9-Day Camí de Cavalls Explorer Route Itinerary

The Camí de Cavalls sets out from Maó Harbour, following five kilometres of tarmac through La Mola junctions to Sa Mesquida, where an 18th-century watchtower overlooks the beach. A boardwalk crosses the wetland behind the shore before a steep climb opens up wide coastal views over windswept scrub dotted with socarrell, an endemic spiny cushion-shrub. The path passes the pebble cove of Macar de Binillautí and dips into the S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park, the heart of Menorca's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. A 500 m detour leads to Es Grau village for refreshments. Beyond, the trail crosses the lagoon mouth and threads past small coves with the Illa d'en Colom offshore, finishing at the remote Cap de Favàritx, where only a seasonal bus serves the trailhead.

From Favàritx the trail follows the road briefly before turning onto a coastal track to Pou d'en Caldes, a beach popular with surfers. The route moves inland through the Mongofre Nou estate to reach Ses Salines d'Addaia, salt pans worked from 1845 until 1990 and now a noted birdwatching site for waders. Roads through Coves Noves lead into Arenal d'en Castell, a sizeable resort with a sweeping horseshoe beach and a good resupply stop. A rocky cliff path through rosemary and winter heath continues to Son Parc, near the ten-metre dunes of Arenal de Son Saura. The route then enters a long pinewood thick with strawberry trees, hiding the remains of a 5th–6th century palaeochristian basilica at Cap des Port, before arriving at Ses Salines de Fornells.

A deliberately short day giving time for the wild Cap de Cavalleria headland. From Ses Salines a road section leads through Platges de Fornells to Cala Tirant, with full beach facilities. A footbridge crosses the stream behind the beach before a narrow coastal path passes the rocky inlets of Macar Petit and Macar Gran, where 400-million-year-old Lower Devonian slabs are exposed — the oldest rocks on Menorca. This stretch also holds the densest stands of endemic socarrell on the island. The path turns inland across the Cap de Cavalleria isthmus past the Jaciment de Sanitja, the excavated Roman city of Sanisera (occupied 123 BC to the 6th century AD), and the British-built Sanitja tower of 1801. A road descends to Platja de Cavalleria, a wide beach of distinctive red-clay sand, before the trail switchbacks past Civil War cliff fortifications to Binimel·là.

The toughest day on the north coast, with the most ascent of the trip. From Binimel·là the path climbs to Cala Pregondó, then drops to celebrated Cala Pregonda, a golden-sand beach backed by pale volcanic rock. After a brief pinewood at Cala Barril, the trail tackles the cliffs of Binidelfà — at 125 m the highest point on the entire Camí de Cavalls — before plunging to lonely Cala en Calderer and on to the pebble beach of Els Alocs. Beyond, the path passes Cala Pilar (visible below via wooden steps), a rare shaded pinewood with picnic tables, and a stone structure concealing the entrance to a former copper mine. The route climbs through holm oak forest around Muntanya Mala, descends to the twin beaches of Algaiarens with their two-kilometre dune system, and continues past the Aljub de Corniola cistern and Codolar de Biniatram to Cala Morell, with its famous Bronze Age necropolis of fourteen rock-cut tombs.

A flatter day finishing in Menorca's former capital. From Cala Morell the trail climbs the cliff edge before turning into a stark, treeless landscape of dry-stone walls, stone barracas and low scrub — the unchanged "Dry Menorca". Near Punta Nati, a memorial cross commemorates the 1910 wreck of the steamship Général Chanzy, which lost 156 of its 157 souls; the lighthouse built in response sits a 0.5 km detour away. The route continues along exposed rocky cliff tops past Morro de sa Falconera to Pont d'en Gil, a dramatic natural limestone arch carved by wave erosion. The trail then joins tarmac for six kilometres through small resorts and past the Sa Farola lighthouse into Ciutadella's historic old town, with its cathedral, medieval streets and working port — every facility you could need.

The longest day of the explorer route, but on flat coastal terrain. From Ciutadella's old port the route heads south past the British-built Torre des Castellar (1799–1802), through the resorts of Cala Santandria and Cala Blanca — where a Bronze Age naveta sits behind the sand — before reaching Cap d'Artrutx with its 1858 lighthouse, now a restaurant. The trail then turns east along low limestone cliffs, passing Spanish Civil War bunkers at intervals. Near Son Saura, the Talayotic settlement of Son Catlar — the only Balearic site with its cyclopean wall virtually intact — sits 400 m off-route. The path continues through pine forest past Cala des Talaier to white-sand Cala en Turqueta, then climbs through holm oak to Cala Macarelleta and Cala Macarella, with prehistoric cave tombs cut into the cliffs. A final descent reaches the crescent of Cala Galdana at the mouth of the Barranc d'Algendar.

A short day through Menorca's gorge country, perfect for a swim and a long lunch. The route climbs out of Cala Galdana then descends through dense pine forest to Cala Mitjana, a fine-sand beach with picnic tables beneath the trees, all within the Binigaus–Cala Mitjana EU protected area. From Cala Mitjana the path moves inland through mixed Aleppo pine, holm oak and wild olive woodland, passing lime kiln and quarry remnants before dropping steeply into the Barranc de Trebalúger, crossed on a wooden footbridge. An optional 1.5 km coastal detour leads to the wild, otherwise inaccessible Cala Trebalúger. The trail climbs out, crosses the smaller Barranc d'Albranca, then descends into the Barranc de Binigaus to emerge at the wide, unspoilt white-sand beach of Platja de Binigaus, before following the low coastline into the resort of Sant Tomàs.

Another lighter day with archaeological highlights. The trail leaves Sant Tomàs past Racó des Cavalls, crosses the fields of Sa Bardissa, and climbs Na Rodona hill where a 19th-century defensive tower and Spanish Civil War machine-gun nest still stand. The route turns inland to skirt the 80-hectare Prat de Son Bou wetland, fed by the Barrancs de Son Boter and des Bec and crossed on limestone stepping stones. At the eastern end of Son Bou beach lies a 5th-century palaeochristian basilica, one of six identified on the island. From Son Bou the path climbs steeply over Cap de ses Penyes before descending into the wild Barranc de Llucalari with its secluded pebble cove. The Talayotic settlement of Torre d'en Galmés, the largest on Menorca, lies roughly 1 km off-route. The trail then drops into the sheltered Barranc de Cala en Porter, cultivated since Moorish times, before reaching the resort.

The longest stage closes the loop back to Maó. From Cala en Porter the path crosses the Barranc de Son Domingo towards Calescoves — a 300 m detour reaches the largest prehistoric necropolis on Menorca, with over 100 rock-cut caves and Roman remains in the cliff faces. The route alternates between farmland and wild olive scrub, passes the working organic estate of Finca Santa Catalina at Binidalí, and crosses small ravines to Binissafúller's whitewashed fishing harbour and Binibèquer Vell, a maze of narrow lanes designed in 1972 to evoke a traditional Mediterranean village. Continuing through Biniancolla to Punta Prima, the Torre de Son Ganxo (1787) overlooks Illa de l'Aire and its endemic black lizards. A broad track through the holm-oak Barranc de Rafalet leads to Cala Sant Esteve, site of the British Fort Marlborough (1720–1726) and the ruined Castell de Sant Felip, before roads through Es Castell and along Maó's harbour complete the 184 km circuit.