Worthy of a visit, this island, made up of volcanic materials over which Mycenae limestones and quaternary deposits have settled, is located at about ten or twelve miles and is approximately 1,800 metres long and a maximum of 400 metres wide.
It is accessible only by sea, but you will find ships leaving many times a day from Alicante and Santa Pola. You will enjoy a sea excursion of approximately one hour from Alicante and half an hour from Santa Pola.
Ships covering this route are:
* Alicante-Tabarca Crucero Kon Tiki 965 21 63 96
* Santa Pola-Tabarca Cruceros Baeza-Parodi 965 41 11 13 / 965 41 23 38
* Guardamar -Tabarca Cruceros Tabardo 966 70 21 22
* Torrevieja-Tabarca Cruceros Tabardo 966 70 21 22
The current name of Tabarca was given by Carlos III in the year 1768 in remembrance of the Tunisian island of Tabarka, an old Spanish possession from which the first settlers of this island in Alicante came from. They were about 300 prisoners, most of them Genovese, who were detained in Tunis and who, thanks to the efforts of Brother Bernardo de Almanaya and Brother Juan de la Virgen, were rescued by Carlos III, after paying 1,200 pesetas of that time for every one of them. Thus, apart from freeing the captives, this deserted island, which Berbers used as a platform for their attacks to the Levantine coastline, was repopulated.
It was declared as Marine Reserve in 1986 thanks to its crystal-clear waters, its sea bottoms and its abundant flora and fauna. The subtropical nature of the waters always invites to swim and offers the diver abundant shoals of fish, starfish and a wide variety of seaweeds, which create an incredible range of colours.
The city of this island was built according to the urban development of the 17th century as a perfect model. It was surrounded by amazing walls, most of them still in good condition, and was made accessible by three big fronts: The San Rafael front, which is located on the east side; the San Gabriel front, facing west and the San Miguel front, which looks out over the city of Alicante and comes out onto a low cliff of rounded rocks called by locals as "El Puerto Viejo" (the Old Port). But the most striking construction for the visitors is the Baroque-style Church, which stands out in the island profile.
Another historical building is the old "Casa del Gobernador" (the Governor's House), completely restored nowadays as a hotel. It is a construction in which the details of the original house still survive, as for example the arches and walls that seem to captivate the guests who decide to spend the night there. The lonely winter months offer the possibility of taking part in the island daily life, which is altered during the summer owing to the massif influx of tourists. Take advantage of the low season in this hotel and enjoy a good opportunity to relax.
Walking around the island, we can observe the Torreon de San Jose and the old lighthouse, which has been restored to house an interesting biological laboratory which is used as the Marine Reserve base. Then, we find the small cemetery, from which we could make out the "La Nao" small island, a shelter for the important community of seagulls living in Tabarca. If it is really hot, it's well worth a swim in one of the numerous paved coves forming the coastline, ideal to enjoy an isolated atmosphere. And of course, some diving goggles will offer you an incomparable underwater lanscape, with many different species.
In summer, you can practise a great number of water sports, since the island enjoys a perfect location for sailing, windsurfing and sea excursions.