Where to anchor in Mallorca: the best anchorages, wind by wind
By Luis Carvajal · Updated 1 October 2026
In short: in a tramuntana or mestral, Pollença bay or the island's south and east. In an easterly, the west: Andratx and Sóller. In a southerly, the north: Pollença, Alcúdia and Sóller. On the Serra de Tramuntana coast the only real refuge is Port de Sóller. And in Cabrera, only with a permit and on a buoy.
Mallorca's winds
- Tramuntana (N) and mestral (NW): the strongest, especially in winter. They raise a sea on the north and west coasts.
- Llevant (E): humid, with a choppy sea in the south-east and north-east.
- Summer: in the south-east, xaloc, migjorn and llebeig (SE, S, SW) dominate.
- Embat: the summer thermal sea breeze. It comes in around midday, freshens in the afternoon and dies at sunset. A calm cove in the morning may not be one at four o'clock.
The coves you shouldn't miss
The ones that make the trip, from north to south. Many are day anchorages and nearly all are full in summer: pick the coast that suits the day's forecast, arrive early and look for the sand.
Serra de Tramuntana: only in a calm
- Sa Calobra & the Torrent de Pareis. The gorge opens to the sea between walls about 180 m high. Anchor off the mouth, on rock at about 12 m. At any wind from the north, head straight for Sóller.
- Cala Tuent. Below the Puig Major. Sand, gravel and rock at 3–8 m. Exposed from north-west to north-east: calm days only.
- Sa Foradada. The peninsula with the hole, near Deià, famous at sunset. There is seagrass and rock: find the sand, keep clear of the swimming area and check the chart, as guides disagree on its exposure.
- Cala Deià. Pebbles below the village. Gravel and rock with poor holding, and a submerged rock at 3 m near the beach. Daytime and calm only.
North: Formentor and Cala Sant Vicenç
- Formentor beach. Clear water over a large protected seagrass meadow: no anchoring on the meadow here; use the PortsIB buoy field.
- Cala Figuera de Formentor. A U-shaped inlet between cliffs. Sand and stone with patches of seagrass, 3–5 m. Dangerous in a northerly or north-easterly; tricky to manoeuvre near the beach.
- Cala Sant Vicenç. Four coves in a row (Barques, Clara, Molins and Carbó). Sand at about 7 m, 150 m off. Exposed to tramuntana and gregal: calm seas only.
East and south-east: the postcard coves
- Cala Màrmols. For the person who makes Offing, the most beautiful spot in Mallorca: a small cove between cliffs about 20 m high, with turquoise water, near Cap de ses Salines. On foot it takes a long walk, so from a boat you have it almost to yourself. Sand mixed with gravel and pebbles, 3–4 m. Sheltered from north and west; don't go in a strong wind from east round to south.
- Cala Varques. Unspoilt, with caves for snorkelling on the north side. Sand at 3–4 m; avoid the rocks to the north. Good in northerlies and westerlies; exposed to north-east and east.
- Cala Mondragó & s'Amarador. Natural park. Anchor in the mouth, at 5–8 m, on sand and weed. Sheltered from everything except east and south-east.
- Caló des Moro & Cala s'Almunia. Tiny and spectacular. Caló des Moro is about 30 by 20 m: better to anchor outside and swim in, early or late in the day. S'Almunia has loose rocks: for experienced skippers. Not in an easterly or south-easterly.
- Cala Llombards. White sand and pine woods. Good-holding sand, 6 m at the mouth to 3 m inside, with a buoyed swimming area. Open to the south-east.
- Cala Figuera (Santanyí). A fishing harbour like a small fjord. Not an anchorage: visit by tender or alongside.
South: Es Trenc and Cabrera
- Es Trenc. The great unspoilt beach of the natural park. Sand, weed and rocks at about 4 m, with a buoyed swimming area. Open to south and west, and no anchoring on Cymodocea either.
- Cabrera. The National Park: Port de Cabrera and Sa Cova Blava. Buoys only, with a permit, and no anchoring at the Cova Blava (the boat stays adrift with someone aboard). The rules are below.
South-west
- Cala Pi. A long, narrow inlet between cliffs and pines. Sand at 2–5 m. Enter down the middle: there are three big rocks to port. If the southerly builds, leave early.
- Portals Vells & Cala Falcó. Three coves with caves and a chapel carved into the rock. Sand and weed at 3–8 m, avoiding the seagrass. Exposed from north-east to south-east.
- Sa Dragonera & Sant Elm. Natural park and marine reserve. There is a buoy field off Sant Elm; Cala Lladó, on the island, is narrow with a rock in the middle.
In summer the swimming area of many beaches is marked with yellow buoys: boats may only enter through the marked channels, at 3 knots maximum.
North: Pollença, Formentor and Alcúdia
| Anchorage | Shelters from | Open to | Bottom and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollença bay | Northerlies (Punta Avançada blocks the NE) | E | Sand with seagrass; shallow inside. No good in an easterly. |
| Formentor | North | — | Sand among seagrass. PortsIB buoy field. Shallow between the islet and the shore. |
| Cala Sant Vicenç | South | N, NE | Sand. Dangerous with a northerly sea. |
| Alcanada (Alcúdia bay) | Tramuntana | SE round to NW, unsettled | Small sand patches. |
| Cala Agulla (Cala Ratjada) | Winds from S round to NW | N, NE, E | Sand and stone, about 5 m. In a northerly or easterly a sea runs in and the anchor may drag. |
Serra de Tramuntana: Sóller and little else
Some fifty miles of spectacular coast, with coves such as Sa Calobra and Cala Tuent. But in bad weather the only safe refuge is Port de Sóller: a wide anchoring area on sand, 2 to 5 m, with no-anchoring zones marked by yellow buoys.
Sa Calobra (sand and stone, 7–15 m) and Cala Tuent are fair-weather stops: they are open to northerlies. If the forecast gives tramuntana or mestral, go to Sóller.
South-west: Andratx, Dragonera and Portals Vells
| Anchorage | Shelters from | Open to | Bottom and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port d'Andratx | A well-sheltered bay | S, SW | Parts of the harbour are no-anchoring zones: follow the buoyage. |
| Sant Elm & Sa Dragonera | — | The coves on Dragonera's SE side, to E and S | PortsIB buoy field at Sant Elm. The Freu is narrow and shallow, with gusts and sudden wind shifts. |
| Portals Vells | Three sides | E, SE (a sea runs in between NE and SE) | Sand alternating with seagrass, 4–5 m. Very busy and patrolled. |
South: Cala Pi, Es Trenc and Colònia de Sant Jordi
| Anchorage | Shelters from | Open to | Bottom and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cala Pi | Almost everything | S, SE (they make leaving hard) | Sand, 2–5 m. Rocks to port on entry; a line ashore is usually needed. |
| Es Trenc & Colònia de Sant Jordi | — | Westerly, which usually comes in the afternoon | Sand and weed, good holding. Natural Park (see below). In a strong southerly the entrance to Colònia harbour can be dangerous. |
East and south-east: Mondragó, Llombards, Portocolom
| Anchorage | Shelters from | Open to | Bottom and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cala Mondragó | N round to SW | E, SE | Sand and weed, 4–5 m. Protected seagrass; usually full. |
| Caló des Moro | — | E, SE | Tiny: anchor outside, on the sand by the cliffs, at 3–4 m. |
| Cala Llombards | — | Faces S and SE | Sand, 6 to 3 m. |
| Cala Varques | — | — | Sand, 3–4 m. Very busy. |
Portocolom is a large natural harbour with a mud bottom and good holding according to some guides, which call it a storm refuge. Others consider it unprotected in a southerly and note shallow water outside the channel. It has PortsIB transit buoys. In a southerly, check the chart and forecast before counting on it.
Cabrera: permit and buoys only
The Cabrera archipelago is a National Park with its own rules:
- Navigation permit: free, valid for twelve months, applied for online on the government website.
- Anchoring is forbidden. You may only moor to buoys: by day at Es Burrí, Sa Coveta Roja and the harbour; overnight, only in Port de Cabrera. The buoys are paid and assigned by boat length.
- Limits: a maximum number of boats per day, and of nights per stay (two in July and August, seven the rest of the year, according to the government). Book ahead in season.
Buoy fields, seagrass and the Es Trenc Natural Park
PortsIB lays seasonal buoy fields in Mallorca at Sant Elm, Cap Blanc – Cala Blava and Formentor, from 1 June to 30 September (extendable to 15 October). Book at reservas.portsib.es.
Anchoring on Posidonia is forbidden throughout the Balearics (Decree 25/2018), and in Mallorca patrols cover Pollença and Alcúdia bays, Calvià, the east coast and Portocolom, among others. In the Es Trenc – Salobrar de Campos Natural Park the ban goes further: no anchoring on Cymodocea, maërl or coralligenous bottoms either. How to recognise the meadow, in Posidonia: where you can anchor in the Balearics.
The rissaga reaches Mallorca too
The rissaga, the meteotsunami associated with Ciutadella, also reaches Mallorca. On 1 July 2024 the water swung 60 cm in Port de Pollença, and on 24 August 2026 there were rissagas in Alcúdia, Andratx and Sóller. AEMET issues warnings: if there are any, watch your lines and your anchor.
How Offing helps
Tap a cove on the chart and Offing tells you the depth, how sea and wind will be hour by hour, and whether the bottom is seagrass according to the government's official mapping, offline too if you downloaded the area. It marks marine reserves and shows the official AEMET forecast with the warnings in force.
What it does not do is decide for you: the depth is a model and the seagrass mapping is indicative. It warns; it does not authorise.
Offing
Mediterranean chart, Balearic seagrass, the official forecast and a logbook that writes itself. iPhone and Apple Watch, offline, one payment. Made in Mallorca.
Sources
- Masmar, Mallorca pilot, coves from Formentor to Sóller, Port de Sóller and Cabrera (Spanish)
- Mallorca Nautic, Mallorca nautical guide (Spanish)
- Mallorca.com, Cala Màrmols and Mallorca Beaches, Caló des Màrmols
- Fondear.com, Mallorca anchorages and coves (Spanish)
- Government of the Balearic Islands, sailing and anchoring in Cabrera and Es Trenc – Salobrar de Campos Natural Park (Spanish)
- Government of the Balearic Islands, PortsIB buoy fields (Spanish)
- Majorca Daily Bulletin, Mallorca ports hit by meteotsunamis, August 2026