Portals Vells to Cala Figuera lighthouse

I did this walk in May 2024, parking the car near Portals Vells and following the coast to the lighthouse and watchtower of Cala Figuera. The return followed the same route as the outward. (Download GPX)

The day dawned very cloudy, which promised a day not suitable for photography, but fortunately the sun came out later.

The entire coast is made of sandstone and there are caves and rocks with holes everywhere.

Very soon the Cala Figuera lighthouse can already bee seen.

The coast is buffeted by strong winds that shape the vegetation.

As you make your way towards the lighthouse you skirt the sandstone rock cliffs.

Along the way we find Juniper bushes with their famous berries, widely used as a condiment in gastronomy, but also as an ingredient in traditional medicine and for the production of gin.

Halfway to Cala Figuera you pass through the small cove Cala en Beltran, which is practically impossible to access on foot due to the rugged terrain and dense vegetation.

Soon we saw the entrance to Cala Figuera and nearby the abandoned buildings of the old military garrison of the coastal battery.

In the surroundings of Cala Figuera you can see the remains of old limestone quarries that were used for construction in Palma.

After passing through Cala Figuera, you ascend towards the old military barracks, now abandoned, from which there is a good view of the coast.

The Cala Figuera lighthouse is not far away. It is located at the western tip of the bay of Palma and was inaugurated in 1860, although the current building and tower date from 1962.

From the lighthouse you can see the old watchtower, which is currently semi-ruined and in the process of restoration.

Although the objective of this outing was to reach Cala Figuera, I decided to follow the coast a little further towards El Toro.

After a while, from “Catius” cape, you can see the island of El Toro.

At this point I begin the return following approximately the same route.

To finish, a brief visit to the Portals Vells cove.

One of the most distinctive features of Portals Vells are the immense sandstone quarries, from where the stone used for construction in Palma was formerly extracted.

From Portals Vells you can access a beautiful path that runs through the pine forest to the nudist beach of El Mago. It owes its name to the fact that in 1967 the movie The Magus was filmed there, starring popular movie stars such as Anthony Quinn, Michael Caine and Candice Bergen.