THRILLGROUNDS Ground 47 · Mallorca · Manacor · Alcúdia · Escorca · Porto Cristo · La Victòria · Magaluf
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The Torrent de Pareis gorge in the Serra de Tramuntana: grey limestone walls hundreds of metres high closing in over a dry boulder bed

39° 40′ N · 3° 00′ E · From a balloon basket 500 m over Manacor to the dark heart of Sa Fosca · Ground 47

Mallorca

An island of package holidays
with the wildest canyon in Europe.

Mallorca sells sunbeds, but the limestone underneath is serious: the Serra de Tramuntana drops 300-metre walls into the Torrent de Pareis, the east coast is a wall of sea cliffs that invented deep water soloing, and the north has the bays that make coasteering and paragliding work. Below, every thrill on the island by how far you are above the ground, from the balloon basket over Manacor to the quads on the tracks of Randa – with real prices from the platforms that sell them, and the honest note that the two best things here are guided direct, not through a platform.

1 · the view3 · sweaty palms5 · heart in your throat
Jump
A striped hot-air balloon seen from above, drifting low over a ploughed field near Manacor with a person watching from the furrows

Stop 1 · Hot-air balloon · Globodromo Son Parot, Manacor, and the fields of Sant Llorenç

500M · THE BASKET

Five hundred metres over the almond fields, Cabrera on the horizon

The burner roars in the dark, the basket lifts off the field outside Manacor, and the island unfolds: Cala Millor, the Tramuntana, the flat middle in the first sun. At 500 metres you see Cabrera, on the clearest mornings Menorca.

Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
Height
300–500 m over the Llevant plain; an hour in the air, about 3.5 hours in all
Where
Globodromo Son Parot on the MA-15 outside Manacor; a second operator launches from Sa Màniga, Cala Millor or Sant Llorenç as the pilot decides
When
year-round at sunrise, sunset flights in season; low season needs a minimum of five adults
Who
from 4–5 years with a parent; over 100 kg you buy two seats
Price
shared flights from €185–190, sunset from €215; a private basket for two €750, cava toast and certificate included

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A tandem paraglider with a purple wing high over the sea off the Llucmajor coast of Mallorca, the horizon and a sailing boat below

Puig de Sant Martí is the round hill between the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença. A few running steps down the ramp and the wing takes you; the sea breeze lifts you to 400 metres, both bays under your feet, twenty minutes of it.

Pulse 3/5 our editors' rating
Take-off
Puig de Sant Martí at 260 m above the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença; a second site, Sa Torre, at 150 m over the Llucmajor coast in the south
Flight
about 20 minutes, gaining up to 400 m; Tandem Silver for first-timers, acrobatic tandem with wing-overs and SAT for the brave
When
weather permitting, midday to late afternoon; the north site works with the summer sea breeze
Who
minimum age 16; sports shoes essential
Price
from about €120–153 with video, direct with the pilots (Madventure, Mallorca From The Sky, MallorcaFly)

Direct only. Neither GetYourGuide nor Viator lists a tandem paraglider on the island; the only platform flight is the paratrike below. Book with the pilots directly, and expect the day to move with the wind.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 2 · Tandem paragliding · Puig de Sant Martí, above the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença

260M · THE TAKE-OFF

Off a 260-metre hill between two bays, up to 400 metres in the sea breeze

The narrow Torrent des Gorg Blau near s'Entreforc: pale boulders wedged between towering limestone walls, green shrubs clinging to the rock

Stop 3 · Canyoning · Gorg Blau to Sa Fosca, Torrent de Pareis, Escorca

18M · THE BIGGEST ABSEIL

Nine hours, forty jumps, and half a kilometre with no daylight at all

Below the Gorg Blau dam the canyon shuts. The walls climb to 300 metres and lean together until the sky is a crack, then nothing: 500 metres by headlamp, cold pools, jumps into black water, corridors 40 cm wide. Then light.

Pulse 5/5 our editors' rating
The canyon
6.5 km from the Gorg Blau dam to the Torrent de Pareis, 320 m of descent, walls up to 300 m, more than 40 jumps, abseils to 18 m
The dark
Sa Fosca itself: about 500 m in complete darkness, corridors as narrow as 40 cm, water all the way
The day
about 9 hours from 7:50 at Escorca; 2.5 hours of approach and return on top of 5–6 hours in the canyon
When
November to May, depending on rain and the dam's water level; summer is dry and closed
Who
16 and over, previous canyoning experience mandatory, very fit; guides take one to three people
Price
from €110–115 with all technical gear and headlamp; beginners start on Na Mora (abseils to 8 m, from €70) or L'Ofre (34-m abseil, from €80)

Direct only. Sa Fosca is sold by the mountain guides (MallorcAlpina, Mon d'Aventura), not by the platforms; the Viator canyoning listing under 'more' is a beginner canyon. Photo: the Torrent des Gorg Blau near s'Entreforc, the canyon's lower reach, not the dark section.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A climber letting go from the roof of a sea cave, falling towards the waves with the open sea beyond (symbolic image, not Mallorca)

No harness, no rope: chalk bag, climbing shoes and the Mediterranean as your crash pad. You traverse out of a cove on tufas and pockets, the water going from two metres below to eight, to fifteen, until your arms give out.

Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
The heights
guided lines from 2 m (easy) through 8 m (mid) to 15 m (advanced); the Cova del Diablo wall at Porto Cristo, where Mallorcan psicobloc began, reaches 18 m
Where
Cala Barques, Es Pontàs and Cova des Diable on foot or by boat; Cala Varques is the newcomers' cove
The day
about 4 hours; walking access from €79, boat access from €99, group minimum four to five; full-day UIAGM tours €200 for climbers at 6a and above
When
May to October, when the sea is warm and calm
Who
strong swimmers in good shape and without vertigo; no climbing experience needed for the easy lines, but bring or hire climbing shoes

Photo: a drop from a sea-cave roof elsewhere, not the Mallorcan coast – the platforms' listings carry the real Cala Barques pictures.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 4 · Psicobloc · Cala Barques, Es Pontàs and Cova des Diable, east coast

15M · THE HIGHEST LINE

Climbing without a rope over the sea, on the coast that invented it

A coasteering jumper in a wetsuit and helmet mid-air off a dark rock ledge into the sea, others swimming below (symbolic image, Gower, not Mallorca)

Stop 5 · Coasteering · the cliffs of La Victòria and Bonaire, Alcúdia; also the south coast

10M · THE TOP JUMP

Three hours along the rock: jumps from two metres to ten, a cave you swim into

Wetsuit, helmet, harness, and off the path onto the rock. You scramble the cliff foot, swim the gaps, abseil a short wall, duck into a sea cave only the water knows – and jump: two metres first, ten if you want it, each your call.

Pulse 3/5 our editors' rating
The jumps
from about 2 m for beginners up to 10 m; all optional
Where
the La Victòria peninsula near Bonaire, Alcúdia, on the north coast; a second route on the south coast near Palma with transfers
The day
3–3.5 hours with scrambling, swimming, an abseil and a sea cave; groups of up to ten
Who
from about 10 with an adult; no experience needed, medium fitness; wetsuit, helmet and harness provided
Price
€62–75 per person

Photo: a coasteering jump on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, not La Victòria.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A convoy of off-road buggies on a narrow lane between vineyards and Mediterranean scrub at sunset (symbolic image, Korčula, not Mallorca)

Out of the resort and onto the country lanes: pine forest, dry-stone walls, the climb up the Puig de Randa with the whole plain below. In summer the tour ends at a cove where the guide points at a rock and the brave jump off it.

Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
The rides
3 hours: from the south through six districts up to Randa with a cliff-jumping and snorkelling stop in summer; from Port d'Alcúdia to Pollença, the Es Colomer lookout on Formentor and back; from Magaluf into the hills
Who
driver 21 and over with an original class-B licence, no exceptions; passenger from 7
When
April to October, Monday to Saturday in the north
Price
€60–95 per quad and driver, double quad about €130; helmets, fuel, insurance and water included

Photo: a buggy convoy on Korčula, Croatia – the quads' two-seater cousins, not Mallorca.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 6 · Quad · the tracks of Randa and the roads of Alcúdia, Pollença and Formentor

0M · ON THE TRACK

Three hours on a quad through six districts, with a cliff jump at the end

Touchdown. Now build your day on these grounds.

    Also on these grounds

    Kayak, sea cave and cliff jump

    Pulse 2/5

    The island's most-booked adventure: paddle the east coast into a sea cave, snorkel, and jump off the rocks where the guide says it is deep enough. Cala Varques by kayak is the quieter version.

    Via ferrata at Peguera

    Pulse 3/5

    A circular guided route on the limestone cliffs above the sea near Peguera: about 250 m of cable and rungs reaching 45 m above the water, grade K2, two hours, from age seven. Sold by the guides direct.

    The grounds in numbers

    ActivityPulseThe numberDurationFromReviewsBookable online
    Hot-air balloon · ManacorBook now →
    Paragliding · Puig de Sant Martí3/5260-m take-off, 20 min1 hMadventure, Mallorca From The Sky—no – book direct
    Canyoning · Sa Fosca5/518-m abseil, 500 m of dark9 hMallorcAlpina, Mon d'Aventura—no – book direct
    Deep water soloing · Cala BarquesBook now →
    Coasteering · La VictòriaBook now →
    Quad · RandaBook now →

    Before you jump

    Can you go skydiving in Mallorca?

    Not reliably. Skydive Mallorca in Manacor announces helicopter tandem jumps for January to March only, and its website was unreachable when we checked in September 2026. The nearest year-round drop zone is Empuriabrava on the Catalan mainland. For the island's biggest height, take the balloon (500 m) or the paraglider (400 m).

    What is Sa Fosca and can a beginner do it?

    Sa Fosca is the dark section of the Gorg Blau canyon in the Torrent de Pareis: 6.5 km, more than 40 jumps, abseils to 18 m and about 500 m in complete darkness between 300-m walls. It is rated hard, runs November to May, and the guides require previous canyoning experience and a minimum age of 16. Beginners start on Na Mora or L'Ofre.

    Is deep water soloing safe for a first-timer?

    On a guided tour, yes: the easy lines are 2 m above deep water, the mid lines 8 m, and you only go to 15 m if you choose to. You need to be a confident swimmer, in good shape and free of vertigo; the guides bring the safety gear and an aid ladder. May to October, when the sea is calm and warm.

    Do I need a licence for the quad tours?

    Yes, to drive: an original class-B licence, driver 21 or over on most tours, and no refund if you turn up without it. Passengers ride from age seven. Buggies have the same rule.

    Where is the best coasteering in Mallorca?

    The classic route is the La Victòria peninsula near Bonaire in Alcúdia: three hours of scrambling, swimming, a short abseil, a sea cave and jumps from 2 to 10 m, all optional. There is a second route on the south coast near Palma with hotel transfers.