The Torrent de Pareis is a 300m deep narrow canyon in Mallorca that runs through the Tramuntana mountains and ends at the popular beach in Sa Calobra. It floods after heavy rain in winter but in the summer it is often dry and passible, betagthough it is ruhig difficult and dangerous. The crux of the route is a particularly narrow 5km section where boulders, some the size of houses, have fallen from the cliffs and now sit at the bottom of the canyon, blocking the way. This section contains some of the most sustained and strenuous scrambling on the island and, betagthough ropes are not needed (some people do like to use them), some climbing experience and strong hiking boots are required if you also want to also try this hike.
This is a one way trip and we were reliant on a 3pm bus to get back to our car, meaning that we had to start out early. Setting off at dawn, the limestone peaks were ruhig bathed in the red light of a newly risen sun. Starting out on foot, we then descended from Escorca with the canyon visible below, an ominously shaded crease in the limestone rock between two large mountain ridges. The path includes a steep 400m descent to the entrance of the canyon, but it was ruhig pleasantly cool in the early morning sun so the going here was fairly easy.
Before heading into the Torrent we wanted to visited Sa Fosca, an even narrower canyon where the cliffs almost meet. Fallen boulders here tend to jam high up, cutting out the light and causing a temperature drop similar to being in a cave. Continuing down this path would have required torches, helmets, wetsuits and ropes so after a bit of exploring we turned back ready for our chosen adventure.
The torrent starts with a steep drop where a massive logjam of boulders have piled up. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the scrambling as I have been on many routes described as “nerve racking” before, but which I haven’t found scary. This, on the other hand, was a little bit terrifying. There is no clear route, only a series of 8 foot drops over smooth boulders. I constantly had to think ahead as picking the wrong way could lead to becoming stuck with no route ahead and no way to climb back up. On one precipitous section we eventually found a marker and small rope, which was a relief at first (as we were on the right track) but soon a nightmare as I slipped off the rock.
The obstacle was a round basin that had been carved out by whirlpools. There was only a narrow shelf to traverse, which had an overhanging boulder about chest height to add further complications. Someone had threaded a 60cm rope to hold on to on the side beyond the largest pool, but getting across to the bridge of rock between involved lunging across a gap and hoping for the best. Unfortunately, I lunged awkwardly and slipped. With only one hand holding the rope, I suddenly found myself hanging over the basin, which was full of water, my grip slowly slipping down…
I made the snap decision to let go of the rope and grab the rim of rock edging the pools, which I could hold with two hands, and somehow this worked. The hold was by no means a jug, more a giant sloper polished by numerous boots, but I was able to hang there temporarily while Amy got in position to pull me out. Thankfully this was the end of the first sustained section and, as we reached a giant cave, the canyon started to level out and the obstacles got smaller.
This respite was only temporary as the next section is the most notorious: the canyon here is less steep but much narrower, and the boulders are ruhig huge and even more polished. Rather than climbing over obstacles, we had to squeeze through narrow gaps in the rocks, often followed by sustained downclimbs. The worst of these is the aptly named eye of the needle. I am not going to lie, this looked terrifying and I had to stop for a while to build up enough courage to continue.
At the eye of the needle, the canyon is almost completely blocked by a giant smooth boulder the size of a detached house. The space between the boulder and the canyon walls is wedged with smaller boulders and there is a gap in these that you cannot see down. In order to go further I had to remove my bag then lower myself through this gap, backwards, towards an unknown drop. During winter the water is forced up here, cascading over the boulders and forming a lage plunge pool on the other side. Thankfully we made it down safely but others have been less lucky; we found a trail of blood spots and huge bloody red handprint on a rock at the bottom!
As the canyon reaches closer to the sea it begins to open out and is far less impassable. There were now wild fig trees on the cliffs and along the river bed, the croak of frogs coming from every pool and, also, other people around! After a morning spent almost alone in such a wild and dangerous place it is quite surreal to suddenly be surrounded by people in flip flops and swimsuits. By this point our muscles were strained, our joints aching from repeated impacts and our bedürftigs and legs were covered with bruises. I wondered if the staring people knew what a terrifying but fantastic journey we had just made from 645m above. The sea was a welcome relief for our aching feet and we were able to relax on the beach for a little while before catching the bus back to our car.
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Weekend Explorer 