Barranc d'Algendar   Ferreries

A dramatic limestone gorge from Ferreries

Menorca's barrancs, or gorges, are wild and lonely places, deep clefts formed over tens of thousands of years by the gradual erosion of the limestone plateau in the south. The gorges attract a huge variety of wildlife birds, butterflies, flowers. Kestrels and kites nestle among the rushes; you see herons, buzzards and booted eagles. Lizards sun themselves on the rocks and tortoises wade through the marshes. The combination of rainfall, humidity and protection from the wind produces a richness of vegetation rarely seen elsewhere.

Algendar Gorge is the most dramatic of all and one of the most challenging to explore. The stream flows throughout the year, opening out at Cala Santa Galdana  into a wide river beside the beach. From here you can walk part of the way along its western side, where pine trees grow out of the cliffs at remarkable angles, but the path is often overgrown.

There is also limited access at the northern end. Take the minor road off the Mao-Ciutadella highway 100m west of the Cala Santa Galdana exit; when the tarmac runs out lafter a half hour walk!. Turn down the lane to your right. You can walk a short way along the gorge before finding your way blocked.