


	As the sign says Tabarca Island is part of Alicante and the Costa Blanca

TABARCA ISLAND.

Tourist Information about Tabarca Island.

Another of Spain's hidden gems is Tabarca Island ... an island off the coast of Santa Pola in the Spanish Costa Blanca ... a place which some people have the impression of being a barren island with not much to see or do ... but an island which, if those people bothered to take the time to see ... would transform that ignorance and prove itself to be one of the best days out in the Alicante Province.
Tabarca Island is really a terrific place to visit.

Tabarca Island off the Costa Blanca Alicante - Spain.

Spain's Tabarca Island can be reached by boat from Alicante, Santa Pola,
Torrevieja, Guardamar or Benidorm - the isle lies in the mediterranean
8km from Santa Pola harbour and 19.5km from Alicante marina - and
boat trips to the island are available from all five places.
Tabarca Island is only 2km long and 360m wide at its widest point,
with a maximum altitude of only 15m.
During the high season June, July and August Tabarca Island
can get very busy and the frequency of the boat trips
increase ... from Santa Pola which is closest to Tabarca
Island the boat trip takes only 24 minutes and costs
around 14 euro each for the return trip to the island
on foot.
Tabarca Island belongs to the municipality of
Alicante and in the 2007 census there were
only 92 inhabitants - it is the largest and
only inhabited isle in the Valencian
Community, the whole population live
only on the west side of the island.
The area to the east side of the
Costa Blanca's Tabarca Island is
barren apart from the tower,
lighthouse and the cemetery,
detailed on the Tabarca map
below. In past history the
isle was inhabited by the
Greeks and Romans,
the full historical information of Tabarca Island is charted on the Wikipedia.

PHOTOS & IMAGES OF TABARCA ISLAND.

The Google map image below shows the Panoramio photos of Tabarca Island which have been uploaded. There are more photos below from our trip to Tabarca Island.

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COSTA BLANCA'S TABARCA ISLAND - Reefs, Scuba Diving & Snorkeling.

Map plan of Tabarca Island

There are a series of small reefs (including a man made reef - for protection) also tiny isles dotted around Tabarca, and this marine environment has been the subject of a protection order from the Valencian Community since 1986 ... thus Tabarca Island is a very popular place for scuba diving or snorkeling - a great way to observe the marine fauna & flora in the clear water around Tabarca Island, although permission has to be granted to dive in certain areas of Tabarca's shore. Tabarca Islands main existence as an inhabited isle relies largely on the tourism trade, which in the summer months is at its height ... to visit Tabarca Island on a blustery rainy day, one could imagine it to be quite bleak, but luckily those kind of days are few and far between in the southern Costa Blanca of Spain and Tabarca Island.

Information about the ferry boat catamaran trips from Santa Pola to Tabarca Island.

All photographs are from our catamaran boat trip to Tabarca Island from Santa Pola in Nov 2009.

GETTING TO TABARCA ISLAND ...

The map on the right shows where to catch the Catamaran ferries in Santa Pola to Tabarca Island (glass bottoms through which the sea life can be viewed). The ferries and the ferry booking office are on the Marina opposite where Avenida Fernando Perez Ojida and Carrer Marques de Mollins (after Sant Antoni) meet. We were able to park the car in Avenida Granada in November ... but be prepared for a walk in high season, as Santa Pola is a busy place.
You will also find smaller "opportunistic" boats also offering the trip to Tabarca for around the same price, which was 14 euro per person - on the two "proper" ferry trips we have made (Dec 2008 and Mar 2009).

Google Street View Map of Santa Pola Ferries The ferry can be seen in the background parked on the Santa Pola Marina.

Tabarca Island Ferry Although other towns in the Costa Blanca run catamaran ferries to Tabarca Island - Alicante, Torrevieja, Guardamar and Benidorm.
The best (cheapest & quickest) way of getting to Tabarca Island is from Santa Pola.
The Santa Pola Catamaran Ferry Booking Office Info phone : 608 330 422.
Santa Pola Tourist Information E Mail info@turismosantapola.es
The Santa Pola Catamaran Ferry operators website http://www.islatabarca.com

Obviously the ferry times are more frequent in the main summer months, and it would be pointless giving out ferry time information here - as the company reserve the right to change at whim. Check the website above ... but as a general guide ..
Catamaran Ferry From Santa Pola Low Season (Nov to Mar) Mon Tues Wed Thur 10.00 11.30
Fri Sat Sun 10.00 11.30 13.00 16.00
Catamaran Ferry From Tabarca Island Low Season (Nov to Mar) Mon Tues Wed Thurs 10.30 13.45
Fri Sat Sun 10.30 12.15 13.45 16.45

For your information the Ferry trip from Santa Pola to Tabarca Island lasts 30 min's.

As the catamaran from Santa Pola closes in on Tabarca Island, the boat will almost come to a halt ... it will be announced that the entrance to the glass bottom section is open ... make your way down there and you will see why taking one of the "Super Visión Submarina" catamaran's over to Tabarca Island is highly recommended.

Once on the Island of Tabarca - what to do ?

The first thing to do is check the return trip timetable from Tabarca Island ...
and make sure that you have enough time to explore the whole island ...
otherwise you will be kicking yourself and planning a return journey to the island.

Make sure to leave early enough and give yourself around 3-4 hours for a leisurely stroll around the whole of Tabarca Island ... we did a tour of the island ... including stops for photos, sandwiches (although there are about 15 restaurants on the isle) and two cups of coffee in 3 and 3/4 hours (with time to spare) ... 4 hours should be ample time to cover the whole of Tabarca Island.

INFORMATION TABARCA ISLAND ... PART ONE (West Side) ...
The Living Quarter ...
The inhabited (west side) of Tabarca is simply terraced rows of old (and some new) town houses ... here you will find the church (Iglesia de San Pedro y San Pablo) currently (Nov 2008) undergoing a massive refurbishment which according to the signs will cost a staggering 1,196,695€, looking at the footpaths (no cars on Tabarca) between the houses this money could well be spent elsewhere ... but this is Spain (part of Alicante) ... and religion is high on the agenda, and there is no doubting that the church will be transformed into an immaculate monument for Tabarca Island in a few years.

There approximately 16 restaurants on this side of Tabarca (not all open all year round), there is a kids play area and the public toilets (a must if you are to walk around the island) are marked on our Tabarca Island map above.

We could find only two small hotels on this side of Tabarca Island ...
Hotel Casa del Gobernador / Governador (2 star) and Hostal Masín (1 star) Phone 965 960 509.

INFORMATION TABARCA ISLAND ... PART TWO (East Side) ...
The Island itself ...
Footpaths around the eastern side of Tabarca run on either side of its coastline ... from which you can see the smaller scattered islands, and the bays of Tabarca ... an island which is bigger than one may first assume, looking at it from a distance.

On this side of Tabarca Island is the San José Tower built in 1789 (a look out tower for invaders of the isle) and the cemetery right at the far end of Tabarca.
Tabarca Islands old lighthouse is also on this same side ... the lighthouse is fenced off completely ... a pity it has to be fenced as much as it is ... there is no way to get close to the lighthouse and the fencing stretches right to the footpath on the southern side of the island.

As for wildlife on Tabarca Island ... its limited to seagulls, cormorants, sparrows and skylarks in the main ... although I did spot some kind of hawk briefly (a rare sight in Spain) which seemed to head for the islands lighthouse.

SUMMING UP A DAY TRIP TO TABARCA ISLAND.

The ferry over (from Santa Pola) is quick & interesting in itself ...
the views on and from Tabarca Island are magnificent ...

The island itself could benefit from massive investment (to spice up the west side - living quarter) and indeed this has already started in some places ... the money being spent on the church (Iglesia de San Pedro y San Pablo) seems excessive when you look around and think what this money could do to Tabarca (there was one place on the east side of the isle, with building rubble just left on the coast when we were there - sad & un-excusable).
There is no doubt that Tabarca Island will be developed (spruced up somewhat) in the coming years, but even as it stands, and no matter what it will become ...
Tabarca Island is a first class Spanish day out for all.

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