There is an Ibiza that feels very different from the island most visitors first imagine.
In the north, the roads become quieter, the hills rise higher and the coastline becomes increasingly rugged.
Pine forests cover the hillsides.
Small valleys cut through the mountains.
Cliffs fall towards the Mediterranean.
And between them are traditional fields, old farmhouses, stone terraces and winding country paths.
This is Es Amunts, one of the most distinctive landscapes of Ibiza.
What is Es Amunts?
Es Amunts is the mountainous region of northern Ibiza.
It stretches across a large area of the island, covering around 15,000 hectares, approximately a quarter of Ibiza's total area.
The region extends in an arc from around Sant Antoni de Portmany towards Sant Carles de Peralta.
It includes mountains, forests, valleys, agricultural land, cliffs, coves and coastal areas.
The name Es Amunts is therefore not simply the name of one village or one particular mountain.
It describes a much larger geographical and cultural landscape.
Why is the landscape so different?
Es Amunts has some of the most rugged terrain on Ibiza.
The mountains generally rise between around 300 and 400 metres, with valleys and ravines separating the higher areas.
Towards the north, the terrain reaches the sea in steep cliffs.
This creates a landscape that can feel much wilder than the flatter and more developed areas elsewhere on the island.
The geology also contributes to the character of the region.
The limestone terrain has produced caves, rocky formations, cliffs and other features shaped by water and erosion over long periods of time.
It is not untouched wilderness
Despite its wild appearance, Es Amunts has been shaped by people for centuries.
The valleys contain agricultural land.
Traditional terraces were constructed on slopes.
Stone walls divide fields.
Farmhouses are scattered through the countryside.
Trees such as almond, fig and carob have traditionally been cultivated alongside cereals, vines and other crops.
The result is a landscape where natural and agricultural environments exist side by side.
The traditional countryside of Es Amunts
The valleys of Es Amunts were particularly valuable for farming.
Some areas contain deeper and more fertile soils than the surrounding mountain slopes.
Traditional agricultural systems made use of these differences.
Farmers cultivated cereals and legumes and planted fruit trees such as almonds, figs, carob and apricots.
The countryside was therefore carefully organised around the availability of soil and water.
Even today, some of these traditional agricultural landscapes survive.
Water is especially important here
Es Amunts receives more rainfall than many other parts of Ibiza.
The mountains also influence how water moves through the landscape.
Rainwater can infiltrate the limestone and feed underground aquifers, while valleys and areas with less permeable soils can help collect and retain water.
The region contains numerous springs and wells.
Some of the traditional agricultural areas were supplied by these natural water sources.
This made the northern countryside particularly valuable to communities that depended on farming.
The Broll de Buscastell
One of the most interesting examples is the agricultural landscape around the Broll de Buscastell.
A natural spring provides water that has traditionally been used for agriculture.
The surrounding area contains terraces, channels and other elements of a traditional irrigation system.
It demonstrates how communities learned to make careful use of the water available in the landscape.
Rather than allowing the water to simply flow away, people developed systems for directing it towards cultivated land.
The result was a productive agricultural valley within the mountainous landscape.
The rivers and torrents of Es Amunts
Ibiza is not known for large rivers, but Es Amunts has an extensive network of torrents.
Several important watercourses begin within or pass through the region.
These include the torrents associated with Fruitera, Buscastell, Balansat, Benirràs and Xarraca.
The river of Santa Eulària also has its origins in the northern mountainous area.
These waterways are generally seasonal rather than permanent rivers.
They can carry considerable amounts of water after heavy rainfall before becoming much smaller or dry during the summer.
The forests of Es Amunts
The landscape is also strongly associated with Mediterranean woodland.
Aleppo pine is one of the characteristic trees of the region, growing alongside shrubs and other Mediterranean vegetation.
Sabina and other species can also be found in suitable areas.
The forests provide habitat for wildlife while also helping stabilise soils and contribute to the island's water cycle.
For centuries, however, people have used parts of these forests as well.
Wood, plants and other natural resources formed part of the traditional rural economy.
The cliffs are a refuge for wildlife
The northern coast of Es Amunts is particularly dramatic.
Cliffs rise directly from the sea in places, creating areas that are difficult for people to reach.
That inaccessibility has become an advantage for wildlife.
The cliffs provide nesting and refuge areas for seabirds and birds of prey.
Among the species associated with the region are the Balearic shearwater and several species of falcon.
Some plant species found in these isolated areas are also of particular ecological interest.
The cliffs are therefore important not simply because they are spectacular.
Their geography helps protect habitats that are difficult to access.
The coastline is full of small islands
The coastal landscape of Es Amunts also includes numerous small islets.
Ses Margalides, for example, can be seen off the coast near Cala Salada.
Other islets include Illa Murada and Illa d'Encalders.
These small rocky formations contribute to the biodiversity of the area and form part of the wider coastal ecosystem.
For generations they have also helped give northern Ibiza its distinctive maritime character.
Why is Es Amunts protected?
The ecological and cultural importance of the region has led to formal protection.
In 1991, Balearic environmental legislation declared part of Es Amunts an Area of Special Protection.
The protected landscape includes areas classified for their natural, rural and landscape value.
Further European protection followed through Natura 2000 designations, including areas recognised for habitats and bird species.
This does not mean that every part of Es Amunts is closed to human activity.
The area includes villages, roads, farmland and inhabited landscapes.
The aim is to protect the exceptional natural and cultural character of the region while allowing appropriate uses to continue.
Es Amunts is also cultural heritage
The region is important not only because of its mountains and wildlife.
Its traditional architecture and agricultural systems are part of its identity.
Old farmhouses, terraces, stone walls, wells and irrigation channels all contribute to the cultural landscape.
These features show how generations of people adapted to the difficult terrain.
Instead of trying to completely reshape the mountains, traditional agriculture worked with them.
Valleys were cultivated.
Slopes were terraced.
Water was carefully directed.
Stone removed from fields became walls.
The landscape itself became a record of rural life.
Villages within the landscape
Several of Ibiza's northern communities are closely connected with Es Amunts.
Sant Mateu d'Albarca, Sant Miquel de Balansat, Sant Joan de Labritja and Sant Llorenç de Balàfia are among the places associated with the wider region.
Their villages and surrounding countryside preserve elements of the traditional agricultural landscape.
In places such as Balàfia, groups of traditional farmhouses remain surrounded by fields and stone walls.
This gives visitors a chance to see how rural settlement once fitted into the wider landscape.
Why does Es Amunts feel so quiet?
Part of the answer is geography.
The mountainous terrain made large-scale development more difficult in many parts of the region.
The coast is steep.
Roads are often narrow and winding.
Some valleys are relatively isolated.
As a result, Es Amunts retains large areas where traditional landscapes remain more visible than in the heavily developed parts of Ibiza.
The sense of distance is one of the qualities that makes the region distinctive.
The landscape is changing too
Es Amunts is not frozen in time.
Agriculture has declined in importance, while tourism and modern development have changed parts of the northern island.
Some traditional fields are no longer cultivated.
Old farmhouses have been restored or adapted for modern use.
New roads and buildings have appeared in some areas.
At the same time, conservation efforts are designed to protect the most valuable natural and cultural landscapes.
The challenge is to preserve the character of Es Amunts while recognising that people still live and work there.
A different side of Ibiza
For visitors who mainly know the island through its beaches and busier towns, Es Amunts can come as a surprise.
The scenery is greener in some areas.
The mountains are more prominent.
The coastline is rougher.
The villages are smaller.
And the evidence of traditional agriculture is often easier to see.
It offers a reminder that Ibiza has always been much more than its coastline.
Why Es Amunts matters
Es Amunts brings together many of the themes that define the island's history.
It has traditional farmhouses.
Stone terraces.
Ancient water-management practices.
Agricultural valleys.
Mediterranean forests.
Cliffs and coastal habitats.
And communities that have adapted to the landscape for generations.
Its importance lies in this combination.
It is not simply a natural park.
It is not simply farmland.
And it is not simply a collection of mountains.
It is a cultural landscape shaped by both nature and people.
Look north
The next time you travel around Ibiza, take a map and look towards the northern part of the island.
The hills of Es Amunts reveal a side of Ibiza that can feel surprisingly remote.
Behind the famous beaches and villages is a mountainous landscape where water still emerges from springs, traditional agricultural systems can still be seen and wildlife survives among cliffs and forests.
Es Amunts shows that the island's history is not written only in monuments.
Sometimes it is written into the landscape itself.
And in northern Ibiza, that landscape is one of the island's most remarkable pieces of heritage.