The stunningly beautiful Mediterranean island of Mallorca is one of Europe's finest sport climbing holiday destinations. The island's mountains and coastline are home to a wealth of astonishing crags, which present climbers with some of the most attractive venues to be found anywhere in the world. While the mountains feature their share of prime crags, a large portion of the island's climbing can be found along the rugged east coast, or on the dramatic Formentor Peninsula.

Suggestions for the first-timer

The climbing is exclusively on limestone, and for the first-time visitor, Mallorca offers an impressive variety of climbing venues that range from sea and beach-side cliffs to spectacular mountain crags, with plenty of options between. Travelling around the island is easy with a car, and accommodation plentiful, but it is worth trying to pick a place to stay with good access to the main road that crosses the island from the city of Palma to Port de Pollença.

Mallorca Sport Climbs is included on Rockfax Digital, with over 1,500 routes. Rockfax Digital also includes access to:

• Content from over 52 current print guidebooks
• 80,000+ routes
• 1,600+ crags
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Rockfax have made Caimari,  S'estret and Cala Magraner free for the next 30 days.

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The best crags for the first time visitor

Sa Gubia - Undoubtedly the show piece of the island is this long-established area that offers climbs across the grades in a spectacular setting. The various sectors are set within a huge gorge where sun and shade can be found throughout the day. Along with lots of single and multi-pitch sport routes is the famous line of the 7-pitch Albahida (Gubia Normal), for which a light trad rack will be needed.

(Access update - very recently, teams have occasionally been turned away - Climbing at Sa Gubia is disputed but it is perfectly legal for people to be in the gorge since it is a public place. The people who are policing this can only ask climbers to stop climbing, not to leave the gorge and it is disputed that they have the right even to do that. The local climbers are fighting this in the courts. The advice is to avoid conflict, follow the reasonable guidelines regarding access in the guide, and either wait or come back another day to go climbing. If you are on Albahida (Gubia Normal) (4c), just keep climbing).

Caimari - A series of hillside crags located in the valley that heads up into the mountains from the central town of Inca. There is a vast amount of single pitch wall climbing on offer here with plenty of routes in the lower and mid grades and some very hard undertakings in an isolated cave. Easy approaches and sun and shade are other pluses, but get there early to bag the best parking places.

Cala Magraner - A crag with a true holiday feel about it, right next to a swimming beach. The climbing in the main spans the 5th and 6th grades with a few harder lines that see little attention. This is a sunny spot, so pack the sunscreen and water.

Port de Sóller - A fantastic crag that is within walking distance of the scenic tourist town and beach of the same name. Although there are not a huge number of climbs, what is on offer is quality and ranges from pocket and blob covered walls to tufa pulling in caves.

Santanyi (Tijuana)/ Torre d'en Beu - Two sea-side crags that are very similar in nature and easily combined. Both are set on flat raised platforms above the sea and have predominantly single pitch wall climbs. Tijuana is the harder option with plenty in the higher 6th and 7th grades whilst Torre d'en Beu has a lot to keep teams after grade 6s happy. The gorgeous cove of Santanyi is close by and during the climbing season often quiet, and a fine way to end the day with a relax on the beach and a swim.

S'estret - An extremely diverse series of crags set in the valley which runs up to the famous mountain village of Valldemossa. There is something here for all, with lots of good 4s, 5s and 6s as well as plenty of harder lines on the shady northerly side of the valley - a handy place to head for in very hot weather.

Fraguel - Located in a tranquil valley, the original premier hard crag on Mallorca still delivers the goods. There is very little here below the mid 7th grade although there is a small number of good harder grade 6s for those more average climbers interested in visiting this amazing crag. The approach from the parking was blocked by fallen trees after the storms of 2023, but is now open again.

Ca's Català/Puig St.Marti - These two delightful crags are a great choice for teams in search of some rewarding lower grade climbing. The former is quite an extensive crag with lots to go at, and a good choice for a quick hit on arrival or departure days. Puig St.Marti has a small line-up of fine easier climbs combined with one of the better crag outlooks around.

Anything new for the those who have been before?

Since the last guidebook was published there have been a number of new lines added to various crags such as Puig de Garrafa and Penyal d'es Grau, but the trio of crags listed below are significant additions that will appeal to most abilities.

Capdellà - Capdella is a fantastic venue that caters to climbers of all levels. The crag offers everything from lower-grade slabs to challenging, overhanging walls. Its peaceful surroundings create a perfect climbing atmosphere, and the village of Capdella itself is a charming spot to enjoy a coffee or beer after climbing.

Mont Port - Perched in a breathtaking location, Mont Port is a must-visit for climbers after excellent long pitches in the 5c to 7a+ grade range. The views are truly spectacular, with the only human-made feature in sight being the lighthouse on the distant Island of Dragonera.

Cala Bota - Cala Bota is set high above the sea, composed of heavily featured rock, and the majority of the routes are in the lower and mid-grades. For those operating at this level, there is plenty to go at with the lines varying in style from thin walls to steep cracks with much more in between. The spacious ledge that runs under the length of the crag makes for a pleasant place to relax, whilst the small beach of Cala Bota itself is not far away. The grades tend to feel tough but are consistently applied; caution is advised on your first visit to get the feel of the style and grades.

A word on the bolts, access and secret crags

Bolts - Many thousands of bolts protect the sport climbs of Mallorca. A good proportion have been in place for a considerable time and are starting to show their age, particularly those on the coastal crags. Many bolts and hangers exhibit surface rust but the vast majority are still serviceable. However some are now in a poor state and a personal decision should be taken as to the safety of the bolts and hangers before embarking on a route. In this guidebook we have only given a little guidance on the state of the bolts as rebolting is ongoing, hence the information can get out of date, and each climber's perception of what is acceptable will vary with experience and their own assessment of the integrity of bolts and hangers.

Access - Access is a big issue on Mallorca! There is no formal right of access to most of the crags on the island and there are extra restrictions in the Serra de Tramuntana. In recent times some popular crags have had formal access restricted or been de-bolted. Sometimes this is because of uncooperative land owners, but frequently it is caused by a lack of respect by climbers for their impact on the environment, noise and inconsiderate parking. There are crags contained within this guidebook that could so easily go the same way if climbers are not careful with parking, litter, noise, fires, natural water supplies and following approach paths to the crags. Please use all the described approaches and avoid antagonising local residents and landowners.

Secret Crags - There are a number of crags not covered in this book, or any book. These are known by locals and are climbed on. We haven't documented any here since access is sensitive and inclusion in a book is likely to jeopardise access by increasing visitors.

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Guidebook

Mallorca Sport Climbs

The stunningly beautiful Mediterranean island of Mallorca is one of Europe’s great sport climbing destinations. Its magnificent mountains and coastal scenery are endowed with majestic locations in which many fantastic crags reside. Add to this a fine climate, a well-established tourist trade plus friendly locals and you have an ideal destination for the travelling climber.

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