Tabarca, so near yet so far
TABARCA is a magical place. Less than a half hour’s ferry trip from the mainland, it augurs the feeling of a different world. Rarely frequented by expats it genuinely has a nonSpanish individuality and quaintness.
Located off the Santa Pola coast, the small island exudes a peaceful atmosphere, totally out of sync with the Costa Blanca. What makes Tabarca unique is that it is inhabited and now that Covid-19 is becoming less of a ‘tourist’ problem and exploring pain, visiting Tabarca is definitely recommended.
The islets El Escull Negre, El Escull Roig, La Galera, La Cova de Llop Mari and Nao, which form a kind of reef tail, provide an added interest.
The Santa Pola ferry affords the quickest route to Tabarca whilst making the shallow water journey an interesting one as it encompasses a submarine deck exposing a myriad of undersea surprises.
The island itself has a fortified look about it with a citadel overlooking the harbour. Something of a ruin, this Baroquestyle church exposed with its crumbling façade is a touch offputting. The tiny bay estuary though is quite picturesque, framed as it is by black rocks above a sandy beach gently lapped by the sea. A melange of boats, yachts and dinghies bobbing in the bay’s colourful entrance enhances the scene. A rutted shingle track zigzags inland into what might be termed as a pueblo.
An ancient tractor and the odd bicycle presents probably the island’s only transport… or did when I was last there!
Few animals roam Tabarca. A couple of rangy cats halfheartedly pretend to be feral hunters and a dozy mongrel yawns whilst lazily scrounging titbits.
I adapted to a rambling easy-going pace as I plodded 'inland' from the quay.
For all that, this sundrenched isle has encouraged tourism in the past and soon should be doing so again after the winter without losing its character. The ferry restarts its Santa Pola to Tabarca trips in February.
A stroll through the pueblo and around the walls towards the San Gabriel gate near the islet’s southern extremity is probably the nicest way to get the feel of Tabarca. The renovated 18th century fortress standing in isolated splendour at the uninhabited reaches is an exception. Restored El Torre de San José marine biological laboratory at the northern end is another. The old governor's house still boasts its original façade and cloistered archways.
Ecologically, the island is quite unique. About 18 years ago, it was found to have a seabed teeming with plant and animal life beneath its clear, virtually tropical waters. It was then declared a natural marine reserve with a colourful array of kelps, crustaceans plus shoals of unique fish.
To wander through the island’s nature reserve is a real pleasure. Tabarca is fringed with rocky sheltered coves and protected inlets. Something of an anglers’ paradise. That once upon a time it was a stronghold of Barbary pirates adds a soupçon of African history to its eclectic beginnings but that’s another story for another time.