INTERPRETATION CENTER ITS SALTWORKS

The Pityuse Islands saltworks interpretation center is located in the presbytery of San Francesc de s'Estany. The visit begins with a highly instructive video explaining the ecosystem of the Ses Salines d'Ibiza et de Formentera nature park, made up of posidonia meadows, a Unesco World Heritage biosphere since 1999. A small exhibition of photos and old tools evokes the history and techniques of the saltworks (explanatory panels in French). You'll learn that the bacteria Halobacterium salinarum and the microscopic algae Dunaliella salina are both responsible for the characteristic pink hue of the saltworks. At the reception desk, you'll also notice a jar of tiny, pink crustaceans: Artemias salinas , which have turned pink after ingesting these microscopic algae. And as a result, the flamingos that come to feed onArtemia salina in the nature park also turn pink. It's the food chain!

If you follow the dirt path from the interpretation center, you'll come to a wooden observatory (in addition to the one set up just behind the center) where you can watch the flamingos feeding just a few metres away. Don't forget your binoculars: flamingos can be seen all year round, although you're more likely to see them in winter. What a spectacle!