Sa Calobra is a small port village in the municipality of Escorca on the northwest coast of Mallorca, home to 16 people. It lies at the mouth of the Torrent de Pareis gorge, where stone beaches open onto clear water. A single winding road leads down to it, designed by the engineer Antonio Parietti and opened in 1933, with many hairpin bends and a 270° spiral bridge. Coach trips and road cyclists make it one of the island's best-known destinations.
Sa Calobra Beach
Local name: Sa Calobra
Stone cove at the mouth of the Torrent de Pareis gorge, reached by a 1933 hairpin road and a tunnel through the rock
- Entrance
- No ticket for the beaches; the car park is paid.
- Accessibility
- Accessible parking spaces sit closer to the water than the main car park. The way to the gorge beach runs through a tunnel, and the beaches are all stones.
- Parking
- Paid car park, about 690 m away in a straight line, 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the cove. Spaces nearer the water are reserved for disabled drivers, residents and tour buses. The drive-up pay window takes cash only; to pay by card, use the walk-up kiosk first.
- Difficulty
- 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the car park, downhill on the way in and uphill on the way back; the beach underfoot is stones. Cyclists face the full climb back to the pass at 682 m.
- Transport
- Bus stop Sa Calobra, about 460 m away in a straight line.
- Address
- 07315 Escorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
What makes it special
The water is what stays with you: shade after shade of blue and turquoise inside one cove. A tunnel through the mountain opens onto a beach of stones where the Torrent de Pareis gorge reaches the sea, and the mouth of the canyon behind it is a jumble of boulders to scramble over. Mountain goats pick their way across the rocks, used to people.
The road down is the other half of the trip. Antonio Parietti built it in 1933 with tourists in mind, dropping from the pass at 682 m through hairpin after hairpin, and at the tie knot (Nus de sa Corbata) it turns 270° and crosses over itself. Road cyclists come to ride it, and anyone who rides down has to climb back out.
Good to know
- The beaches are stones throughout: wear sturdy shoes, or your feet will feel it for the rest of the day.
- The restaurants and bars at the port are self-service. Bring your own food and drink.
- The toilets at the port are paid. There is no drinking-water point nearby, so fill up before you come.
- The walk from the cove back to the car park is uphill.
- Cyclists: the road down is the only way out, so every descent ends with the climb back to the pass at 682 m.
Getting there
By land there is one way in: a single winding road that leaves the Coll de Cal Reis at 682 m and twists down to the sea through hairpin bends and the spiral of the tie knot. Coaches and cyclists share it with the cars.
At the bottom you leave the car in the paid car park. The spaces nearer the water are kept for disabled drivers, residents and tour buses. From the car park the walk to the cove takes 15 to 20 minutes downhill, and the beach at the mouth of the gorge lies beyond a tunnel through the mountain. Coming back, the same walk is uphill. A bus stop named Sa Calobra sits about 460 m away in a straight line.
Best time to visit
Best: early morning, ideally around dawn, before the coaches start coming down the road.
Avoid: the middle of the day in high summer, and the gorge after heavy rain.
Once the day gets going, coaches crowd the single road and the cove, and rain turns the Torrent de Pareis back into a running watercourse.
Sun & daylight
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Sa Calobra Beach on the map
The Torrent de Pareis floods fast after heavy rain: stay out of the gorge when rain is forecast. The rocks above the cove are unfenced, so check the water's depth before jumping from any of them.
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Frequently asked questions
How long is the walk from the car park to the beach at Sa Calobra?
15 to 20 minutes on foot, downhill, with the last stretch to the gorge beach through a tunnel in the mountain. The walk back to the car is uphill.Is the beach at Sa Calobra sandy?
The beach is all stones. Sturdy shoes make the day far more comfortable.Can you eat at Sa Calobra?
There are restaurants and bars at the port, all self-service. Bringing your own food is the simpler option.Can you walk into the Torrent de Pareis from Sa Calobra?
The lower end of the gorge opens beside the beach, and it is the easiest part of the Torrent de Pareis to explore on foot, with boulders to scramble over. Stay out of the gorge when heavy rain is forecast.How do you avoid the coaches on the road to Sa Calobra?
Come early, ideally around dawn. Coaches run up and down the road later in the day.