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Like most places in Spain, Granada has a broad range of outdoors sports and activities to suit the needs of pretty much any adventure lover. It’s home to the southernmost ski hill in Europe. Granada has an abnormally long ski and snowboard season. Hiking and walking in Granada and the nearby Sierra Nevada are fantastic. There is also fantastic camping in Granada, as well as spectacular paragliding, hang-gliding, and climbing.

Province of Granada Location

Granada is a province in southern spain. It’s flanked by Almeria in the east and Malaga in the West, and has a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea.

Major Cities in Granada

The province’s capital city, Granada, is by far the most populous with over 240,000 residents (it should be noted that as a university city the population fluctuates greatly at different times of the school year). The next largest city is Motril with just over 50,000.

Geography of Granada

The province of Granada in southern Spain covers 12,635 square kilometres and is home to less than 1 million people. The province has a diverse geography including plains, beaches, as well as a chunk of Spain’s famous Sierra Nevada mountains that includes the tallest mountain on the Iberian Peninsula, Mulhacén (3,479 m). Other notable mountains include Veleta at 3,396 m and Alcazaba at 3,371 m. All of them are climbable.

Granada is part mountains, part plains, and part coastline. Much of the region, including the scenic mountains and valleys, were formed by glacial movement. Its isolation and unique formation resulted in a variety of unique flora and fuana, including 116 threatened and 60 endemic plant species. Spanish ibex, wild boar, wildcats, Golden Eagle’s, the Eurasian Eagle-owl, Serin, and Ortolan, among many others can also be seen here.

Part of Sierra Nevada National Park is located in the province of Granada (the other part is in Almeria to the east). The Sierra de Baza mountain range also runs through the area. The coast in the south is referred to as the Costa Tropical. Although its not the most popular spot for sun-seeking tourists in Spain, it attracts a large number of tourists.

Granada Weather and Climate

Because of the wide range of terrain and altitude in the province, the weather and climate in Granada can very widely from place to place on any given day. The province mostly has a mild Mediterranean climate with hot summers, a short cold winter, and moderate precipitation.

The city of Granada, which is located at an altitude of 738 m (2,421 ft), reaches an average low of around 1°C (34°F) in the winter, and average high of around 33°C (92°F)in the summer.

Granada Description

Between the Costa Tropical, the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site Alhambra, and the capital Granada, which is also famous for its historic moorish architecture, the province of Granada draws a great deal of tourists from around Europe, and the world. Alhambra alone receives 2 million visitors each year (around 8500 each day).

Europe’s most southerly ski resort, the Sierra Nevada Ski Station, is also located here. Because of the high altitude the resort enjoys long seasons, starting as early as November and ending as late as May. The Alpujarras and Lecrin Valleys are popular areas for eco-tourism, hiking, and mountain biking. The mountains of the Sierra Nevada are dotted with refugios (cabins) for hikers to use, some of which charge a small fee, and some of which are free.

The area is best visited in spring and fall, as the summers can be extremely hot, and the winters a bit chilly (but even they are not too bad).

Granada Highlights

• The hiking and walking in historic Granada city, Alhambra, and the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains cannot be beat.
• Camping in Granada is affordable and abundant, and the climate is perfect for it nine months of the year.
• Hang-gliding and paragliding are popular in Granda, so schools and sites are plentiful and convenient.
• The rock climbing near Granada in the Sierra Nevada mountains is outstanding.

Granada Outdoor Adventure Activities

• Surfing
• Stand-up paddle boarding
• Scuba diving (cave, reef)
• Snorkeling
• Surfing (all levels)
• Sailing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Hot air ballooning
• Whitewater rafting
• Kayaking (river and lake)
• Canoeing
• Caving and spelunking
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Via Ferrata
• Canyoning
• Rock climbing (all levels)
• Ice climbing
• Abseiling/rappelling
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding
• Skiing and snowboarding
• Cross-country skiing

Budget Travel in Granada

• Campsites around Granada generally costs around $7 – 10 USD per tent, plus about the same amount for each adult on the site.
• The most inexpensive hostels around Granada, such as Posada Jose Bocanegra and Meridiano range from $12 USD to $17 USD per night for a bed in a shared room. 
More information about hostels in Spain can be found here.
• Granada is one of the few places in Spain where tapas are served free with drinks. Therefore the cheapest way to eat is to drink. The more excessively you drink, the better you will eat (though that may not equate to a better performance on the slopes in the morning).

Granada Travel Insurance

I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.

Granada Photos

[nggallery id=59]

Images (in order) courtesy J.A. Alcaide, rodcasro, Chodaboy, Landahlauts, Warhanek, PapeMartin, Luis Marín, hazelowendmc, Gastev, juanpg, alfonsator, and alfonsator on Flickr.

Granada Map

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Disclosure: If you purchase insurance, book a hostel, or purchase one of the recommended books on this page using the links provided, I will receive a small commission. I do not, however, recommend these products simply to make money. I recommend World Nomads travel insurance because I use it myself and feel that they offer a good product that suits my needs at a fair price. I recommend Hostelbookers.com because they have the cheapest booking prices that I have seen online and a large selection, and I recommend the selected books from Amazon.com because they have reputations for quality information and were up to date at the time of writing. If you have found my blog useful I hope that you will consider purchasing some of these products using the links on this page to help me to continue providing free information about adventure travel around the world.

Granada Vacations

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La Tomatina in Bunol, Spain is basically the world’s biggest and messiest tomato fight festival. This orgy of tomato throwing in Spain occurs each year on the last Wednesday in August. Keep reading to find out about the history of this bizarre festival, how it goes down, and how you can plan a trip to do some tomato throwing in Spain this year.

Check out the top three videos of La Tomatina.

Tomato Throwing in Spain

La Tomatina in Bunol is an annual festival in Spain.  Attracting visitors from around the world, the event has been declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest. Participants have one hour to unleash their inner child and engage in one of the most epic food fights ever. The city council dumps truckloads of tomatoes in the streets (In 2007 there were 115 tons!) and, once the festival begins, no one is safe.

The main event leading up to the food fight is known as the palo jabón. A greased pole is erected and a ham is placed on top of it. Then participants attempt to climb to the pole to reach the ham. Spectators sing, dance, and shower themselves with water waiting for a victor to toss the ham off the top of the pole. Once the ham falls, the horn sounds and the hour-long tomato fight begins. The fight usually starts around 11 am.

After the fight, firemen hose down the town while locals generously offer participants the use of their hoses to clean up. Some people also wash off in the pool of  los peñones.

Want to Do Some Tomato Throwing in Spain?

La Tomatina takes place in the Valencian town of Bunol the last Wednesday of August around 11 am. It lasts for one hour.  Particpants should arrive at the festival around 8 am to ensure a good spot for taking in all the action. To get to the event, travelers can fly into Valencia and take a train or bus to the center of the city. Please note tickets into and out of the city should be booked well in advance due to the popularity of the tomato fight festival. A one-way ticket from Valencia to Bunol costs around $6.75 (€4.70) and takes about 45 minutes. Visitors should arrive at the Valencia San Isidre station around 6:30 am to catch the 7am train.

Due to the lack of accommodation in Bunol, it’s much easier to find a place to stay in Valencia. Hotel rooms should also be booked well in advance, as hotels tend to hike up their prices around this time. Hostel reservations can be easily made online you can check out these villas in Spain.

Other Tips: Make sure to bring goggles, wear clothes you don’t mind getting ripped or stained, and water-proof your camera!

La Tomatina History

The origins of tomato throwing in Spain are a bit sketchy, but the original festival is said to have been started by some angry youths who began throwing tomatoes at their enemies one Wednesday afternoon in August, 1945. Though lawmakers arrived on the scene and put the kibosh on that fight, every year around the same time more and more people gathered to repeat the tomato war. The fight grew in popularity but was outlawed in the 1950’s. Due to pressure from the locals, the town council approved the fight again in 1959 with stipulation that tomato throwing could only begin with the sound of a horn and would cease when the horn sounded again. Since that time the fight risen in fame over the years. Copycat fights have also sprouted up in Columbia, Costa Rica, China, Chile, and Reno, Nevada.

Check out the top three videos of La Tomatina.

All photos courtesy of flydime on Flickr

Valencia Vacations

The post La Tomatina in Bunol, Spain: The Tomato Fight Festival appeared first on XpatMatt.

Learn more about La Tomatina.

La Tomatina Video 1

La Tomatina Video 2

La Tomatina Video 3

Learn more about La Tomatina.

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Place

Spain

Location

In southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

Major Cities

The largest cities in Spain include the capital, Madrid, as well as Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville.

Climate and Geography

Spain borders Portugal to the west and France and Andorra to the north, with coastlines on both the Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and the Mediterranean Sea. Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands off of the west coast of Africa, and the uninhabited Plazas de Soberanía on the Mediterranean side of the Strait of Gibralter.

Spain is the second largest country in the European Union and 51st largest in the world at 504,782 square kilometers. The highest peak in the country is also the third largest volcano in the world (measured from the base), Teide in Tenerife. The highest point on the Iberian Peninsula is Mulhacén, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the south.

Mainland Spain is made up is mostly of highland plains and mountains. Mountain ranges include the Pyrenees on the French border in the north, the Cantabrian Mountains (Cordillera Cantábrica) along the northwest coast, the Iberian System (Sistema Ibérico) in the central northeast, the Sistema Central in central Spain, the Montes de Toledo in central Spain, the Sierra Morena in central Spain, and Baetic System (Sistema Bético) in southern Spain.
Most of Spain has a mediterranean climate except for a small section in the north that has an oceanic climate (no dry season) and in the southeast that has a semiarid climate (longer dry season).

Description

Spain’s tourism industry is enormous; it’s the fourth most visited country in the world. Because of the volume of air traffic to the country, deals on flights to Spain can be found online. Spain’s popular areas for tourism include Costa del Sol, Ibiza, Mallorca, Tenerife, and the Sierra Nevada.

Spain’s attraction is obvious. Beaches, near perfect climate, and a rugged geography are huge attractions. So is history. Spain is home to 42 UNESCO World Heritage sites, the second most in the world (after Italy, which has 45).

Spain has a variety of unique ‘throwing’ festivals. On December 28th people in the town of Ibi fling cooking flour at each other. On the last Friday of August revelers in the town of Laredo engage in a battle of wildflowers. The most popular is La Tomatina. On the last Wednesday of August people in the town of Buñol (and tens of thousands of visitors) have a citywide tomato fight. In 2007 they used 115 tons of tomatoes during the celebration.
Of course, everyone has heard of the Pamplona’s running of the bulls, which takes place from July 6–14.

With mountains, islands, lakes, rivers, beaches, Spain is incredible of outdoors sports. Wikipedia lists 27 ski hills in the country. The Torka del Carlistain the north, is the largest cave chamber in Europe at 520 m by 245 m and Torca del Cerro del Cuevón, also in the north, descends 1589 m below the earth’s surface. There is surfing along more than half of the coastline. There is an enormous variety of scuba diving available. With 14 national parks, pristine hiking, trekking, and mountain climbing is accessible in most places.

Spain has a many incredible festivals. One of the most unique is La Tomatina–a giant tomato fight that takes place on the last Wednesday of each August.

Activities

• Surfing
• Stand-up paddle boarding
• Scuba diving (wreck, reef, cave)
• Snorkeling
• Surfing (all levels)
• Sailing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Parasailing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Hot air ballooning
• Whitewater rafting
• Kayaking (river and lake)
• Hydrospeed/Riverboarding
• Canoeing
• Caving and spelunking
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Ziplining
• Rock climbing (all levels)
• Ice climbing
• Abseiling/rappelling
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding
• Skiing and snowboarding
• Cross-country skiing
• Snowshoeing
• Dogsledding

On a Budget?

• Prices in Spain vary greatly by location and season. Beds can be found in hostels for $15 – 30 USD per night.
A full list of hostels in Spain can be found here.
• Inexpensive restaurants will have breakfast for around $7-8 USD and lunch and dinner for around $11-13 USD. Of course, the supermarket is always an option.

Have Insurance?

I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.

Photos

[nggallery id=41]

Images (in order) courtesy flydime, Bert Kaufmann, marcp_dmoz, Gastev, Ken Lund, DanTheBeastMan, Ignacio Conejo, Samuel Stocker, Rol1000, moMents fiXats, mirindas27, and Jonathan Ablitt on Flickr.

Suggested Reading

Click on the images for more information

Map

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La Tomatina Festival

Place

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Location

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, located about 100 km West of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean.

Closest Town/City/Village

There are several towns and cities on Tenerife, the most notable of which include the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and San Cristóbal de La Laguna, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Climate and Geography

At just under 2034 km², Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, a volcanic archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa. Although relatively small, Tenerife is geographically diverse. The island’s most prominent geological feature is El Teide, which, at 3718 m, is the third largest volcano in the world (measured from the base) and the highest point in Spain. Because of the great variation in altitude on the island, it is home to six distinct ecological zones. Because of its volcanic heritage the island is host to numerous caves both above and below water, including the Cueva del Viento (Cave of Wind), the longest volcanic tunnel in the European Union. Tenerife’s coastline is mostly rugged and cliffy (and stunning), but there are also plenty of beaches.

Tenerife is called “The Island of Eternal Spring”, and for good reason. Temperatures range from an average of 15°C in the winter to 24°C in the summer. With an average rainfall of only 1mm in July and August, sunny summer days are almost always guaranteed.

Description

Tenerife is the largest and most populous of the Canary Islands. It receives over 5,000,000 visitors annually, and is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world because of the comfortable climate, beaches, caves, and spectacularly diverse geography. Nearly half of the island’s surface is made up of ecological areas that are protected to various degrees, the most famous of which is the Teide National Park, the second most visited national park in the world.

Trade winds and a volcanic coastline make Tenerife ideal for wind and wave sports. There are breaks suitable for all levels of surfers and bodyboarders, and numerous locations for wind and kitesurfing. Beneath the waves, the island’s volcanic geography makes for great scuba and cave diving and the water is always warm (17 – 24°C). El Tiede and the surrounding mountains have trails for hikes and treks of all difficulty levels. The mountains provide launch sites for hang gliders and paragliders, and make a picturesque backdrop for the golf courses. Tenerife, simply put, has almost everything.

Activities

• Scuba diving (reef, cave)
• Snorkeling
• Surfing (all levels)
• Sailing
• Windsurfing
• Parasailing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Mountain climbing
• Abseiling
• Caving
• Canyoning
• Kayaking
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding

On a Budget?

• Dorm rooms on Tenerife can be found for as little as $17 USD per person per night and apartments and hotels shared among several people can be slightly cheaper. One of the cheaper places is Albergue Rural Mamio Verde.
  More information on Hostels in Tenerife can be found here.
  On Tenerife all camping must be done in designated areas. Some central campsites offer spots starting at $12 USD per person per night (but cheaper with more people) and many rural campsites for hikers can be used free of charge if you have a permit.
• Inexpensive restaurants will have breakfast for around $7 USD and lunch and dinner for around $11-13 USD. Drinks in bars will start around $5 USD.

Other Resources

• The Tenerife Tourism Board
• Tenerife Travel Guide on WikiTravel
• Hostels in Tenerife
• Information about Hiking in Tenerife at Tenerife Hiking
• Tenerife holidays from UlookUbook

Have Insurance?

I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.

Photos

[nggallery id=23]

Images (in order) courtesy of javiersanp, iansthree, iansthree, goro, juan.aguere, Mataparda, freakyman, freakyman, chris181250, simonglucas, Nyakempanyo, and jockrutherford

Suggested Reading

Click on the images for more information

Map

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Tenerife Vacations

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La Tomatina Festival

Place

Ibiza (Eivissa), Spain

Location

Ibiza is an island the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off Spain’s east coast.

Closest Town/City/Village

There are several towns and cities on Ibiza, the largest of which include Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària des Riu, and Sant Antoni de Portmany.

Climate and Geography

Ibiza is 572 km², making it the 3^rd largest of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Spain that includes Mallorca (Majorca), Menorca, Ibiza (Eivissa) and Formentera. Ibiza is fairly flat island. There are two small mountain ranges, one in the north east and one in the south west, and the highest point is Sa Talaiassa (also known as Sa Talaia or Sa Talaia de Sant Josep), which is just 475 m above sea-level. Ibiza has 500 km of coastline comprised of sand, pebbles, and stone.

Ibiza’s climate is ideal for outdoor adventure sports. The average daily temperature ranges from around 12°C in January to 26°C in August. Summers on Ibiza are hot and dry, and winters are warm and also very dry. Like it’s sister islands, Ibiza gets more than 300 days of sunshine per year on average.

Description

Ibiza is, of course, widely known as a party epicenter. What is not as well known is the beautiful geography and variety of outdoor adventure sports available on this island. Although most people’s Ibiza holidays focus on nightlife, there are also ample facilities for adventurous activities of all kinds during the day.

Sailing is probably the most popular sport on Ibiza, with marinas found all around the island, and several international events (such as the King’s Cup and Princesa Sofia Trophy) are held on nearby Mallorca. December to June is the best time on Ibiza for wind-powered water sports, like sailing, windsurfing, and kiteboarding. Ibiza’s moderate climate and hilly landscape make it a beautiful island for long easy treks and mountain bike rides, especially in the northeast, which remains relatively undeveloped. The coastal cliffs are great climbing and abseiling, and the clean, clear water is ideal for snorkeling.

Activities

• Parasailing
• Paragliding
• Diving
• Snorkeling
• Windsurfing
• Sailing
• Sea kayaking
• Waterskiing/wakeboarding
• Hiking/trekking
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Rock climbing/abseiling
• Paintball
• Hot air ballooning
• Horseback riding

On a Budget?

• Ibiza is not cheap. The cheapest accommodation on Ibiza is in found in hostel dormitories which start at about $30 USD per person per night and apartments shared among several people, which cost about the same. Ibiza has seven campsites, and they are the cheapest option for accommodation, starting at around $15 – $20 USD per person depending on the season.
• Inexpensive restaurants will have breakfast for around $10 USD and lunch and dinner for around $12 – $15 USD. Of course, the supermarket is always an option. You can put together a decent meal there for $7-8 USD or cheaper depending on your taste.

Photos

[nggallery id=22]

Images (in order) courtesy of Teosaurio, Philip Larson, NemesisDesign, Simon Welsh, GanMed64, robertpaulyoung, andruby, robertpaulyoung, olaszmelo, ST33VO,and ramonbaile on Flickr.

Map

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Ibiza Town Vacations

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La Tomatina Festival

Place

Marbella, Spain

Location

Marbella is a city on the Costa Del Sol in the province of Málaga, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain.

Climate and Geography

Marbella is a city of approximately 135,000 on Spain’s southern coast, near the tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Sandwiched between the Mediterranean ocean and the Sierra Blanca mountain range, Marbella sits in a rich and diverse geographic area. Nearby are pristine beaches, sections of rugged coastal cliffs, several natural and national parks, and some of the highest mountains on the Iberian Peninsula, including the famous Sierra Nevada Ski Resort.

Located abound 200 km from the Tabernas desert (the only desert in Europe), Marbella has a warm subtropical Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers, and warm, still-pretty-dry winters. In the summer the temperature averages 26°C (with highs around 30°C) and in the winter the temperature averages 17°C, and rarely falls below 15°C. The warm climate, and average 320 days of sunshine that it receives each year, makes it a great destination outdoor adventure activities year-round.

Description

Marbella grew quickly from a village of only 900 people in 1940, to a destination of nearly 100,000 for Europe’s jet-set elite in just 50 years. Now, Marbella is often featured in movies as Spain’s playground for the rich. An affluent modern city steeped in history, Marbella is known for celebrity sightings (Antonio Banderas and Dolph Lundgren, among others, have homes here), sunny weather, and gorgeous beaches. It’s a popular port for luxury yachts, and golf in Marbella is among the finest in Europe. With all the international attention that it gets, flights to Spain are frequent and easy to find.

Although the city itself does not feature much for adventure-seekers, the surrounding area features an incredible diversity of outdoor activities. The surrounding beaches are great for scuba diving and snorkeling. Surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, and sailing are all popular here, and competitions in all these sports are often held at nearby Tarifa. The famous Sierra Nevada ski resort is just a 1.5 hour drive from the city, and the nearby Sierra Blanca mountain range is perfect for all manner of extreme sports such as mountain biking, climbing, trekking, canyoning, paragliding, and more. The Camino del Rey walkway, billed one of the scariest walks in the world, is definitely worth a look.

Activities

• Paragliding
• Scuba diving
• Snorkeling
• Kayaking
• Surfing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Sailing
• Hiking/trekking
• Mountain climbing
• Ice climbing
• Canyoning
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Skiing/snowboarding (novice to expert)

On a Budget?

• The cheapest accommodation in Marbella are pensions and hostels, which start at about $25 USD per person per night. Some of the cheaper places include  the Hostal del Pilar and Hostal Berlin.

You can find more information on hostels in hostels in Marbella here.

• There are also several campsites near the city with rates ranging from just over $20 USD per two people in the low season to just over $30 USD in the high season.
• Inexpensive restaurants will have breakfast for around $7-8 USD and lunch and dinner for around $11-13 USD. Of course, the supermarket is always an option.

Travel Insurance

I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.

Adventure Businesses in and Around Marbella

Fly Spain Paragliding – Tandem paragliding flights and paragliding lessons based in scenic Ronda.

Sierra Nevada Ski Resort – The best skiing in Southern Spain, hands down!

Photos

[nggallery id=19]

Images (in order) courtesy of adriagarcia, Wolfiewolf, Arkangel, Adam Solomon, Serafin-Sanchez, Adriano Morán, juandesant, Bert Kaufmann, Wolfiewolf, and taquiman on Flickr.

Suggested Reading

Click on an image for more information.

Map

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The information on this page was provided by My Destination Marbella. If you want to know more about the Marbella they are the people to ask.

Marbella Vacations

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La Tomatina Festival

Place

Mallorca (also spelled Majorca), Spain

Location

Mallorca is an island the Mediterranean Sea off Spain’s east coast.

Closest Town/City/Village

There are several towns and cities on Mallorca, the most notable of which is the capital, Palma.

Climate and Geography

At just under 5000 km², Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Spain that includes Mallorca (Majorca), Menorca, Ibiza (Eivissa) and Formentera. Mallorca has two mountainous areas, the Tramuntana Range in the Northeast, and the Llevant Mountains in the East.  The largest peak is Puig Major, which measures 1445 m tall. The northern coast is rugged with lots of cliffs, and there are many caves on Mallorca, both above and below sea level, and even some underground lakes.

The climate in Mallorca is, like many Mediterranean areas, enviable. With average daily temperatures ranging from around 12°C in January to 26°C in August, it is always comfortable on this island, especially in the summer when it’s almost always sunny and rarely rains.  Of course, with an advertised “300 days of sunshine per year”, I wouldn’t expect much rain at any time of year.

Description

Mallorca is a quiet alternative to its well-known neighbor, Ibiza. Thus, with its pristine climate and beaches Mallorca attracts families from Germany, England, and Ireland. If you are looking for an off-the-beaten track destination Mallorca is not for you, as an estimated 80% of its economy driven by tourism.

However, if you want adventure Mallorca hosts a wide range of adventure travel activities, like kitesurfing, cave diving, mountain biking, and paragliding. Mallorca’s most unique adventure travel activities, however, are linked to its most unique geographic feature: caves. The cave diving on Mallorca draws divers from around the world. The popularity of caving here has also given rise to other mountaineering-based activities, such as coasteering (exploring the coast by way of climbing, swimming, and hiking), canyoning (exploring canyons mainly using the same techniques), and abseiling (also known as rappelling).

In Mallorca golf is one of the most popular activities among tourists. Although it may not be as exciting as rappelling into the abyss, the courses there are said to be exquisite. Whether mountain biking along the coast, cruising above the island on a paraglider, or scuba diving some of the nearby historic wrecks, Mallorca has a lot to offer to the adventurous.

Activities

• Paragliding
• Diving (caves, wrecks)
• Snorkeling
• Diveboarding
• Kayaking
• Hiking/trekking
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Coasteering
• Canyoning (novice to expert)
• Climibing (novice to expert)
• Caving
• Horseback riding
• Golf

On a Budget?

• The cheapest accommodation on Mallorca is in hostel dormitories which start at about $26 USD per person per night and apartments shared among several people (which costs about the same). Hostal Saturno is quite reasonable.
  More information about Mallorca can be found here.
  Camping is possible on Mallorca, but there are few campsites.
• Inexpensive restaurants will have breakfast for around $7-8 USD and lunch and dinner for around $11-13 USD. Of course, the supermarket is always an option.

Other Resources

• Mallorca Tourism Board
• Mallorca Travel Guide on WikiTravel
• Hostels in Mallorca
• Hiking Trails in Mallorca

Photos

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Images (in order) courtesy of Caza_No_7, hanspoldoja, Postsumptio, mark.woodbury, fraboof, Steve 2.0, Steve 2.0, jarikir, D J PETTY, and fuffy_ge on Flickr.

Suggested Reading

Click on the images for more information

Map

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Palma De Mallorca Vacations

The post Mallorca (Majorca), Spain Adventure Travel Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.