Cala Macarella

Cala Macarella is the classic image of southern Menorca: a deep inlet in the limestone coast, closed at its head by a crescent of white sand about 140 metres long, with steep cliffs on both sides and a dense cover of pines running right down to the rocks. The cove is the mouth of a ravine, a barranco cut through the plateau by a seasonal stream, and behind the beach the valley floor stays green and damp, a small wetland that gives the place a sheltered, almost enclosed feeling. The water inside the inlet is calm on most summer days and, over pale sand, turns an intense clear turquoise.

Its smaller twin is part of the attraction. Around the rocks on the eastern side of the inlet lies Macarelleta, a narrower beach whose name is simply the Menorcan diminutive of its neighbour. From the cliff path between them you look down on both at once, two pale arcs set in green against blue water, and this is the view that made the pair famous. The paths that climb the headlands are short but rewarding, and on the western side the ledges give a view out of the inlet to the open sea.

There is no village here and almost no building: the cove lies on an undeveloped stretch of coast west of Cala Galdana, in the municipality of Ciutadella. The beach is tied into the Camí de Cavalls, the old coastal track, once ridden by mounted soldiers between the watchtowers and forts of the island, which now circles all of Menorca as a long-distance footpath of some 186 km. Following it east or west along the clifftops is the best way to understand the setting, as the coast unfolds as a sequence of hidden coves, pine woods and ravines, each with its own small beach.

Getting there

Cala Macarella lies on the south coast of Menorca, about 11 km from Ciutadella. The nearest airport is Menorca Airport (MAH), about 26 km away. In summer, roughly from June to the end of September, the access road is closed to private cars and a seasonal bus runs from Ciutadella to the Macarella car park, from which a walk of about fifteen minutes leads down to the beach; Macarelleta is a further walk along the coastal path. Outside the season the official car park can be used. Walkers can also arrive along the Camí de Cavalls from Cala Galdana.