This group of islands is located on the southwestern coast of Ibiza and the coordinates for the peak of Es Vedrá are 38°52’3.77”N 1°11’53.77”E

The island of Es Vedrá is found approximately ten nautical miles from Sant Antoni and its name comes from the Greek etymological root word πέτρα (petra), which means ‘stone’. To get to this huge rock, the voyage runs through the open sea to the west, past the islands of Sa Conillera and Es Bosc, and the turquoise-blue waters of Cala Conta.

This is Ibiza’s most mysterious and mystical island, where myths, stories and legends abound. Its imposing vertical walls that are almost 400 metres high are absolutely breathtaking. The sheer magnificence of its imposing figure will bring to mind a huge dragon or a colossal pyramid.

The limpid waters around Es Vedrà are ocean blue in colour as they're very deep. The underwater profile of its nearest coast goes down to 80 metres deep just a few dozen metres from this unusual islet, and in some cases, they seem to be an extension of the deep sea beds straight to the skies.

Sailing around this majestic islet is an experience that is simply awe inspiring thanks to its immensity and innately wild, inhospitable and rugged profile.

Not far from it is its little brother, the islet of Es Vedranell. Its distinctive horseshoe shape invites sailors to sail in and find a small bay that can serve as a shelter from the winds.

Very near this picturesque geological brotherhood is a reef that emerges to the surface. It's called Sa Bota d’Es Vedrà. Its solitary position in the middle of the sea is a hell for many unsuspecting sailors and their very worst nightmare for some of them. As the rocks peek out slightly above the surface of the sea, you can actually step onto this rocky outcropping.

One other thing you can't miss is heading to Cala d’Hort, and at its southermost end, sailing to a magical place popularly known as Atlantis but whose real name is Sa Pedrera. This place used to be a quarry for marés sandstone, a highly porous stone formed by compact sand and seawater that is very easy to work with, which boasts insulating properties that are superior to other construction materials and has been widely used since ancient times. The ravages left by extracting stone from the quarry are patently obvious in the form of cubes that form natural pools that are widely used by the island’s inhabitants and are very popular due to their great beauty.

Ses Bledes are a group of five islands that are located just seven nautical miles from the port of Sant Antoni. Their average coordinates are: 38°58’48.19”N 1°9'33.56”E.

In one of these groups of islands, specifically the flat island, there’s a lighthouse with a cylindrical tower that began operations in 1927 at the highest point of the northern end of the island at an altitude of 20 metres above sea level. Standing eight metres tall, since then it’s been guiding sailors with its unique group of three flashes every 15 seconds with a nominal range of ten nautical miles.

The reduced size of its base and tower make it impossible for any lighthouse keeper to stay there. Anyway, eventually automating the lighthouse made such a thing unnecessary. But not for its requisite maintenance, which can clearly be seen in the winding path that leads from the steep slope of the southern coast to the white lighthouse.

This isolated group of small islets is found amidst deep blue waters at the mercy of the elements without any chance of shelter for any vessel in danger, so it is not a suitable or recommended place for shelter from the winds and storms. Its deep blue waters are evidence of their depths, as the profile of its rugged coastline drops into the abyss just a few metres from its shore.

This group of islets and reef may seem a desolate, dry, rugged and inhospitable wasteland at first glance, but it is home to the most important marine ecosystem in the Mediterranean with great environmental value.

There’s a colony of violescent sea-whip (Paramuricea clavata), which has clung to the impressive vertical underwater walls at a depth of more than 35 metres for millions of years and which, with the strong currents that prevail in the area, feed on the suspended nutrients that these cold waters carry.

The sea bed of the islands has an incomparably rich ecosystem as these islets in the middle of nowhere are a favourite spot for pelagic fish species such as tuna, swordfish and blue marlin that would rarely approach the coast. Therefore, the area is not at all suitable for swimming due to its isolation from other islets in the Ponent nature reserve, as well as the difficulty in dropping anchor due to the depth of its sea beds.

The island of S'Espartar is located just six nautical miles from the port of Sant Antoni. Its average coordinates are: 38°57’29.73”N 1°11’43.30”E

This island does not have a lighthouse, but its uneven terrain with knolls of up to 70 metres high and with slopes of up to 50 degrees points to geological origins that are more turbulent than those of the nearby nature reserves.

Since time immemorial, esparto grass—which was so useful in the Punic, Greek and Roman textile industry—has been collected on this islet. There’s an anecdote or historical relationship with the origin of the name of this island and the origin of the word balear, whose common link lies with the Ibizan slings (called bassetges eivissenques in the Ibizan dialect), which were made of esparto grass. The word balear comes from the Greek etymological root word bal-leo, which means ‘to throw rocks’. This was a term that was probably coined for the feared Balearic hordes that were hired by the Carthaginian King Hannibal, son of Asdrubal, in the Second Punic War, who crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps with elephants to bring war to the very doorstep of the powerful Roman Empire in Italy around 218 BC.

This islet has an irregular shape and the slopes of its coasts are not narrow and steep. Along them, we can find an infinite number of places to shelter us from the winds. On one of the southern slopes, you can see a mound of stones placed in a very orderly manner. It’s been around for a thousand years and according to the local legends, it was a place of worship or burial of Punic-Phoenician origin.

There’s no way to determine whether this is fact or fiction, but what’s clear is that it was special to the people or ancient civilisation that created it. Its unnatural shape and its orderly arrangement leave no room for doubt that it is not the result of the random action of storms or winds.

This island boasts crystal-clear turquoise-green waters, as its relatively smooth bottoms show us a wealth of rocks with a great ecosystem of plants, fish and molluscs. You’ll realise there are live meadows of Posidonia oceanica once you see the darkness beneath the waters. The limpid waters invite you to enjoy the peace and quiet of the island provided the subsidiary rules of the nature reserves are followed.

Sa Conillera, which is literally translated from the Ibizan dialect as ‘The Rabbit Hutch’, is the largest island in the Ponent island group. It is one mile in length and is located just five nautical miles from the port of Sant Antoni. Its coordinates are: 38°59’3.03”N, 1°12’45.41”E.

At first glance, it may seem like a dry, rugged and inhospitable landscape, but the island is home to an ecosystem of great environmental value.

There's actually a sign in one of its small bays warning that disembarking on the island is not allowed as it’s a protected area, as well as the reasons.

Sa Conillera has a large lighthouse with a circular base and a cylindrical tower that began operations in 1857 at the northern end of the island at an altitude of 60 metres above sea level. Standing 20 metres tall, it’s been guiding sailors with its unique group of four flashes every 20 seconds with a nominal range of 18 nautical miles.

The lighthouse and its adjacent outbuildings are visible from the sea and are a clear reminder of the role of lighthouse keepers—a job that is no longer relevant due to automation, but which was of great importance in the past to keep this vital light signal in good working order.

The Sa Conillera Lighthouse brought together the families of the lighthouse keepers, who spent long periods of time cut off from everyone else due to the inclement weather that kept them isolated on this inhospitable island, and who communicated with the outside world by using mirrors or hoisting white flags. At present, there's a winding path that leads from one of the secluded bays to its white tower.

Sa Conillera has been a source of stories, myths and legends that further add to its mystique. There’s an old local legends that claims that King Hannibal of Carthage was born in one of its caves. There was a fleet of imperial ships sailing in the vicinity which had to find shelter on the island due to a severe storm. The pregnant mother of the future king of the Carthaginian empire that crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps with elephants to fight against the Roman Empire itself at the gates of Rome in the Second Punic War was aboard one of the ships. The story is somewhat implausible though, as documented sources say he was actually born in Carthage. There is no doubt about the history of this island, with the archaeological finds of Roman galleys sunk off its coasts. Despite the passing of the centuries, they've remained intact, buried amidst the sandy bottoms beneath its deep waters. The island itself is a place of utmost peace and quiet as not many people can be found around it. Its turquoise-green waters and its shelters from the wind would tempt anyone to drop anchor here. In times of storms at sea, it offers welcome shelter. The island’s sea beds has a wonderfully rich ecosystem, as the gradient of its underwater features will let you enjoy a short stay in one of the many small bays around it provided the subsidiary rules for nature reserves are followed.