Canyon of Algendar

Shaded river ravine on Menorca with citrus trees and a flora unlike the rest of the island.

Canyon of Algendar is a canyon in the municipality of Ferreries, on the Balearic island of Menorca. Water runs along its floor, and the walls hold off the wind and much of the sun, so the vegetation differs from the dry ground of the rest of the island: citrus trees, reeds and shade-loving green. A footpath follows the ravine, and a round trip of about 8 km links back to where it starts. The gorge is listed as an area of natural interest.

Canyon

Entrance: Free — no ticket, no gate.
Parking: Free unpaved car park roughly 1.5 km from the gorge.
Difficulty: Easy walking; round trip about 8 km, with some route-finding.
Transport: Bus stops Càmping Cala Galdana (refs 5210 and 5250), about 2.4 km away.
Advance booking: Not needed.
Hours: Open at any time.
Address: Canyon of Algendar, Balearic Islands, Spain

What makes it special

Drop into the ravine and the island you drove across is gone. The flora here is unlike anything else on Menorca — citrus trees, reeds, dense green under the walls — and in April the scent of orange blossom sits in the still air along the whole floor of the gorge. Birds are the other reason people come with time to spare.

The walking is easy, and much of the footpath is sheltered, so the gorge holds its cool while the plateau above bakes. The round trip runs about 8 km and takes some route-finding along the way, which is part of why it stays quiet: most of the coast traffic never turns off for it.

Good to know

Nothing laid on: no toilets, no drinking water and no information point within 800 m of the gorge — carry what you need.
The drive in: the last stretch is an unpaved, bumpy track, and the car park sits roughly 1.5 km short of the gorge.
The circuit: the round trip runs about 8 km and needs some route-finding, so allow more time than the distance suggests.
Shade: much of the footpath is sheltered, which makes this one of the few walks on the island that works in full sun.

Getting there

The approach is the awkward part. The last stretch in is an unpaved track, bumpy enough that you will be driving it slowly whatever you are in, and it does not look promising from the turn. Park up and the rest is on foot: the car park sits roughly 1.5 km from the point the gorge is marked at, on unpaved ground.

Without a car, the nearest bus stops are the pair at Càmping Cala Galdana, about 2.4 km away in a straight line, which leaves a walk at both ends of the day.

Best time to visit

Best: April, when the orange trees are in blossom and the scent fills the ravine — the single most memorable thing about the place, and it lasts weeks rather than months.

Avoid: spells of heavy rain. The track in is unpaved, the floor of the gorge takes the water, and the greenery that makes the walk is the same greenery that drips on you all the way round.

For birds, come with time in hand and walk slowly; the sheltered stretches are where you hear them before you see them.

Sun & daylight

Historical landmark

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Santa Águeda