Nitje
A place with a lot of history
Cala Nitja is located in the Port of Sanitja, an ancient natural harbor where sailors took refuge already in Phoenician times and that, at present, is practically in disuse. From time to time, it is still possible to find small wooden boats moored there, offering a picturesque view of the place.
Cala Nitja is a long and narrow cove facing N, which is located near the Cap de Cavallería. There are wide posidonia mats and shallow shallows that make navigation difficult if we want to reach it by boat.
One place, multiple names and locations
Sanitja’s history is a bit confusing. The first documents about this city date back to the first century A.D., and the location of its port was supposed to be contiguous to that of the ancient Roman town of Sanisera.
However, at present, there is still no consensus on its actual location, since its location has changed over the centuries and it is possible to find it at different points on the map, depending on the place we consult.
But its location is not the only inaccurate information we have about the region. In fact, the name of Sanitja itself has also changed a lot during this time. Sneua, Seneli, Sa Nitja, Senige, Senitja, Nitja, Nitje, Seniglles or Senigta, are just some of the ways in which this confusing region has been designated.
Name: Nitje (or Nitja, Sanitje, Senige… ancient Phoenician port)
Location: North Zone III (40°4.475’N 4°5.173’E)
Distance from Mahón : 23’5 MN ; 32 km
Time from Mahón: 1h 35 min by boat (average speed: 15 knots); 36 min by car
Type of beach: Natural harbor
Anchoring with boat: Sand, rock and seaweed. Multitude of obstacles and lows.
Dangerous access by boat: High. Shallow depth and a multitude of obstacles
Posidonia: Yes
Nearest gas station for boats: 7 MN; Port of Fornells
SERVICES
NO SERVICES
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Nitje in Menorca, how to get there?
To go from Mahón by car, we will have to take the main road towards Ciutadella and follow the detours that lead to Es Mercadal.
Once we reach it, we must follow the signs that lead to the Cap de Cavallería.
Services near Nitje
NO NEARBY SERVICES*.
*We consider them “close” if they are within a radius of 250-300 m approx.
What to see near the ancient Phoenician port of Nitje?
There are no services in the cove, nor near the port of the same name. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a memorable day in the region.
Normally, those who visit the port of Sanitja, do so as another stop on their way to the lighthouse of Cap de Cavallería.
If not, and your first choice was just to visit the port, surely your plan was to take a walk among its small boats and see the defense tower that inhabits the place and that was used in ancient times to control the arrival of ships that wanted to moor in its port (note that you can not access inside, due to the advanced state of deterioration in which it is located). However, if you’ve already done all this, you can’t just stand there….
The Cavalleria lighthouse should be an obligatory stop on your trip, so don’t forget to plan a small excursion that will allow you to get to know it. We promise it will be worth it.
Its visits are impressive and, if you wait until sunset, you will take away an indelible memory of one of the most beautiful sceneries that Menorca has to offer.
If you also want to visit some of the coves near Sanitja (such as Cavallería beach, Cala Mica or Cala Viola, which is located halfway between the port and the lighthouse), the trip will surely not leave you indifferent.
How to get to Nitje by boat?
To access Nitje by boat, we must leave with our boat from the port of Mahón in SE direction leaving the dock to starboard. We will continue through the port until we reach the open sea (up to Punta de Sant Carles).
At this point, we will leave the San Carlos lighthouse to starboard, and continue to port along the coast (heading NE). We will pass La Mola and Punta de S’Espero, to advance in a NW direction (always sailing with the coast to port).
We will pass Cap Negre, Punta de Sa Galera and, finally, Punta de sa Cudia. On the port side we will see an inlet that leads to Es Grau and in front we will have Illa d’en Colom. We will have to overcome it leaving it on the port side and continue in a NW direction until we pass the Cap de Mossen Vives and the Escull den Tortuga. From the bow we will see the Cap de Favàritx and its unmistakable lighthouse.
Skirting the Favàritx point, we will sail in a NW direction until we see the Addaia islands. We will pass them leaving them to port and continue until we reach Punta Pantinat.
We will skirt it, and sail in a NW direction (passing Punta de na Guillemassa and Punta des Morter) until we reach Cap de Cavallería. We will border it passing between Illa d’els Porros (which will be on the starboard side) and Illot des Pas (which will be on the port side).
Once past the channel between the two, we will descend in a SE direction until we enter a deep inlet that we will see from the bow (located between Viola de Ponent and Punta de Sa Torre), at the bottom of it we will find the cove of Nitje.