Cala Pudent: Reaching An Epic Beach From Arenal d’en Castell

Cala Pudent is a pristine and secluded beach that’s tucked away on the north coast of Menorca. One of the best ways to experience Cala Pudent is by doing a spectacular coastal walk from Arenal d’en Castell. Along the way, you’ll see other breathtaking beaches such as Macar de Sa Llosa and Arenal de Son Saura, which are both located in Son Parc.

In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about visiting Cala Pudent. For the best experience, we’re going to recommend walking there from Arenal d’en Castell. That way, you’ll enjoy a fantastic coastal walk with lots of great scenery. To that end, we’ll provide a trail description of the coastal walk from Arenal d’en Castell to Cala Pudent. We’ll then talk about things to know before visiting Cala Pudent. This will include details about what to bring and the best activities to do once you get to the beach.

Before you read this guide, feel free to watch our Menorca hiking video.

Arenal d’en Castell to Cala Pudent Coastal Walk

Doing the coastal walk from Arenal d’en Castell to Cala Pudent should be high on your bucket list. Sure, it’s possible to get to Cala Pudent by doing a shorter walk from Son Parc (approx. 2km one-way). But, we highly recommend doing a longer coastal walk.

By doing so, you’ll see other beautiful beaches along the way such as Playa Arenal d’en Castell and Macar de Sa Llosa. Also, you’ll enjoy spectacular coastal vistas and viewpoints of Llosa des Gatassos. This is a bay located between Arenal d’en Castell and Arenal de Son Saura. The coastal trail linking these two beaches, gains elevation high above sea level. By following this trail, you’ll enjoy mindblowing views of Llosa des Gatassos and the surrounding coastline.

FYI – there’s also a Cala Pudent in Mallorca, just to confuse matters!

More brilliant walks in Menorca: Pont d’en Gil to Punta Nati, Cova des Coloms and Es Grau to Favaritx

Arenal d’en Castell to Cala Pudent Trail Details and Map

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 10.3km
• Time: 2.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 95m
• Difficulty: Hard
• Trailhead: Arenal d’en Castell Car Park
• Map: Wikiloc

Arenal d’en Castell to Cala Pudent Trail Description

In this trail description, we’ll break down the route into sections to show you the highlights of this fantastic coastal walk. By doing so, we’re going to focus on Arenal d’en Castell, Llosa des Gatassos, Macar de Sa Llosa, Son Parc, Arenal de Son Saura, Arenal de s’Olla, Cala Pudenta and, of course, Cala Pudent.

It’s worth noting that part of this coastal walk follows a section of the circular multi-day 184km Camí de Cavalls trail. Basically, the section between Arenal d’en Castell and Arenal de Son Saura follows the Camí de Cavalls. Beyond Arenal de Son Saura, to Cala Pudent, you’ll follow a coastal trail that isn’t associated with the Camí de Cavalls route. Of course, walking along sections of the Camí de Cavalls or doing the entire five to eight day loop is an incredible experience. But, it’s also nice to explore lesser-known hiking trails in Menorca. By doing so, you’ll be off the beaten track, exploring hidden gems.

Playa Arenal d’en Castell: A Stunning Menorcan Beach

The coastal walk begins in Arenal d’en Castell – a small and tranquil coastal town. By the way, Arenal d’en Castell is also known as Arenal de Castell, Arenal Castell and Arenal des Castell. From the town, you’ll quickly reach Playa Arenal d’en Castell. Immediately, you’ll see the splendid white sand of the beach. It’ll be tempting to sink your toes into the glorious soft sand. But, with the end goal of reaching and relaxing at Cala Pudent, we recommend cracking on!

There’s a boardwalk on the outer parameter of Playa Arenal d’en Castell, which is easy to follow. The boardwalk provides awesome views over the crystal clear turquoise water at Playa Arenal d’en Castell. Admittedly, the only drawback at this beach is the surrounding towering apartment blocks. Certainly, this takes away from the tranquil ambience. Thankfully, some of the beaches that you’ll reach later on this walk have complete natural surroundings.

FYI – Playa Arenal d’en Castell also goes by the names of Arenal d’en Castell Beach and Arenal d’en Castell Playa.

Llosa des Gatassos

Once you exit Playa Arenal d’en Castell, you’ll briefly walk along the road. Continuing in a northerly direction, you’ll soon begin to ascend. As you gain elevation, you’ll enjoy spectacular views of Llosa des Gatassos. Indeed, it’s a very scenic bay when seen from the coastal trail above. Walking along the escarpment, you’ll be walking close to the edge of the cliff walls. So take care! After enjoying the views of Llosa des Gatassos, you’ll continue towards Arenal de Son Saura. Although, there’s another beach you’ll pass before then – Macar de Sa Llosa, located in Son Parc.

Macar de Sa Llosa

Macar de Sa Llosa is a small beach positioned between Arenal d’en Castell and Arenal de Son Saura. Located in Son Parc, Macar de Sa Llosa is one of the most popular beaches in the area. Although, to access it, would involve leaving the Camí de Cavalls trail leading to Arenal de Son Saura and beyond to Cala Pudent. Of course, if time is on your side, we welcome to you to explore Macar de Sa Llosa. By all accounts, it’s a lovely beach. But, we didn’t quite have time as we started the walk in the middle of the afternoon, So, instead, we continued past Macar de Sa Llosa, heading through Son Parc, towards Arenal de Son Saura.

Son Parc

Son Parc is another quaint and charming seaside town in Menorca. You’ll need to pass through Son Parc to reach Arenal de Son Saura. Indeed, Son Parc is well-known for having nice small beaches such as Macar de Sa Llosa and Arenal de Son Saura.

Arenal de Son Saura

After passing through Son Parc, you’ll arrive at Arenal de Son Saura. The beach is also known as Arenal de Son Saura Beach and Son Parc Beach. In the height of summer, Arenal de Son Saura can get quite busy. That’s partly because popular hotels such as Beach Club Son Parc are positioned right on the water. Personally, Beck and I visited outside of peak season in November. So, Arenal de Son Saura was quiet and brimming with chilled vibes. The small beach is picturesque and deserves some time exploring.

Arenal de s’Olla

After walking along Arenal de Son Saura, you’ll cross a footbridge. By turning right, you’ll depart the Camí de Cavalls trail. You’ll now follow a rocky, uneven and undulating trail along the coast, which has minimal to no elevation gain. This area is known as Arenal de s’Olla. As you leave Son Parc and the rest of civilisation behind, your surroundings will become completely natural. You’ll notice the landscape is rugged, raw and wild.

Cala Pudenta

After approx. 1.4km, you’ll reach a small protected cove. This cove is called Cala Pudenta, AKA Macar de Cala Pudent. It’s the lesser-known neighbour of Cala Pudent. In hindsight, we think Cala Pudenta is just as much a hidden gem and worthwhile attraction as Cala Pudent. Indeed, it’s worth spending some time chilling out and enjoying this beach.

Cala Pudent: A Very Secluded Beach

After exiting Cala Pudenta, we excitedly headed towards Cala Pudent, AKA Cala Pudent Beach. In summer, you can expect a glorious hidden beach with around a handful of people. Truly, Cala Pudent is a secret paradise.

Unfortunately, when Beck and I visited, the beach had flooded! This typically occurs with heavy rainfall in the winter months. Admittedly, our adventure to Cala Pudent was thwarted. But, as mentioned, Cala Pudenta was just as beautiful and was unaffected by flooding. So, if you also visit in winter, it may be that Cala Pudenta is the final beach you’ll visit on this journey from Arenal d’en Castell.

After exploring Cala Pudent and Cala Pudenta, it’s time to retrace your steps to complete the hike.

Things to Know Before Visiting Cala Pudent

As you can gather from our experience, the most important thing to know about Cala Pudent is that it can flood. After a period of heavy rainfall, in the non-peak season, the beach can completely flood. So, if your heart is set on relaxing on Cala Pudent, you may need to reconsider this during winter. Otherwise, generally speaking, in summer, you won’t experience this issue.

Other than this, there are some other helpful things to know before setting off on a trip to Cala Pudent. Below, we’ll cover things like how to get to the area initially, what to pack and things to do once you arrive.

How to Get There

To explore Cala Pudent, you’ll need to get to Son Parc. As previously mentioned, we recommend walking to Son Parc from Arenal d’en Castell (approx. 2km). It’s possible to reach Arenal d’en Castell using public transport. The Line 41 bus runs from Es Mercadal, Cala Tirant, Fornells and Maó to Arenal d’en Castell. Please check Auto Fornells for the latest information on bus stop locations, prices and timetables.

For the easiest and quickest access to Cala Pudent, you can go straight to Son Parc. From Son Parc, it’s around a 2km coastal walk to Cala Pudent. Again, it’s possible to reach Son Parc using public transport. The Line 41 bus runs from Es Mercadal, Cala Tirant, Fornells and Maó to Son Parc. Similarly, check Auto Fornells for the latest information on bus stop locations, prices and timetables.

Keep in mind, that bus services are reduced or even non-existent in the non-peak season between October and May. If you plan on visiting Menorca during this time, we certainly recommend hiring a car. That way, it’ll be much more convenient to get around the island to explore. We hired an automatic car from Menorca Airport for only around €13/day.

If you’ve got a set of wheels, you can park directly at Arenal d’en Castell or Son Parc. Below, you’ll find the best parking options for both Arenal d’en Castell and Son Parc.

Arenal d’en Castell Parking is found here.

Son Parc Parking is found here.

To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.

Activities at Cala Pudent

Once you arrive at Cala Pudent, there are plenty of things to do. Of course, you can simply just relax and unwind on the beach, going for a dip also. But, there are some other activities at Cala Pudent which might tickle your interest.

Diving and Snorkelling at Cala Pudent

Cala Pudent is a great area for diving and snorkelling. You’ll find plenty of fish swimming in the grasslands of the calm sea. So, don’t forget to pack the relevant gear if you’re keen to dive or snorkel at the beach.

Explore Other Calas (Beaches) Nearby

Cala Pudent is just one of the hidden beaches around this area of the Menorcan coastline. As mentioned, Cala Pudenta is another great beach to explore. Indeed, Cala Pudenta is just as nice as it’s more popular neighbour!

Dogs

Cala Pudent is quite off the beaten track. So, there isn’t much in the way of rules or regulations at this beach. As a result, there are no restrictions, that we’re aware of, concerning your fluffy little friend. Yes, it seems Cala Pudent is a dog-friendly beach.

Boats

Not convinced about walking to Cala Pudent? Well, if you have a boat or have hired one, it’s possible to drive your boat to Cala Pudent. The easiest place to hire a boat is at Fornells. Otherwise, there are plenty of great boat tours that explore the coastline near and at Cala Pudent. GetYourGuide offers many of these fantastic boat tours; some are full-day tours, whilst others are half-day tours. To guarantee that the tour goes to Cala Pudent, make sure to enquire in advance.

There Are No Facilities or Services: Pack Lunch!

Once you leave Son Parc, there are no facilities or services en route to Cala Pudent. So, make sure you’re prepared with your own water, snacks, lunch, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, swimmers and a towel before heading out to Cala Pudent.

Gear Essentials

These are our five hiking gear essentials for this coastal walk.

To find out more about all of the gear that we use and recommend, read our guides about our favourite hiking gear, travel gear and camera gear. Otherwise, read our comprehensive travel packing checklist.

Bonus Tips

• Other great beaches in Menorca: you’ll see some of the best beaches in Menorca by doing these coastal walks – Binimel·là to Cala Pilar, Cala Mitjana to Cala Turqeta, Cala n Bosch to Cala Turqeta and Cala Morell to Cala Algaiarens.
• Other nice places to explore nearby: Ses Salines and Fornells. These are small scenic coastal towns that are across the bay and west of Cala Pudent. Further west, near the northernmost tip of Menorca, you’ll find Cala Viola de Ponent, which is a lovely untouched bay.
• Read reviews before exploring lesser-known beaches: this can help you unearth the hidden gems and avoid the duds.

For other nice coastal walks in the Balearic Islands in Spain, check out our Mallorca hiking guide, where we talk about the nine best hikes on the island.