Sóller to Sa Calobra and Torrent de Pareis Boat Trip Mallorca

Port de Sóller

Port de Sóller is a horseshoe-shaped natural harbour on the north-west coast of Mallorca, almost closed by two headlands with their lighthouses. It is the only safe anchorage along this mountainous coast, which is why it has served Sóller for centuries, first for trade with France and today for fishing boats and excursions. The seafront promenade is lined with cafés and fish restaurants and backed by steep green slopes.

Many visitors arrive on the historic wooden tram that has linked the town of Sóller with the port since 1913, a scenic ride through orange and lemon groves. Arrive early to collect your ticket at the boat company's office on the pier, and give yourself time for a walk along the bay before departure. If you are asking how to get to Port de Sóller from Palma, the tunnel road takes about 35 minutes by car.

The Serra de Tramuntana Coast by Boat

Between Sóller and Sa Calobra the Serra de Tramuntana falls straight into the sea, and there is no coastal road at all. This range was declared a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape in 2011, and from the water you understand why: vertical limestone walls, ravines, dry-stone terraces clinging to impossible slopes and the island's highest peaks rising behind the cliffs.

The 50-minute ride hugs the shoreline, passing sea caves, rock arches and tiny pebble coves such as Cala Tuent shortly before arrival. The light is best in the late morning, when the sun hits the cliffs and the water turns a vivid blue. Sit on the side of the boat facing the coast, on the right as you leave Sóller, for the best photos, and keep a light jacket handy because the breeze can be cool.

Sa Calobra

Sa Calobra is a small cove and hamlet in the municipality of Escorca, squeezed between towering rocks where the mountains meet the sea. By road it is reached by a spectacular serpentine descent with a famous loop where the road turns over itself, one of the most photographed drives in Spain, but many visitors prefer to arrive by sea and avoid the bends, the coaches and the summer parking queues.

The hamlet has a small harbour, a few restaurants and a pebble beach where you can swim in clear, deep blue water. A Sa Calobra boat trip from Sóller gives you around an hour and a half on land, enough to walk to the gorge, swim and eat. Is Sa Calobra worth visiting? For scenery alone, yes: the contrast of grey rock, green pines and turquoise sea is unforgettable.

Torrent de Pareis Gorge

The Torrent de Pareis is a deep gorge carved over thousands of years by two mountain streams that meet inland and run together to the sea. Its walls rise more than 200 metres in places and close in to only a few metres apart, creating one of the great natural sights of the Mediterranean. At the mouth, the gorge opens onto a white pebble beach, often dry in summer, between enormous rock walls.

From Sa Calobra a short path leads through two pedestrian tunnels cut into the rock to the mouth of the gorge, about ten minutes on foot and easy for most visitors. Walking further up the riverbed requires scrambling over boulders, so stay near the mouth unless you are experienced. The best time to visit the Torrent de Pareis is late spring or early autumn, when it is warm but not crowded.