Isla de Tabarca

The Island of Tabarca is as beautiful as it is quaint.

    The low lying outcrop was once a prison island for pirates before becoming home to a small community of local fishermen and their families. Today it is a marine reserve and a swim in the warm clean waters will prove what a success this has been for the marine life – it is like swimming in an aquarium! It’s takes 2hours to sail to the island from Alicante or just half an hour in a motor boat. Many small boats anchor up to enjoy the crystal Clear Waters around Tabarca. You will want get the swimming gear on and maybe enjoy some paella made with the local catch of the day in one of the beach side restaurants ashore.    

If you are exploring by boat we recommend a little further north where there are many beautiful bays to anchor in for a swim and a bite to eat. Most of the towns have a marina where we stop for the night, so after visiting Benidorm Island you’ll find us in Altea, where we walk up the hill to the beautiful and famous old town for dinner, or Calpe where we berth under the awesome Ifach rock which can be seen for miles around, or Moraira with it’s fabulous fish restaurants or Javea, nestled in a fabulous bay.   Further afield, and if we are on an extended voyage, we visit our favourite places….Formentera, Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca. All of the Balearic islands offer world renowned sailing waters, cristal clear and full of wildlife. We prefer to stay overnight in any one of the hundreds of protected bays, most of which have small local restaurants catering to the arriving boats. Of course a few glasses of wine are sipped whilst we watch the sun go down! To fully enjoy the islands we recommend a charter with Costa Blanca Sailing, fully equipped with everything we need to make life of board as comfortable as home, but with the added benefit of true outdoor living! Costa Blanca Sailing can also https://costablancasouth.net/listing/costa-blanca-sailing/

User Review of a Day trip to Tabarca. The boat trip from Santa Pola took about 30 minutes to reach the island, and cost only €10 per person for the return journey. Arriving nearby the shore, the boat took a 5 minute pause to allow passengers to go beneath deck and look at the hundreds of………. fish. This was a fantastic addition to an already enjoyable crossing to the island. On deck you can step outside to enjoy these sights from above, with the lapping waves and fresh salty air. Once docked, we departed the boat and took a short walk to the reasonable sized beach where there are sun loungers and umbrellas available to rent, but if you want to save your money you are free to take your own parasol and deck chairs. I would advise against simply taking beach towels, as this is a pebble beach.  

Once we paid to reserve our sunloungers, we couldn’t wait to explore the tiny island. My expectations were not disappointed. The greeny blue tint of the clear waters are so inviting. Along the coast there are many people snorkelling, laying on the large boulder-rocks, soaking up both the sun and the atmosphere. In the short distance, there are several private boats anchored, with passengers enjoying the glorious shallow waters and stunning sights that snorkelling here can bring.   There are lots of fantastic places to visit by boat on the Costa Blanca, and of course you have the privilege of arriving by sea and enjoying a unique view of your surroundings!  

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