How about walking in Ibiza with the locals?
On Sunday, after two walks during the week, I topped the week with a 19 km walk called Forn de Saig/ S’hort d’en Josepet route. Honestly, I am still confused about the name, but the location is central – East-South of Ibiza. It was a bit different walk than the others I have taken here, because most of it was inland, without the very-near sea views. At times it felt like being home, in Estonia and in Estonian forests. And then the lemon and orange trees came and I know, I am not in Estonia.The time it took to pass the 19 km route was 6 hours, incl ca 1 hour of breaks, pauses.
The group of locals who go walking in Ibiza for years
The track was organized and led by a local group here in Ibiza who have done variety of tracks for years. We were 20 people from different walks of life, different ages and physical training Everyone was really sweet, humorous and enjoyed every step. On this kind of larger groups, it is good to know the people and the pace the group will take. I enjoyed how they took their time, picked asparagus and herbs on the way, I got some lemons, learnt about the flora – there was always someone to point out what one or another plant was and what can you do with it. It was not about speed but about enjoying your nature, other people and the Sunday.
The hike inside Ibiza
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| The start. Between orange fields |
The highest point of our track was somewhere around 250-300 m, and the walk had 2-3 higher rises and falls, which made it interesting and a bit challenging. It went through forests, some paths were a bit steeper, some paths were on the road, some in the bushes. I was really happy for my long hiking tights – just good for every road, since they are full length and can be turned into knee-length! Really useful in a warm weather and versatile terrain.
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| One of the few almost sea-view places. |
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| One of the steepest rises. |
The trip offered many scenic views of private houses. It is amazing how beautiful they are, the tranquility of the places and harmony with the nature.
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| The little white house in the middle is aljup. A place of water. Or so called well. |
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| Crossing the “do not cross” gate. |
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| That is so Estonian |
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| The old bread oven. Sign to take a break and eat |
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| The cancer of the trees, only difference, this doesn’t kill the trees. |
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| Aljup in near view |
What I enjoyed most in this walk was that it was longer than 10 km, it was in a nice pace, leaving time to look around, which I rarely do when I am alone and I loved that it was by locals who knew the plants, the places to see where you had something special like an old Ibizenco styled house or a big tree. I liked the pace and peacefulness the trip was done, even when we realized we are a bit lost, well, not lost but that the trip will take double as much kilometers than planned. Luckily I had time and nowhere to hurry. You have to take time when you go walking in Ibiza because anything can happen.
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| My dream house … |
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| Wild asparagus. He will make omelet with it. |
As you see in the picture, there was many sights, many very Ibizenc things, almost like walking in the National/Natural Museum, just outside. We saw the old Ibizenc house and bread oven, the plants they collected and still collect, the aljups-water wells and the largest tree on the island.
This is the whole route we made:
Unexpected things on the road
This walking trip had everything I want my walks to stand for – need for physical endurance, coping with the unknown, getting new knowledge on things around you, learning about others and you, yourself.
Read what walks can you do in Ibiza:
* Random walks with no goal always lead to where you want to go: Punta Galera, Ibiza
More reading: Tips for walking in Ibiza or elsewhere
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Walking lifestyle – keeping you fit, mentally and physically
Don’t forget we all need time-off from our daily lives. Walking is the easiest and accessible thing to do that. Go out for a walk, share your thoughts and inspirations with me via e-mail. My aim is to show how easy it is to find little walks, little time-off-chunks in life to keep you mentally and physically fit. Wherever you are.
Liisi Toom
Liisi Toom is a communication executive and lifestyle coach who spent 9 months in Ibiza walking, doing walking tours and blogging about it. She has also done and blogged about walking in Estonia and Norway. She coaches people on finding their lifestyle. If you wish to find and live your lifestyle, e-mail at liisitoom (at) gmail. com or follow her Twitter @liisi.
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