Cala en Porter – Calescoves by kayak
This is a route that will allow us to explore many caves and cavities created by marine erosion on the limestone cliffs of the south coast of Menorca
The route
Cala en Porter, the starting point of this route, has one of the largest residential areas on the south coast of Menorca. On the left-hand side of the beach there is a slipway that will help you launch your kayak. Paddle eastwards following the coast. Just before you leave the beach you will see a small cave under the houses.
Once away from the beach there is a cave in the cliff, Cova d’en Xoroi, which, according to legends, was once a hideaway for pirates but which now is more famous for its discotheque. The first interesting spot you come to is Racó Alt i Fondo, which has a small cave that is hard to see until you are almost on top of it. Make sure you enter when the sea is calm; on the left there is a small breach that will take you back outside the cave if you push yourself through with your hands and lean back over your kayak. Or, alternatively, dive in with your goggles to explore the cave and the colourful water at its exit.
Continuing along the coast, you come to the Llosa d’en Pudent and, next to it, another narrow cave. Turning your kayak around in this second cave is quite an adventure! A few metres further on is the inlet of Racó d’en Pudent, with an open cave and many fallen rocks. This is another good place to snorkel and to explore the island’s underwater habitats. Leaving this inlet and between two small headlands you come to a place popularly known as Racó del Enamorats (Lover’s inlet), where you can also rest awhile. From here, a series of small caves accompany you as far as the entrance to Calescoves, a sheltered, twin cove where there are usually a lot of boats moored in the summer. Along with that of Cala Morell, this cove’s cliffs house the most important necropolis on Menorca, which has had to be closed off due to the abuse it has suffered at the hands of summer visitors. Before heading back, there is time for another quick swim and dive here.
Cala en Porter – Cales Coves – Cala en Porter
Distance: 4.87 km (2.4 nautical miles). Estimated time: 2 h
Entering the caves can be complicated when southerly winds blow, whilst days with strong easterly or westerly winds cam make your progress along the coast quite difficult.
• Kayak rental in Cala en Porter: DMS Sports&Kayak. Tel. 616 338 393
LONGER ALTERNATIVE
If you want to carry on paddling, continue towards Cala es Canutells. On this stretch you will be accompanied by a line of cliffs and you will have to paddle between large blocks to discover the numerous spots of interest. This is quite possibly the part of the island with more caves than any other, and include Cova dels Magatzems, Cova dels Suros and Cova de ses Atxes. In some of these caves you will need a torch to get a better idea of their inside. Eventually you will arrive at Cala es Canutells, whose white-sand beach is an ideal place to land.
Cala en Porter – Calescoves – Es Canutells – Cala en Porter
Distance: 10.16 km (5.49 nautical miles). Estimated time: 4-6 h
The surroundings
This route is very much the ‘route of the caves’. Throughout, you follow the limestone cliffs that are so typical of Menorca’s southern coasts, which reach up to 40 m in height. Marine erosion over the millennia has created a multitude of caves and cavities that birds such as the rock dove and pallid swift use to breed in. This landscape is only interrupted by small coves such as those of Cala en Porter, Calescoves and Es Canutells, that have been formed by the erosive power of the gullies that flow down into the sea. Calescoves is one of the island’s most famous beaches due to its natural colours and its freshwater upwellings. On the walls of its cliffs there are a large number of hand-hewn caves that are part of one of Menorca’s largest necropolises.
How to get there
You can reach Cala en Porter, Calescoves and Es Canutells by road. From Alaior (10 km) take the road to Cala en Porter, passing on the way the pre-historic settlement of Torralba d’en Salort. If you are coming from Maó, it is best to take the road to Cala en Porter from the town of Sant Climent (12.5 km). Along this road you will see the turn-off to Calescoves. You can get to Cala es Canutells from Sant Climent (6 km) by taking the road to Binidalí.
A bus runs to Cala en Porter from Maó, Sant Climent and Alaior. In the high season there is also a bus to Es Canutells from Maó and Sant Climent. Check out bus times and frequencies (that vary according to the season).
Map
See all routes Menorca by kayak
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Paddling right around the island in a kayak is the best way to gradually get to know Menorca’s coastline. The island’s shallow coastal waters are an ideal place for kayaking since they offer a wide variety of subtly changing landscapes, with coves and shallow bays, sandy and pebbly beaches, cliffs, solitary headlands, semi-submerged sea-caves and small unspoilt islands, all bathed by inviting transparent waters. -
All these routes are within S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park, Menorca’s only natural park. The coast here is formed of low-lying siliceous rocks with sand dunes and small beaches. -
Fornells Bay is very sheltered and well protected from bad weather. Nevertheless, strong winds – above all, from the north – can make the sea rough. -
This route runs along the northern coast of S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park, Menorca’s only natural park. The coast here has been severely modified by the strong northerly wind. -
The coastline on this excursion consists of the typical limestone cliffs of the southern coast of Menorca that are only interrupted by the white-sand beaches of Cala Mitjana and Trebalúger.
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