The Best Parc Natural de Mondragó Walks

Parc Natural de Mondragó is one of the most stunning national parks in Mallorca. When it comes to hiking in the national park, there are four short trails to explore. Admittedly, some of the trails are better than others. Particularly, the trails exploring Cala Mondragó and Caló des Borgit – two of the most spectacular beaches in Mallorca, are the best.

In this guide, we’re going to talk about a multi-trail walk that we did at Parc Natural de Mondragó. This modified trail visits the highlights of the national park, which means you don’t hike all four trails. We’ll discuss this modified trail in a lot more detail in this guide. Otherwise, we’ll tell you everything else you need to know about Parc Natural de Mondragó in Mallorca and its two amazing beaches – Cala Mondragó and Caló des Borgit.

Other than reading this guide, feel free to watch footage of our Parc Natural de Mondragó hiking experience by watching our Mallorca hiking video.

For other epic coastal walks in Mallorca, read our Cala Romantica to Cala Varques, Torrent de Pareis, and Sant Elm to La Trapa hiking guides. Alternatively, read our Mallorca hiking guide, where we talk about the nine best day hikes in Mallorca.

About Parc Natural de Mondragó

Parc Natural de Mondragó is located on the southwest coast of Mallorca in a town called Santanyi. Also known as Mondragó Natural Park, Parque Natural de Mondragó, Parc de Mondragó and Mondragó Parc Natural, the park covers an area of approx. 700 hectares (7 square kilometres). Although, only 95 hectares (0.95 square kilometres) of this area is open to the public. Given the park’s natural beauty and biodiversity, it’s been classified as a natural area of special interest (Àrea Natural d’Especial Interès). This is certainly no surprise when you visit! Alongside the gorgeous Cala Mondragó and Caló des Borgit beaches, Parc Natural de Mondragó is one of the most scenic places in Mallorca.

Parc Natural de Mondragó is open all-year round. Sure, the national park is easy to explore independently. But, there are also guided tours available if you’re wanting to learn more about the park. For more details about this, head to the information centre located at the main car park. It’s open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm. Personally, Beck and I explored the national park independently, which is the more common thing to do. With that in mind, let’s talk about the main hiking routes at the park.

Parc Natural de Mondragó Walks

There are four main Mondragó Natural Park walks. Each trail is quite short, exploring adjacent areas of the national park. We’ve named each of the trails below. In addition, you’ll see an illustrated map, which demonstrates how close each trail is to the other.

• Mirador de sa Font de n’Alis
• La Volta a sa Guárdia d’en Garrot
• La punta de ses Gatoves
• S’Amarador

For further information, we’ve provided the specs for each trail below.

Mirador de sa Font de n’Alis

• Type: One-way
• Distance: 640 metres
• Time: 10 minutes
• Accumulated elevation gain: nil
• Difficulty: Very easy
• Trailhead: Parc Natural de Mondragó Car Park

La Volta a sa Guárdia d’en Garrot

• Type: Horseshoe
• Distance: 1.2km
• Time: 20 minutes
• Accumulated elevation gain: approx. 35 metres
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Mirador de sa Font de n’Alis (Cala Mondragó)

La punta de ses Gatoves

• Type: Horseshoe
• Distance: 640 metres
• Time: 10 minutes
• Accumulated elevation gain: approx. 30 metres
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Cala Samarador or S’Amarador Car Park

S’Amarador

• Type: Horseshoe
• Distance: 1.1km
• Time: 20 minutes
• Accumulated elevation gain: approx. 25 metres
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Cala Samarador or S’Amarador Car Park

Multi-Trail Parc Natural de Mondragó Walk

Given each of the four trails are quite short, most people combine them to make a longer walk. Indeed, by combining all four walks, you’ll explore a large portion of the national park. There are many variations on how to combine these four trails. To get a rough idea of what the combined four-trail Parc Natural de Mondragó Walk looks like, please check out the specs and map below.

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 6.3km
• Time: 2–3 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 130m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Parc Natural de Mondragó Car Park
• Map: Wikiloc

Modified Multi-Trail Parc Natural de Mondragó Walk Details & Map

When Beck and I visited, we didn’t complete all four trails. Given our busy hiking schedule, we arrived at Parc Natural de Mondragó in Mallorca late in the afternoon. So, we didn’t have as much time to explore the national park as we would have liked. To that end, we decided we would just visit the best parts of the national park. This included visiting Cala Mondragó, Caló des Borgit and Cala Samarador, which are some of Mallorca’s finest beaches. So, we combined the trails necessary to visit all of these beaches.

If you’re also keen to just see the best beaches in Parc Natural de Mondragó, our modified walk will suit you perfectly. That way, you’ll have even more time to chill out and swim at each of the beaches. Please find the trail specs and map of our modified Parc Natural de Mondragó walk below.

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 3.45km
• Time: 1 hour
• Accumulated elevation gain: 50m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Parc Natural de Mondragó Car Park
• Map: Wikiloc

Modified Multi-Trail Parc Natural de Mondragó Walk: Exploring Coves

By following our modified multi-trail Parc Natural de Mondragó walk, you’ll be exploring some magnificent coves. Precisely, Cala Mondragó, Caló des Borgit and Cala Samarador. These beaches are referred to as coves or bays as they’re quite small. Despite their lack of size, neither beach is lacking beauty or quality. Indeed, each beach is special in its own right and worth visiting.

Essentially, once you’ve parked, you’ll make your way south towards Cala Mondragó. Admittedly, Beck and I followed the road down to Cala Mondragó. This meant we missed one of the four trails at Parc Natural de Mondragó. The Mirador de sa Font de n’Alis trail actually connects the car park with Cala Mondragó. The trail follows the confluence of the rivers of En Carraixet and S’hort d’En Colovet.

Honestly speaking, by skipping this trail, you wouldn’t have missed a right lot. Essentially, it doesn’t matter which route you take – it’s all about getting to the magnificent waters at Cala Mondragó ASAP to maximise your time there!

Cala Mondragó

Also known as Playa Mondragó, Cala Mondragó Beach and Sa Font de n’Alis, this beach is the most well-known in the national park. Indeed, Cala Mondragó is one of the most pristine beaches in Mallorca. Personally, when Beck and I arrived, the sun was already quite low. So, we didn’t have time for a dip. Instead, we began following the La Volta a sa Guárdia d’en Garrot trail to reach Caló des Borgit before sunset.

Caló des Borgit

The La Volta a sa Guárdia d’en Garrot trail to Caló des Borgit closely follows the coastline. Along the dirt trail, you’ll pass dry stone walls and pine trees. Through gaps in the trees, you’ll get glimpses of crystal clear waters. Curving around the headland, you’ll eventually reach the end of the forest trail, which connects to Caló des Borgit. Also known as Cala des Borgit, Caló des Burgit and Cala des Burgit, the small cove is downright spectacular. Certainly, Caló des Borgit is one of the best hidden beaches on the island. Tucked away in the national park, you should find this beach quieter than Cala Mondragó.

After soaking in the serenity at Caló des Borgit, you’ll head back into the forest. By following the La Volta a sa Guárdia d’en Garrot loop trail, you’ll soon arrive back at Cala Mondragó. It’s then time to cross the beach and hike towards Cala Samarador.

Cala Samarador

Connecting Cala Mondragó and Cala Samarador is a paved trail. In fact, this trail isn’t considered to be part of any of the four main trails at Parc Natural de Mondragó in Mallorca. Nevertheless, this trail winds around Cala Mondragó, providing gorgeous views along the coastline.

Soon enough, you’ll arrive at Cala Samarador, which is also known as Samarador Beach. By the time we had arrived, there wasn’t a tonne of daylight remaining. But, luckily, there was still enough light to enjoy the beach and capture some nice mirror reflections of the partially clouded sky.

Once you arrive at Cala Samarador, it’s possible to then walk the La punta de ses Gatoves and S’Amarador trails. Given the minimal daylight, we decided not to bother with these trails. Indeed, we had already seen the highlights of Parc Natural de Mondragó by visiting Cala Mondragó, Caló des Borgit and Cala Samarador. So, if you’re satisfied at this point of the walk, it’s time to chill out and relax on the beach! Otherwise, you can retrace your steps back to Cala Mondragó to finish off this awesome Mallorca national park walk. Personally, Beck and I were still planning on visiting the nearby Es Pontàs for sunset. So, we were speed hiking our way back to the car park!

What’s speed hiking? Find out more about this epic activity here.

Other Things to Do at Parc Natural de Mondragó

Other than walking and beach hopping, there are plenty of other things to keep you preoccupied at Parc Natural de Mondragó in Mallorca. Some of the other main activities here are cycling and birdwatching.

Cycling

You’ll find most of Parc Natural de Mondragó can be explored by bike. Obviously, the trails along the sand may be a bit tricky on a bike. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way! Admittedly, we didn’t see any cyclists during our visit. But, then again, we did visit outside of the peak season, in November, when the national park was much quieter.

Birdwatching

Parc Natural de Mondragó is classified as a Special Protection Area for Birdlife. One of the most amazing birds found in the park is the peregrine falcon. Otherwise, you’ll have a chance of seeing doves, partridges, owls, eagles, kestrels, herons as well as several species of gulls.

Cala Mondragó Parking

You’ll find plenty of free parking at Parc Natural de Mondragó. In terms of Cala Mondragó parking, we recommend the free car park north of the beach. By parking there, it’s easy to access Cala Mondragó and complete the modified walk described in this Mallorca hiking guide.

There’s also free parking south of Cala Samarador. This isn’t a bad backup option if parking elsewhere is an issue. Indeed, you could complete the modified walk, described in this guide, starting at this car park.

As you may have expected, it’s easiest to get to Parc Natural de Mondragó by driving there yourself. We hired an automatic car using Rentalcars.com from Palma de Mallorca Airport for only €10/day ($10USD)! Booking a car with Rentalcars.com was simple and stress-free. They also offer an unbeatable free cancellation policy.

Getting from Cala d’Or to Mondragó Natural Park: although having a car is easiest, it’s fairly straightforward to get to the national park if you’re staying in nearby Cala d’Or. From this bus stop, you can catch the 20 minute 521 bus to the national park. The cost of a ticket is around €1.80 ($1.80USD) each way. Please check Transports de les Illes Balears for the latest information on prices and departure times.

Where to Eat

You won’t find much in the way of food at Parc Natural de Mondragó. We think this is a good thing to try and preserve the national park. You know, keeping nature as natural as possible. So, we recommend heading to a Lidl and packing your own food and snacks for your visit.

Where to Stay

There are a decent amount of places to stay near Parc Natural de Mondragó in Mallorca. Undoubtedly, the most popular and well-known place to stay is at Cala Mondragó Hotel. Otherwise, the next best place to stay is Agroturisme Na Martina. In fact, Agroturisme Na Martina has a higher rating than its more well-known counterpart. Agroturisme Na Martina is a family-run property set in a restored country house and is surrounded by lovely gardens. It’s also got an outdoor swimming pool and sun terrace. Each room has dynamite views of either the sea or mountains!

If you’re after a bigger holiday apartment, we recommend Can Yuca. It’s a new apartment-style accommodation with modern facilities and an excellent location. Certainly, it’s a hidden gem! For the budget traveller, we recommend Hotel Condemar. Indeed, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a greater value-for-money stay.

Cala Mondragó Hotel

Cala Mondragó Hotel is the go-to accommodation choice for those wanting to stay near Cala Mondragó and Caló des Borgit in Mallorca. Also known as Hotel Playa Mondragó, this hotel has a brilliant location in the national park. Certainly, you’re in a prime position to explore. At Cala Mondragó Hotel, you’ll find an on-site restaurant, snack bar and poolside bar, which is great considering the lack of dining options in the area. We’ve also heard the rooms are comfortable with all necessary amenities included.

Other Places Near Parc Natural de Mondragó

Near Parc Natural de Mondragó, you’ll find the gorgeous coastal towns of Santanyi and Cala Figuera. These are both great alternative places to stay if places at Parc Natural de Mondragó are booked out or you’re priced out. From Santanyi and Cala Figuera, there are plenty of epic beaches to explore along this stretch of coast. Otherwise, we recommend checking out Es Pontàs. It’s a natural rock arch that’s not too far from the national park. Specifically, it’s located on the coastline between the Cala Santanyi and Cala Llombards beaches.

What to Bring

These are our five gear essentials for this walk. For a longer gear list, check out our 66 Travel Accessories You Must Travel With. Otherwise, for a summary of everything you’d need for a trip to Mallorca, read our Ultimate Packing Checklist.

• Merrell Moab Mid Gore-Tex Hiking Boots: these hiking boots are super comfortable and lightweight.
• The North Face Venture Jacket: a fantastic windproof/waterproof jacket.
• Osprey Skarab 30L Day Backpack: a great backpack for hiking, which has plenty of space to store your gear.
• The North Face TKA Glacier Fleece Jacket: an excellent warmth:weight ratio fleece jacket that’ll help keep you warm.
• Columbia Convertible Trousers: a value for money pair of water-resistant convertible trousers.

You should also take swimmers, water, food, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat and a towel.

For other epic coastal walks in the Balearic Islands, check out our Menorca hiking guide.