Formentor Beach and Lighthouse Small-Group Boat Tour from Alcúdia

Port d'Alcúdia and the Alcanada Lighthouse

Port d'Alcúdia is the main resort harbour of northern Mallorca, a long sandy seafront backed by the walled old town of Alcúdia, whose medieval gates and the ruins of the Roman city of Pollentia sit only a short walk inland. Boats leave from the Alcudiamar marina, so an Alcúdia boat trip starts without any long drive and you are on the water within minutes of boarding.

Shortly after leaving the harbour the boat passes Alcanada, a quiet pine-covered corner of the bay with a tiny islet crowned by its white nineteenth-century lighthouse. It is a favourite photo stop because the lighthouse stands on its own rock just off the shore, framed by turquoise shallows. From here the route swings north towards the rugged Victòria peninsula, the first taste of the cliffs that shape the rest of the trip.

Es Coll Baix Beach

Es Coll Baix is a wild pebble beach tucked beneath the steep slopes of the Victòria peninsula. There is no road down to it: by land you face a steep walk of around half an hour through pine forest, which is why the water stays so clean and the beach so quiet. Seen from the boat, the white pebbles, the green pines and the deep turquoise water make one of the classic pictures of the north coast.

On this Formentor boat tour the stop at Es Coll Baix is about the scenery and a first look at how clear the sea is around here. If you are asking whether Es Coll Baix is worth visiting, approaching it by boat is the easiest and most relaxed way, with none of the hike and all of the views. Keep your camera ready as the cliffs rise behind the bay.

The Coves of Cap de Pinar

Cap de Pinar, the tip of the peninsula between the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença, has been a restricted military zone for decades, so its coves remain untouched and cannot be reached on foot. The coastline is a chain of small inlets with rocky ledges, pine trees reaching the water and a seabed of sand and Posidonia seagrass that keeps the water remarkably transparent.

This is the main swimming and snorkelling stop of the trip. You can jump in from the boat, float above the seagrass and watch small fish around the rocks, or simply sunbathe on deck. Bring your own mask if you have one you like. The stop usually lasts long enough for a proper swim, and the guide tells you exactly when to be back on board before the boat continues across Pollença Bay.

Es Caló and Formentor Beach

Crossing Pollença Bay the boat passes Es Caló, a small, quiet beach on the peninsula with rocks and clear shallows, overlooked by a grand private estate on the point. It is a calm, sheltered spot that most visitors never see because it is so awkward to reach by land.

Next comes Formentor Beach, a long strip of fine sand shaded by pine trees that grow almost to the water's edge. It is one of the most loved beaches in Mallorca, and in summer the road to it is often busy, so people often ask how to get to Formentor Beach without the traffic and parking: arriving by sea answers that neatly. Just beyond lies Cala Murta, a tiny cove of pebbles and pines that the boat shows you on the way to the cape.

Cap de Formentor and the Formentor Lighthouse

Cap de Formentor is the northern tip of Mallorca and the end of the Serra de Tramuntana, the mountain range listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage cultural landscape. Here the cliffs drop hundreds of metres straight into the sea, and the lighthouse, first lit in the 1860s, stands at the very top at more than 200 metres above the water.

Most people see the cape from the famous viewpoint and the winding road, but from a boat you see the wildest side of it: the vertical rock walls, sea caves and seabirds circling the ledges. Many travellers wonder whether the Formentor Lighthouse is worth visiting, and seeing it from below is the most dramatic answer. The best time to visit Formentor by boat is from May to October, when the sea is calm and the water warm enough for the swim stops.