DISCOVER THE ISLAND
DISCOVER THE ISLAND
Arriving by kayak or paddle surf (SUP) is an unforgettable experience
DISCOVER THE ISLAND - SELF GUIDED TOUR
FROM 14 € / PERSON
- EASY
- ANY TIME
- ON YOUR OWN
The Basque Coast enchants with the contrast of the deep blue sea with the green mountains and hills that slope toward the beach, and a rich maritime history with popular idols like Elkano who completed the first circumnavigation of the world.
From Ondarreta beach, settled in La Concha bay, the pearl of the Cantabrian sea, set out by kayak and paddle to the Santa Clara island for a unique view of the shimmering scallop-shaped bay. Land in the small beach which only appears with low tide or in the little port and stroll along the paths to the inhabited lighthouse in the top and discover one of the city’s best hidden spots.
BEST
- Kayak and explore the Santa Clara Island located in the stunning La Concha bay, in San Sebastian.
- Enjoy one of the best views of the city.
- Stroll along the paths and discover the inhabited lighthouse at the top of the island.
- Relax, swim and have a drink in the tiny port.
LEAVE FROM:
ONDARRETA BEACH
If you want to do the tour from Ondarreta Beach, you CANNOT RESERVE (We have a large number of kayaks and canoes that are continually rotating so they are usually free).
Recommended length: 1.5 h.
INCLUDED:
- KAYAK
- PADDLE
- BARREL OR DRY BAG
- JACKET
- TAXES (21%)
- MAP OF THE ISLAND
TO CONSIDER:
- You can leave what you don’t want to take with you in the kayak at our base.
- You can pay in cash or card
RECOMMENDED TO BRING:
- Basically you need a swimsuit, towel and sunscreen.
- If you want walk around the island is better with flip flops or footwear suitable for water sports.
- In June and Setember waterproof jacket and long-sleeved t-shirt in case of clouds or chilly weather.
- if you need glasses hold them with a safety strap or similar.
Santa Clara Lizard
Did you know that Santa Clara Island is the habitat of a subspecies of lizard that only lives there and on Mount Urgull? It is the Iberian lizard of San Sebastian or lizard of the island of Santa Clara (Podarcis liolepis sebastiani). This makes it the only exclusive vertebrate of the Basque Country. The geographical isolation and the absence of other competing saurians has led to the development of certain differences with the Iberian lizard. The most visible is its larger size. It also has a different number of gular and dorsal scales, as well as femoral pores and subdigital lamellae. In its design, it presents several unusual features such as irregularly arranged points throughout its gular region and has irregular ocelli in its outer ventral scales.
A LITTLE OF HISTORY
- Formerly (XV-XVI) there was a hermitage on the top of the island. This hermitage in the sixteenth century was used to quarantine sailors and people who came from areas where there was plague. On other occasions it also served as a lazaretto.
- It is also said that there they took to bury the heretics who died in San Sebastian
- In 1719 when the city was besieged and blocked by the troops of the Duke of Berwick played an important role in the defense of the city.
- The island also had its Robinson Crusoe. José Vicente Arruabarrena, was born on Mount Igueldo in the Mendigain farmhouse, destroyed in the first civil war and rebuilt by José Ignacio to shelter his large family. From his earliest years, José Vicente showed a taciturn character and inclinations to independent and solitary life; This did not earn him to get rid of that first civil war and led him to swell the Carlist ranks. After many battles and skirmishes he had the happiness of returning home unharmed. The life he had led, did not change his way of being at all; and after a few days’ stay he disappeared from his father’s home. He got the town council to let him live in a hut he had built near the sea in the old one, where he grew vegetables, raised birds and birds with his companion and guardian Pinto. Back then, the passers-by began to call him Robinson. Subsequently, due to the need to carry out the Andoain bid, Irún wanted to expel him but high influences got him to continue in his domain with a canon of 5 pesetas a year. There was in San Sebastian a distinguished gentleman D. Joaquin Ibar, very fond of hunting that along with other friends came up with the breeding of rabbits on Santa Clara Island and did not think of better guard than Robinson. So there he went to set up his new hut, and there he lived for 2 years until it was proven that the rabbits, despite their fecundity, did not breed on the island. He settled again in the continent and soon died of a serious illness. (Source Siro Alcain)
- With the construction of the lighthouse in 1864 the mystical tradition of the island was lost to dedicate itself to more utilitarian ends. Later a pier was made and the vacationers began to frequent it.