Outdoor Adventure Sports

5 exciting adventure sports to try in Mallorca 

For nature lovers and thrill seekers, Mallorca holds the key to all manner of exciting outdoor adventure sports. Whether in the mountains, at sea or a little bit of both, the unique combination of a ragged and rocky coastline, majestic mountain ranges and the cristalline waters of the Mediterrean make this island the must go to destination for adventure activities of every kind. 

But these activities are not only for the initiated, you can book tours and classes in any sport, at any level and get a taste of something completely new.

Local outdoor guides offer professional equipment and expertise to guide you through the initiation and show you the best places to practice your chosen activity. 

1. Coasteering / Cliff Jumping

Explore the rocky contours of this fabulous island, jump into the sea and explore the underwater caves.

For the adventurous, coasteering or cliff jumping is a physically demanding outdoor activity combining mountain trekking, rock climbing and jumping into the sea from great heights, not dissimilar to canyoning but with the added bonus of clear refreshing water to break your fall.  

Thrill seekers and adrenalin junkies of every level can try this unusual and fairly new sport, combining swimming, abseiling, climbing and rock scrambling along the coast and jumping into the sea.  

The great thing about coasteering is that anyone can do it and thanks to the island's long dry summers, you won't need a wet suit for most of the year.

As enticing as it is doable, coasteering is for anyone who enjoys nature at its most raw and beautiful and though it may appear dangerous, given the right conditions and the aid of an experienced guide, coasteering can be practised by families, children and anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. 

That is not to say however, that it is not without danger. If you have never tried your hand at coasteering before it is highly advisable that you go with a guide.

During the colder months or at the beginning of summer when the sea is still cold you may want to wear a wetsuit anyway, official tour guides will provide you with a security briefing and all the extra kit needed; buoyancy aids, helmets and adequate shoes, and show you the areas which are most suited for practicing the sport.

In some places you will have to make use of ropes, zip-lines and eye-bolts, other times it may be better to access the site by speed boat, and avoid a long hike in the sun. 

2. Kayak/ Canoeing

Possibly the simplest and most rewarding of all the outdoor water activities available in Mallorca, kayaking can quite literally be enjoyed by everyone.

Children and adults with any level of fitness and people with disabilities can take a kayaking tour on the island. It's a particularly great way to explore and discover the hidden nooks and crannies, gape at local wildlife and birds and plunge into the underwater caves along the rocky north coast.

Without needing to treck for miles in the midday sun, with a kayak you can access parts of the island you cannot easily reach on foot and enjoy a moment of calm and tranquility away from the crowded beaches and busy boulevards on land.

3. Caving

Mallorca makes an excellent place to go caving.

Not only are the caves spectacular, but it is possibly the island's last frontier, still largely unexplored, perfect for an adventure.

The most exciting summer activity sport with respect to caving in Mallorca is to explore the underwater caves which pepper the island's northern coastline. Hire a tour, go by boat and plunge into an underwater cave that fills the air with blue light and turns your skin a silvery glow.

The island boasts a staggering 10,000 known caves, created at the same time as the Serra de Tramuntana Mountains, when the push in the earth's crust left a myriad of voids and empty hollows, some of which are considered the longest and most spectacular in Europe.

There are both vertical and horizontal shafts, inland and underwater. The caves must be conserved and respected however, and few people can enter at the same time.

Official and experienced caving guides will show you where to find the best sites and provide helmets, lighting and other necessary safety equipment, in accordance with EC safety standards.

4. Canyoning

There are 46 torrents in Mallorca and all bar one can be found in the Serra Tramuntana Mountain range on the SW to NE side of the island.

Canyons or gorges are deep narrow valleys with steep sides, formed over millions of years by the weathering effects of water and wind as it carves into the underlying surfaces, eroding the rock into beautifully sculpted walls, waterfalls and caves, pools and water slides.

Mallorca’s soft limestone rock and extreme weather is especially conducive to the formation of canyons and boasts a wealth of canyoning sites along its mountainous western ridge.

Relatively new as a sport, canyoning involves a fair amount of walking, climbing and scrambling to access the remote sites, and abseiling with ropes, swimming and descending down the bed of the torrents, and in Mallorca you will be doing this in the island’s most inaccessible and isolated areas in the Tramuntana Mountains.

Canyoning equipment is provided by the guides; climbing harness, ropes, helmets, wetsuits, bags and watertight containers. And you will need to bring a good pair of walking shoes, lightweight warm clothing and a sense of adventure.

5. Rock climbing

Renowned as a top European climbing venue, rock climbers come from all over the world to test their mettle on Mallorca’s sheer and challenging rock faces. Mostly concentrated in the Serra de Tramuntana Mountains and along the rugged northern coastline, Mallorca has a vast variety of climbs of varying levels of difficulty and style.

Amidst breath-taking landscapes and a rugged coastline, the island is an excellent venue for both sport and traditional climbing thanks largely to an abundance of easy to reach, high quality, limestone rock and its fabulously temperate Mediterranean climate that allows for warm winter climbing along the coast and shady mountain climbs during the hot summer months.

The island’s premier climbing site is the huge bolted amphitheatre of Sa Gubia, a multi-pitch climbing venue with seven pitch routes. Another popular site is the Albahida ridge and there is lots of untouched rock still waiting to be explored.