Deep Water Soloing and Rock Climbing in southwest Mallorca
Europe’s finest deep water soloing destination is located on the eastern coast of Mallorca and is truly world Class. Climbers from all around the world flock here for the island’s famous steep overhanging walls with big golden pockets and splashdowns into the deep warm blue water of the Mediterranean. The height of the routes varies from a bouldery 5m to a committing 20m, with grades from F3+ to F9a+, mean there is something for everyone.
Map of the rock climbing areas in eastern Mallorca
| No | Crag | Total Routes | Up to 4 + | 5 to 6a+ | 6b to 7a | 7a+ and up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Calo de Betlem | 27 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 8 |
| 2 | Son Servera | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Porto Cristo | 58 | 1 | 16 | 13 | 28 |
| 4 | Porto Cristo Novo | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 5 | Cala Barques | 66 | 0 | 7 | 27 | 32 |
| 6 | Cala Magraner | 66 | 4 | 25 | 22 | 15 |
| 7 | Cala Bota | 36 | 5 | 18 | 11 | 2 |
| 8 | Sa Mola de Felantix | 48 | 6 | 31 | 11 | 0 |
| 9 | Cova des Burador | 15 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 10 | Porto Colom | 22 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 13 |
| 11 | Cala Marcal | 26 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 0 |
| 12 | Cala Brafia | 20 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 3 |
| 13 | Cala Estreta | 11 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 14 | Cala Sa Nau | 29 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
| 15 | Cala Mitana | 35 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 14 |
| 16 | Cala Serena | 126 | 0 | 22 | 88 | 16 |
| 17 | Torre d'en Beu | 44 | 2 | 14 | 17 | 11 |
| 18 | Tijuana | 71 | 1 | 10 | 28 | 32 |
| 19 | Santanyi | 22 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 7 |
| 20 | Cala Llombards | 11 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
The majority of the Deep Water Soloing areas in Mallorca are situated in idyllic bays on the eastern side of the island between the villages of Cala d’Or and Porto Colom.
Porto Cristo (sometimes known as Cova del Diablo) is the best location for deep water soloing where many of the island’s test pieces are to be found. Rising up to 18m high the routes are steep with pocketed walls. Cala Barques is the most popular deep water soloing crag where there is a unique playground of small caves and overhanging walls. Cala Serena near the village of Cala d’Or is the largest deep water soloing crag with over 100 routes across a wide range of grades.
There are also a limited number of sport climbing areas with some of these providing some great sea cliff climbing, particularly at Cala Magraner and Tijuana.
The above information has been extracted from the current edition of the Rockfax Mallorca Deep Water Soloing Guidebook. This guidebook describes 16 crags mainly on the east coast of Mallorca. It covers 490 routes across a wide range of grades from F3+ to F9a+. The sport climbing is covered in a separate guidebook, called Mallorca Sport Climbing.