. Taxis exist but are few, and in August a wait is likely.

Scooters suit the island's lanes and are easy to park, though the wind on the plateau is stronger than it looks from the harbour. Buses are useful for a one-way trip to La Savina or Es Pujols when you would rather not ride back in the dark. The lane up to La Mola is a steady climb with little shade, so start before the sun is high. Parking near the boat houses fills quickly through the summer.

• On footThe harbour, the beach and the boat houses take minutes; the lane up to the plateau is the only real climb.
• By bikeThe green routes are the best way to reach Migjorn, the lagoons and the lighthouse without a car.
• By busSeasonal services link the villages; check the island operator for current lines and times.
• ParkingSpace near the harbour is limited; leave the car at the edge of the village in high summer.

When to go, and what closes

Late spring and early autumn are the best of it. In May and early June the water is around 18-19 °C, the lanes are quiet and the harbour has space. September and early October bring sea temperatures of about 23-25 °C and a softer light, with most places still open. July and August are hot, busy and booked up, and the small beach at the harbour fills early in the day.

Much of the tourism business on Formentera closes roughly from November to April, and Es Caló is no exception: the small places to eat shut, the boat trips stop and the harbour returns to the fishing it was built for. Sant Francesc Xavier stays open year round for the basics. Ferries and flights are fewer in winter, and the island feels like a different, quieter place, which some travellers prefer.

Visiting lightly here is mostly a matter of small decisions. Use the mooring buoys where they are installed and never anchor over the dark seagrass; carry rubbish back rather than leaving it for someone else; keep to the green routes where the ground is thin; and treat the boat houses as private property, because most of them are. The island's water, dunes and juniper are the reason it looks as it does, and they are slow to recover.