Hiking from Cala Salada to San Antonio

One way to do this is to take public transport (bus no 34 or the ferry) from San Antonio to Cala Salada for a day on the beach and walk back to town when you’re done. The trail begins by the Cala Salada Restaurant, this is your only refreshment stop for a while and there are no shops along the way so grab a bottle of water here if you need one. Take the stone steps that lead up from the beach directly next to the restaurant terrace, don’t take the ones that start across the road as they lead only to the car park and you’ll have to climb back down and start again.

Plenty of water, suncream and of course your swimming things so that you can jump in the water and cool off.

Why not spend the day at Cala Salada and lunch there before you begin the walk back to San Anotnio. Alternatively take a picnic and stop part way at Punta de sa Galera, Cala Yoga or further on at the lovely beach club at Cala Gracionetta.

Keep an eye on you time as you go and maybe stop in Cala Gracio for refreshments until the sun starts to go down, because that last stretch of coastline is truly stunning at sunset and you’ll get back to town just as the music starts on the strip and you’ll have earned a drink by then!.

Coming from Cala Salada, the start is the most arduous part of the walk. These steps although not overly steep do go on for a while and the path leads initially away from the coast line and into the thick pine trees which makes for close, hot air that’ll have you working up a sweat. Climb the steps and then follow the rough road around until you come to a fork, turn left and walk uphill past an old tennis court and later past the endless stonewalls of the Artesia Villa. Once past there the road splits again take a right towards the sea.

Now you’re out in the open with much fresher air and a view out over the incredible coastline on in both directions. Look back to Cala Salada with its hilly backdrop and rugged stone islands, peer down the sheer cliffs to the boats bobbing on the deep water below and gaze onwards across unspoilt, undeveloped pine strewn hills. From here it’s just a case of following the coastline all the way home.

15 minutes or so from Cala Salada you’ll come to Cala Yoga, a hidden gem of a beach popular with locals and nudists. First you’ll come to a roped off section of cliff where you can look down on people sunbathing on the rocks, further along you’ll find a trail that leads to these rocks, and if you need to cool off you can leap off them into the cool green depths below, if you’d like a more sedate option then keep walking until you reach the little sandless cove from where you can wade instead of leap into the water.

Directly after Yoga Beach comes Punta de sa Galera, a narrow pointed headland of rock sticking out into the sea, walk out to the end of the point to look back on the coastline, then rejoin the trail and carry on along cliffs that only get more rugged. The path sticks closely to the edge of these cliffs and occasionally you’ll have to squeeze between the cliff edge and the walls of a villa but the views along the way are exceptional. One of the villas you’ll pass is Hostal La Torre where you can stop for a drink or something to eat on their elegant terrace with a view.

After La Torre the path opens up and you have more space to wander in and out of wooded shady areas before you’ll find yourself emerging around a small power station and car park to the tiny sandy cove of Gracioneta with Gracio just beyond. Stop here for a swim, sunbathe or another refreshment stop and if your legs are done in you can end your walk here. Buses run regularly back to San Antonio from just beyond the beach, as does a ferry.

If you’d rather keep going then you’re only 30minutes from San Antonio, and it’s an easy walk, keep to the coastline and you can’t go wrong. You’ll pass the Cap Blanc Aquarium perched on the edge of the rocks and once past there you’ll see San Antonio stretched out around the bay before you. Follow the pedestrian walkway until it joins up with the Sunset Strip next to Calo des Moro – your last chance for a foot cooling paddle and then you’re back in San An as a successful explorer.