Atlantis Ibiza? Wasn’t Atlantis supposed to be, well, in the Atlantic?! Turns out it depends who you ask, ladies & gents.

Located to the south-west of Ibiza, Atlantis, formally known as Pedrera de Cala D’Hort, is a rocky cove right in front of that legendary Ibiza landmark, Es Vedra, rumoured (amongst other diverse locations) to be the tip of the mythical lost continent of Atlantis.

The cove of Atlantis is where the rock used to build Dalt Vila was quarried, back in the ancient mists of time. As the rock was quarried, strange looking geometrical shaped pits were created, which over the centuries, became full of seawater. The result? A natural spa, dear reader, courtesy of mother nature and a bunch of nameless, but much appreciated, ancient stonemasons.

Lagoons

There are several lagoons at Atlantis. Some are like a warm bath as the fresh seawater is heated by both the sun & the limestone rocks. Others, with more shade, are a little cooler, but still deliciously warm. They all skin-tinglingly contrast with the much cooler sea temperature. The water in the lagoons is pale turquoise, crystal clear and there are several great cliff jumping spots. The transparency of the surrounding sea and quality of snorkelling is unparalleled.

Moon-like

Quite aside from the odd, pitted, geometric, moon-like appearance of Atlantis and her fabulous lagoons, you’ll also find lots of unusual patterns & symbols carved into the rocks. Plus many mysterious little piles of stones, artfully arranged into stacks. There is much disagreement about these piles of stones and what they mean. Our favourite theory is that they are offerings for the Sun God, Baal, historical partner of Tanit, goddess of the moon.

The goddess of Ibiza: Tanit

Tanit, once described wittily as a ‘good time girl with a gun’ was the Carthaginian goddess of the moon and was declared the protector goddess of Ibiza, when the Carthaginian empire superseded that of the Phoenicians, around 600BC. A temple was built for her, on the site of the current cathedral, using rock quarried from Atlantis.

It’s said that in ancient days, if you required assistance from Tanit, then the thing to do was to go to Atlantis at the time of the full moon. The tradition was to dance for Tanit (also the goddess of dance) & leave an offering for her, along with your request for help. It’s also said that Ibiza’s pagan roots are to this day, alive and well and that sometimes, at the full moon, silhouettes of ritual dances to Tanit can still be seen.

Buddha

If you’re up for a steep climb up the sand dunes, you’ll also find the famous ‘Buddha cave,’ a natural shelter painted painstakingly with an image of the Buddha over 40 years ago, back in Ibiza’s hippie heyday of the 1960s & 70s.

We’re talking Cosmic with a capital ‘C’ dear reader.

So, if you’d like to visit a little bit of Ibiza’s ancient culture, whilst enjoying your Ibiza boat charter, we recommend heading for Atlantis. Although you can get to Atlantis on foot, it’s pretty hard going. Think at least a half-hour sliding & scrambling down the mountain and an arduous, minimum 45-minute climb back up. There are zero facilities and so you’d need to take all necessities on your back. An adventure? Yes. An endurance test? Also! Plus it’s by no means easy to find.

Do it by boat!

We say go by boat, m’hearties! If you need any more convincing, check out the ace review by our friends on the Ibiza Spotlight clubbing team when we visited there last month.

Especially since one of the most common questions that comes up when you lovely people charter a boat or yacht with us to explore Ibiza is:

Where are the most amazing places to visit?

A big question. With many answers. Where your boat is moored, along with the weather and the prevailing winds, will, of course, influence the best route to take. But if your boat happens to be moored in San Antonio (Sunseeker Camargue, Rinker, Sea doo, Sunseeker Comanche, Chaparral) and the wind is not prohibitive, then we heartily recommend a trip to Atlantis, that most mysterious and fascinating of iconic Ibiza locations.

Atlantis Ibiza | the real thing

Did we mention that Cala Bassa, Cala Conta, Cala Tarida and Cala D’hort are all en-route? Check it out ladies and gents. The real Ibiza awaits you.

Editor’s note: Atlantis is a historical sight of great importance to islanders. Always treat it with the utmost respect. You know the drill. Leave only footsteps. Take only memories.

Words | Jane C  Images | Mike – Ibiza Spotlight

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