7-Day Camí de Cavalls Hiker Route Itinerary

The trail begins at Maó Harbour with a 5 km road section to Sa Mesquida, where an 18th-century watchtower guards the beach. A boardwalk crosses the wetland behind the shore before the path climbs steeply, opening up wide coastal views across windswept scrub dotted with socarrell, an endemic spiny shrub found only in the Balearics.

The route passes Macar de Binillautí and dips into the S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park, the heart of Menorca's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Es Grau village sits 500 m off-route with bar-restaurants and toilets. Beyond Es Grau the path crosses the lagoon mouth and threads north past a string of small coves — Cala des Tamarells, Cala de Sa Torreta, Cala en Cavaller — with the Illa d'en Colom visible offshore and the British-built Torre de Rambla standing on the headland.

Fine-sand beaches at Platja d'en Tortuga give the first clear views of Cap de Favàritx lighthouse before a short, steep climb levels out to reach the CF-1 road. Favàritx itself has no facilities beyond a seasonal bus stop back to Maó; the lighthouse is a 1 km detour each way but worth it for the dark slate landscape around the cape. This opening day eases you into the trail with a mix of tarmac, boardwalk and coastal path, covering manageable distance while delivering an early taste of the wild northeast coast.

Heading west from Favàritx, the path turns onto a coastal track with views north before dropping to Pou d'en Caldes, a surf-popular beach crossed by boardwalks. The route moves inland through fields and pasture to the Camí d'Addaia road, then enters the Mongofre Nou estate to reach Ses Salines d'Addaia — salt pans worked from 1845 to 1990 and now one of Menorca's best birdwatching spots for wading species.

After climbing away from the salt flats, the trail follows roads through Coves Noves to Arenal d'en Castell, a sizeable resort with a sweeping horseshoe beach, restaurants and shops — a good resupply point. From here a rocky cliff path through rosemary and winter heath leads to Son Parc, near the 10-metre dunes of Arenal de Son Saura.

The path then skirts the Son Saura del Nord wetland and enters a long pinewood thick with strawberry trees. Hidden within the woodland are the remains of a 5th–6th century palaeochristian basilica at Cap des Port, with a crypt and baptismal font still visible — an unexpected find in the middle of the forest. La Concepció saltpans follow before a road section leads into Ses Salines de Fornells, a quiet residential resort on the shore of the Fornells bay with a couple of restaurants. It's a peaceful end to a day that mixes wild coastline, wetlands and forest.

This is the wildest section of the north coast. From Ses Salines, a road leads to Cala Tirant (full beach facilities) before the path narrows along rocky inlets at Macar Petit and Macar Gran, where 400-million-year-old Lower Devonian slabs — the island's oldest rocks — are exposed. This stretch also has the densest stands of endemic socarrell on the whole trail.

The route crosses the Cap de Cavalleria isthmus past the excavated Roman city of Sanisera (active 123 BC to 6th century AD) and the British-built Sanitja tower. It then drops to Platja de Cavalleria, a wide beach with distinctive red-clay sand and a seasonal bar — the only refreshment between Cala Tirant and Binimel·là in the off-season. The path pushes on through Cala Mica, past civil war fortifications cut into the cliffs, to the pebbly shore of Binimel·là.

From here the coast becomes increasingly rugged. The trail climbs past Cala Pregondó to reach Cala Pregonda, a celebrated golden-sand beach backed by pale rock formations. After a brief pinewood it passes Cala Barril, then tackles the cliffs of Binidelfà — at 125 m the highest point on the entire Camí de Cavalls — with wide-open views along the north coast. A steep drop to Cala en Calderer (red sand, tall cliffs) precedes a final tough climb and long descent to Els Alocs, a quiet pebble beach. No facilities here — carry everything you need.

The longest day of the itinerary. From Els Alocs the path follows the coast west past Cala Pilar (visible below, reached via wooden steps) to a rare shaded pinewood with picnic tables. At Pla de Mar a stone structure beside the path conceals the entrance to a former copper mine. The trail climbs through holm oak forest around Muntanya Mala before descending to the twin beaches of Algaiarens — Platja des Tancats and Platja des Bot — backed by a 2 km dune system.

The woodland gives way to open, windswept scrub with dwarf fan palms. At Ses Fontanelles a tiny chapel sits beside a small cove. The route continues past the Aljub de Corniola, a traditional stone cistern, to Codolar de Biniatram with its vivid red and ochre rocks. At Cala Morell, the Necròpolis — fourteen rock-cut burial caves spanning 1500–300 BC — is the most significant prehistoric necropolis on the island. The Roca de l'Elefant dominates the cove.

Beyond Cala Morell the landscape strips bare: dry stone walls, stone barracas, no trees. At Punta Nati a memorial cross marks the 1910 wreck of the Général Chanzy (one survivor from 157 aboard). The trail reaches Pont d'en Gil, a natural limestone arch carved by wave erosion, before joining tarmac past small resorts and the Sa Farola lighthouse into Ciutadella. Menorca's former capital has a historic old town, cathedral and working port — and every facility you could want after a big day.

Leaving Ciutadella's old port and Plaça des Born, the route heads south on tarmac past the Torre des Castellar (British, 1799–1802) to Cala Santandria, then Cala Blanca with its Blue Flag beach and Bronze Age naveta behind the sand. The tarmac gives way to flat, rocky coastal path through the Son Olivaret estate with views to Mallorca on clear days.

At Cap d'Artrutx the 1858 lighthouse now houses a restaurant; the adjacent Cala en Bosch has full facilities. The trail turns east along low limestone cliffs, passing Spanish Civil War bunkers at intervals. Near Son Saura the Talayotic settlement of Son Catlar — the only site in the Balearics with its cyclopean wall virtually intact — sits 400 m off-route. Son Saura's two beaches are backed by pine forest and the Prat de Bellavista wetland.

The path continues to Cala des Talaier (sandy cove, picnic area), then through thickening woodland to Cala en Turqueta — white sand, turquoise water. A steep climb leads through pine and holm oak to Cala Macarelleta (300 m detour) and Cala Macarella, where prehistoric cave tombs are carved into the cliffs above a white sand beach with a single restaurant.

Between Macarella and Galdana, the ruins of Es Bèrecs mark 18th-century British barracks. The path descends with panoramic views to Cala Galdana, a crescent beach at the mouth of the Barranc d'Algendar. Full resort facilities and bus connections make this a comfortable overnight stop.

A day of deep ravines and unspoilt beaches. The route climbs out of Cala Galdana and drops through pine forest to Cala Mitjana, a fine-sand beach within the Binigaus–Cala Mitjana EU protected area. The trail heads inland through mixed woodland, crossing lime kiln remnants before descending steeply into the Barranc de Trebalúger via a wooden footbridge. A 1.5 km coastal detour from Cala Mitjana leads to the remote Cala Trebalúger, inaccessible from the main trail.

The path climbs again, crosses the Barranc d'Albranca, then drops into the Barranc de Binigaus before emerging at Platja de Binigaus — a wide, unspoilt white-sand beach. The low coastline leads to Sant Tomàs, a resort with hotels, restaurants and bus services.

Beyond Sant Tomàs the trail climbs past Racó des Cavalls and crosses fields to Na Rodona hill, where a 19th-century tower and Civil War machine-gun post mark the headland. The route skirts the 80-hectare Prat de Son Bou wetland on limestone stepping stones before reaching Son Bou and its 5th-century palaeochristian basilica.

A steep climb from Son Bou leads over Cap de ses Penyes and down into the wild Barranc de Llucalari with its secluded pebble cove. The Talayotic settlement of Torre d'en Galmés, the island's largest, lies 1 km off-route. The path then drops into the sheltered Barranc de Cala en Porter, cultivated with fruit trees since Moorish times, before reaching Cala en Porter with full resort facilities.

The final day heads south and east back to Maó. From Cala en Porter the path crosses the Barranc de Son Domingo toward Calescoves — a 300 m detour reaches this double inlet with over 100 prehistoric rock-cut caves, the largest such necropolis in Menorca, plus remains of a Roman settlement.

The terrain alternates between open farmland and wild olive patches, dropping into the Barranc de Cala des Canutells (one of the few spots on the island with a native elm grove) before continuing through farmland past Finca Santa Catalina at Binidalí, a working organic estate. After crossing two ravines the path reaches Binissafúller's whitewashed fishing harbour, then Binibèquer Vell — a maze of narrow lanes and blue-doored cottages designed in 1972 to evoke a traditional village. Restaurants and buses available here.

The route continues through Biniancolla to Punta Prima, where the Torre de Son Ganxo (1787) overlooks the beach and the uninhabited Illa de l'Aire with its lighthouse and endemic black lizards. Heading north past abandoned saltpans, the path reaches the Torre d'Alcalfar and drops to Cala d'Alcalfar, a sheltered white-sand inlet.

A broad track leads through the Barranc de Rafalet before crossing open pasture to Cala Sant Esteve, site of Fort Marlborough (British, 1720–1726) and the ruined Castell de Sant Felip. The final stretch follows roads through Es Castell and along Maó's harbour back to the start — the full 184 km circuit complete.