A really beautiful and twisty (thus the name which in Spanish means the snake) scenic drive that starts in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains and ends in the small village of Sa Calobra. The road is about 8 miles each way. Much of that is at a gradient of more than 7% and filled with all sorts of curves so it takes about a half an hour each way (unless you're attempting it during high season when it may be congested). They advise not to do it if the weather is rainy as the asphalt becomes slick.
A Few Stops En Route
We decided to stop a few times on our way from Palma as we drove on Ma-10. The first stop was at Mirador ses Barques where we sat to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the wonderful views from their balcony.
It got quite forested as we drove along and we stopped at one of the cool tunnels here.
Our next stop was at Mirador des Gorg Blau where we got out of the car to look at the reservoir and then headed through the last tunnel before reaching the junction to begin the official drive.
The Official Start:
The Sa Calobra Road road is called Ma-2141 and is an offshoot of Ma-10 which happens at this beautiful arched aqueduct. It took us about an hour to drive from Palma to this point. We enjoyed getting out of the car to see this up close before following the signs to the beginning of the 8 mile route.
The Curves!
It's hard to describe how curvy, narrow and marvelous this road is (of course Jordan was driving so he may have a different view)! The views were so cool and we just felt like we were constantly making turns and climbing or dropping in elevation. I had the camera hanging out of the window trying to capture just how stunning it all was but it was hard to capture images as we drove! Here's some still shots I took.
And a couple of short videos with me holding our 360 camera out of the window on our return.
This is one of the most iconic parts of the drive, a curve of nearly 360 degrees.
A Couple of Places to Stop
Most of the time there was no place to pull off and stop but we did find two areas where we could. One was here.
Another time was here at the Mirador de Sa Calobra.
Right after this stop we drove through an amazing narrow rock section called Penyal del Cavall Bernat so Jordan walked from here to take a few pictures before we got back in the car and passed through it.
Walking around Sa Calobra
There are several parking options as you get near the end of the road and it's pedestrian only after that point to get into the little village area. Most things were closed since we were there in January but it looked like there were a few restaurants. The water color here was truly astonishing!
We enjoyed walking on the path that ran along the water and through a couple of rock tunnels that led to the Torrent de Pareis, a riverbed with very cool rock formations on either side, that can be hiked during dry times of the year. We didn't go very far, but rather just enjoyed the views and relaxed a bit before heading back to our car. It was a nice end point for our trip and a great way to stretch our legs a bit.
The Return Trip
Then we headed back the way we came to see things from this opposite side and in slightly different lighting as it was reaching evening, stopping to get out a few times again.
This was a great day and super cool experience.
January 2023
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