Themed route · start & finish Can Pastilla
Es Trenc – Caló des Moro
- Medium
- 141 km
- 752 m
- ≈ 5–6 h
Map and elevation profile
Move along the elevation profile to see where you are on the map.
Food & coffee stops
Tried-and-tested places where cyclists like to stop for coffee, food or water.
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Restaurant 36 kmRestaurant Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita Sa Ràpita
Harbour-side terrace at the Sa Ràpita marina, open from 8:00: coffee and a snack, or paella or fideuà at lunchtime. Closed on Tuesdays.
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Café 54 kmBar Cafetería Es Dolç Colònia de Sant Jordi
Café and ice-cream parlour on Carrer Gabriel Roca by Es Dolç beach: toast and fresh orange juice for breakfast, coffee, homemade cakes and ice cream. Open daily from 8:00.
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Restaurant 59 kmBodega Barahona – Casa Manolo Ses Salines
Family-run restaurant on the village square, right on the route, known for calamar de potera, fresh fish and tapas. Lunch 13:00–15:30 (Fridays from 11:00), dinner from 19:00; closed on Mondays.
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Restaurant 85 kmSa Plaça Santanyí
Terrace right on Plaça Major, about 200 m off the route, for a late lunch: tapas, seafood paella or grilled squid. Opens at 13:00, closed on Tuesdays.
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Café 109 kmPastisseries Pomar Campos
Family bakery and cake shop trading at Carrer Plaça 20 since 1902, about 100 m off the route by the main square: ensaïmadas and sweet and savoury baked goods for the last 32 km. Open 7:00–20:00.
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Es Trenc & Caló des Moro: 141 km of beaches and coves in the south
Route summary:
Our beach day out: 141 km, about 750 m of climbing and seven beaches and coves on the 55 km of coast between Sa Ràpita and Mondragó. You ride inland to Llucmajor, roll down to the sea at S'Estanyol, then hop from beach to cove: Sa Ràpita, Es Trenc, Colònia de Sant Jordi, Caló des Moro, Cala Llombards, Cala Santanyí, the harbour of Cala Figuera and S'Amarador in the Mondragó natural park.
For fit riders happy with a long day: count on 5–6 hours in the saddle plus 2–3 hours for swims and short walks. It's all paved and the high point is just 170 m. Refuel at the Sa Ràpita marina, on Colònia's seafront, in Ses Salines, in Santanyí and at the Pomar bakery in Campos.
Cycling route summary:
Km 0–16: Camí de Can Alegria takes you onto the old Llucmajor road, the Ma-19A. It's the day's only long drag: about 150 m of gain over 7–8 km at around 2%, with short ramps of 4–5%. It tops out at 170 m, 4 km before Llucmajor.
Km 16–37: the Ma-6015 drops gently for 15 km to S'Estanyol. Fast, no services – ride single file. The coastal Via de la Mediterrània brings you to Sa Ràpita.
Km 37–54: out and back to the road end at Ses Covetes, quiet farm lanes, then the Ma-6040 past the salt pans to Colònia de Sant Jordi. Take the short promenade at walking pace.
Km 54–96: a 4.5 km two-way path beside the Ma-6100, behind a wooden barrier and shared with pedestrians, leads to Ses Salines (the road has no shoulder). Then the coves: every swim means a climb back. The steepest are the exits from Cala Llombards and Cala Santanyí, a few hundred metres at 7–8%. From Santanyí the Mondragó spur is 5 km each way.
Km 96–141: the Ma-19 to Campos is a fast two-lane road. After Campos, quiet lanes via Camí des Palmer bypass the four-lane Ma-19: about 20 km of mostly gentle climbing to 128 m, a 5 km descent into S'Arenal and the Platja de Palma seafront home.
Tourist summary:
The star is the sea in every shade of turquoise. Es Trenc is Mallorca's best-known wild beach: about 7 km of sand and dunes without a single hotel. Since 2017 it has been a natural park together with the Salobrar de Campos wetland, where you may spot flamingos. Boats leave Colònia de Sant Jordi for the Cabrera National Park, whose visitor centre is right on the seafront.
Further east the coast breaks into narrow coves: Caló des Moro, one of the island's most photographed, Cala Llombards with its boathouses, the Es Pontàs sea arch, the fishing harbour of Cala Figuera and the dunes of S'Amarador. Golden-sandstone Santanyí holds its market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Tips from our guides
- Plan a 9–10 hour day and leave by 8:30. Sunset at Can Pastilla is around 19:30 in early October, about 19:00 by 24 October and around 18:00 after the clocks go back on 25 October (about 17:30 in December). If you might finish in the dark, carry a white front light, a red rear light and a reflective vest – in Spain they are compulsory on interurban roads at night.
- Bikes are banned on the beaches and dunes of the Es Trenc natural park, and there's nowhere supervised to leave them at the coves – bring a lock. Pack light shoes for the 1.5 km walk to Caló des Moro, which ends on slippery rock, and for the steps at Cala Llombards; swimwear and a thin towel fit in a saddle bag.
- For every stop to be open, ride Wednesday to Sunday: Casa Manolo in Ses Salines closes on Mondays, the Sa Ràpita marina restaurant and Sa Plaça in Santanyí on Tuesdays. Carry two bottles – there are 15 km without services between Llucmajor and S'Estanyol.
- Ride single file on the fast Ma-6015 and Ma-19, use the cycle path between Colònia and Ses Salines and slow to walking pace on Colònia's promenade. In July and August the coves, Caló des Moro above all, are packed; spring and autumn are far calmer. Any road bike will do as it's all paved, but 28 mm tyres make the farm lanes more comfortable.
- On Wednesday and Saturday mornings (9:00–13:00) the market fills Santanyí's Plaça Major – great atmosphere, slow going. No need to carry Flor de Sal for 90 km: the brand also has a shop at Avinguda de Bartomeu Riutort 22 in Can Pastilla, under a kilometre from our shop.
Did you know?
- In September 2006 the American Chris Sharma climbed the Es Pontàs sea arch near Cala Santanyí without a rope, with only the sea below – the world's first deep-water solo graded 9a+. source
- Santanyí stone travelled far: by the first half of 1451, marès sandstone shipped from Santanyí and Felanitx was being used to rebuild the Castel Nuovo in Naples. source
- The Cabrera National Park, served by boats from Colònia de Sant Jordi, was created in 1991. In 2019 it grew from 10,021 to 90,800 ha, becoming the largest marine national park in the western Mediterranean. source
Places along the route
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136 km
Sa Ràpita
Small marina at the western end of the Es Trenc sands. The Club Nàutic restaurant terrace looks straight over the moored boats – the natural first coffee stop after 36 km.
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241 km
Es Trenc – Ses Covetes
The road ends in the hamlet of Ses Covetes, 5–10 minutes' walk from the sand. From here Es Trenc runs south-east, about 7 km of dunes and pines with no hotels. Lock the bike at the road end: bikes are not allowed on the beach or the dunes.
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350 km
Salines d'Es Trenc
Salt pans right beside the Ma-6040. The Flor de Sal d'Es Trenc factory shop (Ma-6040 km 8.7) is about 250 m off the route; tours of the salt works can be booked in advance by phone or email.
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454 km
Colònia de Sant Jordi
Harbour town with the Es Port and Es Dolç beaches either side of the seafront. Boats leave here for the Cabrera archipelago. The national park visitor centre is on Carrer Gabriel Roca, on the route: daily 10:00–17:00, until 18:00 from June to September, closed in December and January.
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559 km
Ses Salines
Quiet village named after the salt pans. The route passes right by Plaça Sant Bartomeu, home to a Flor de Sal shop and the Bodega Barahona – Casa Manolo, famous for its calamar de potera (jig-caught squid).
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667 km
Caló des Moro & Cala Llombards
Lock the bike at the free car park at the entrance to Cala Llombards and walk about 1.5 km (15–20 min) to Caló des Moro; the final descent is over steep, slippery sandstone. Back on the bike, it's about 1.3 km on to Cala Llombards, a white-sand cove with fishermen's boathouses, reached by steps.
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778 km
Cala Santanyí & Es Pontàs
Sandy cove at the bottom of a steep dip. Just to the south stands the Es Pontàs sea arch, climbed by Chris Sharma in 2006. The few hundred metres back up at 7–8% are among the steepest of the day.
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881 km
Cala Figuera
No beach here, but a narrow, fjord-like harbour lined with white boathouses (escars) whose doors open straight onto the water. Leave the bike up on the road and walk down to the quay, still home to a small fishing fleet.
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985 km
Santanyí
Town of golden marès sandstone, about 200 m off the route. Look for the Porta Murada, the last surviving piece of the town walls, and the Sant Andreu church, whose organ Jordi Bosch built in 1762 for the Dominican convent in Palma. Market on Wednesday and Saturday, 9:00–13:00, around Plaça Major.
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1091 km
S'Amarador – Mondragó
End of the spur in the Mondragó natural park, protected since 1992. From the car park it's just a few minutes on foot to S'Amarador beach and its important dune system; Cala Mondragó lies just beyond.
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