Cala Benirràs: Ibiza’s Beach of Drums and Sunsets

The north of Ibiza feels completely detached from the superclubs down south. You drive up past Sant Miquel and the road immediately narrows into a winding two-lane track cutting straight through a dense pine forest where the rental car always smells like hot dust. Suddenly the trees break. You are at a small bay where people have been gathering to watch the sunset since the 1960s. It gets incredibly loud.

The Setup at the Bay

The sand here is grainy. It gives way to smooth pebbles right at the water line, so you’ll want decent sandals to wade in comfortably. The water gets deep fast and drops off into dark patches of seagrass. You can see fish darting around in the shallows. Straight ahead sits Cap Bernat. That is the massive rock formation sticking out of the sea that locals claim looks like a person praying. I don’t really see it.

If you arrive before noon on a Tuesday in early June, you can usually grab a sunbed for around €10. But wait until mid-afternoon and the beach fills up completely with local families and backpackers trying to claim a tiny patch of sand. The guy renting the umbrellas stops caring about the layout by 3 PM anyway.

The Evening Drum Circle

Around 6 PM the atmosphere shifts entirely. Drummers start hauling djembes and heavy bongos down to the beach. A few people start a rhythm. Soon twenty others join in. The noise builds into a massive wall of sound that just keeps going until the sun drops out of sight.

Sundays used to be the iconic day for this. The crowds got so unmanageable that the local council actually banned the Sunday sessions a few years ago to stop cars from totally blocking the emergency access road and trapping everyone down at the water. So now the drummers show up on other days. Thursday evenings are highly reliable. People drink €2 cans of warm Estrella from the little corner shop and dance in the sand. It is entirely chaotic.

The Reality of Parking and Prices

The road down from the main highway is a steep bottleneck. Try driving down at 5 PM in late August and you’ll sit in a line of idling rental cars for an hour. Go early instead and use the designated dirt parking lots on the right. Sometimes a guy in a faded yellow high-visibility vest will wave you into a spot and expect two euros for the privilege. Just pay him.

Right on the beach is Elements. This is a large restaurant and beach club with a thatched roof and a heavy sound system. The food is decent. Expect to pay around €18 for a basic cocktail while you wait for the sun to go down. The Euronet ATM right outside the restaurant charges a brutal €4 withdrawal fee. Bring cash from San Antonio or Ibiza Town instead.

Inland to Sant Joan

When you have had enough of the sun, drive ten minutes inland to the village of Sant Joan de Labritja. The main street has a few fantastic cafes. There is a small market there on Sunday mornings where locals sell homemade hierbas liqueur out of recycled water bottles. It tastes strongly of anise.

If you want a quieter swim beforehand, Cala Xarraca is just a few bays over. The water there is exceptionally clear for snorkeling around the rocky edges. Just grab your towel and go.