Tabarca is an island located in front of Santa Pola, the only one in a region of Valencia, that has people living on it and also the smallest permanently inhabited island in Spain. The island is 1750 meters long, so you can see it all in one day.
Half of the island is remote, the other half has a village where about 100 people live. The island has become very touristic, specially in summer. There are a lot of things to do, a few restaurants which have a little bit higher prices, also there are 2 hotels and 3 hostels so you can spend the night at the island.
It was a refuge for Barbary pirates until the king Carlos III ordered to fortify the island. Then he made a small town there with 9 families that were prisoners in the Tunisian island of Tabarka.
Tabarca is a perfect place for a one-day trip. You can see there the old fort and walls of the island, rocky beach with amazing caves and hidden places to have a bath, but the biggest attraction for you can be a marine reserve.
If you go to Tabarca, don´t forget to take your diving goggles and a little bit of bread. The marine reserve of Tabarca is a place to enjoy diving. I recommend you to walk along the island, find a small, hidden beach and discover an amazing submarine world.
Tabarca is a very nice place but can be dangerous, specially for your skin. The sun is very strong on the island and there is no shade. In summer, take your sunscreen and use it frequently.
From the port of Alicante, Santa Pola or Torrevieja you can take a ferry to Tabarca:
From Alicante: +34 686 994 538 (1 hour)
From Santa Pola: +34 608 330 422 (30 minutes)
From Torrevieja: +34 966 702 122 (75 minutes)
