Day trips from Cala Ratjada: boats, snorkelling, the Artà caves and tours with pick-up

It works best to mix things up: a day at sea from the harbour (a boat trip in the marine reserve, snorkelling or paddleboarding), a morning or afternoon of culture nearby (Capdepera castle, Sa Torre Cega, the Artà caves) and, if you want to see the rest of the island, a tour with pick-up to the Tramuntana or Palma. Boat trips depend on the wind, so book them early in your stay and keep the indoor visits for days when the sea is rough.

You can get around well without a car: the boats and paddleboarding leave on foot from the promenade or Cala Agulla, the Click Mallorca bus picks up in the area and ROIG offers hotel pick-up in the east. For the Artà caves, Ses Païsses or golf, a car or taxi saves time.

Mallorca Dreams leaves Cala Ratjada harbour on a full-day trip of about five and a half hours through the Llevant marine reserve: Es Farallo de Cala Gat, the Cova des Castellas, Cala Agulla, Cap de Freu, Cala Mesquida, Cala Torta or Cala Mitjana, with an alternative route towards Canyamel and Font de sa Cala. Snacks, a buffet lunch and drinks are served on board. If the captain cancels because of the weather, another day or a refund is offered.

The same company runs an afternoon trip from 16:15 to 19:00 with snacks and drinks but no buffet, shorter and easier to fit in. Neither publishes a price on its website. If you would rather have the boat to yourselves, Boat Tours Tirant runs private four- or seven-hour trips along the east coast from the same harbour; according to its website, 750 euros for four hours for up to seven people, fuel extra.

Dive & Fun, the dive centre in Font de sa Cala, has three short trips. The snorkelling trip takes you by boat to spots on the coast that are hard to reach from land, with shorty wetsuit, fins, mask and snorkel, in about 90 minutes and for 49.50 euros per person according to its website (69 euros with a guide). The 600-horsepower speedboat offers 50 minutes of speed and waves along the coast, also for 49.50 euros, with no swim stop advertised.

The most original is the pirate cave near Font de sa Cala: you arrive by boat, climb over some rocks and go down a ladder into an almost untouched cave with stalactites, where the guides explain its curiosities; anyone who wants to can jump off the cliff and swim back to the boat. It takes about two and a half hours and costs 79 euros including wetsuit, water shoes, helmet and torch; photos are optional. Book by phone, at the base or at the harbour office in Cala Ratjada.

SUP Center Cala Ratjada goes out in the morning or afternoon from Cala Agulla, or from another cove if the wind makes it advisable. After some basic instructions you paddle for 30 to 45 minutes along the coast to a spot with clear water for a rest and some snorkelling, in groups of up to seven with a guide speaking English and Spanish. Children under 12 can ride on an adult's or the guide's board. The price in euros is not in our listing.

To see the coast without driving, Click Mallorca combines an open-top bus and a boat between Cala Ratjada and Cala Bona on a midday trip of four to five hours. Its website showed 33 euros per adult, 16.50 euros for ages 3 to 12 and free up to age 2, but marked the product as unavailable when we checked: confirm before relying on it.

Two kilometres from the harbour, Capdepera castle overlooks the village and lets you walk its walls with views of the coast; several sources give 3 euros for adults and free entry for children, and you usually do not need to buy in advance. In Cala Ratjada itself, Sa Torre Cega (Villa March) is an estate with an early 20th-century villa, gardens and contemporary sculpture from the Fundación Bartolomé March; it can only be visited on a guided tour with a booking, taking about 60 minutes, also in German.

The Artà caves, about seven kilometres away, are always visited with a guide in timed groups lasting 35 to 45 minutes; general admission costs 17 euros according to the official website, and it is a good plan for a day of bad weather. Near Artà, the talayotic village of Ses Païsses keeps its cyclopean wall and central talayot under holm oaks: half an hour or a little more, with parking. It pairs well with the climb to Sant Salvador in Artà.

Rancho Bonanza in Cala Ratjada runs guided rides for beginners and experienced riders in small groups, lessons and pony rides for younger children, and rides to Cala Agulla and Cala Mesquida can be requested; it publishes no prices. For experienced riders, Click Mallorca sells a three-hour route through the Llevant natural park to Cala Mesquida beach, where the horses go into the water if conditions allow: 200 euros per person, from age 7 and for up to eight people.

Illes Balears Ballooning takes off at dawn or at sunset from fields around Capdepera, Manacor or Son Servera: the whole activity takes about two and a half hours and the sunrise flight costs 190 euros per adult according to its website. It depends on the wind and may be moved to another day. And if you play golf, Capdepera Golf lists 18-hole green fees from 75 euros and Canyamel Golf, which is open to non-members too, from 85 euros in low season.

Click Mallorca runs a four-hour open-top bus that picks up in Cala Ratjada, Cala Mesquida and Canyamel and tours the east to Porto Cristo, with 90 minutes of free time, before passing through Manacor, Capdepera and Artà; it has a guide and entry to the Caves of Drach can be added. The website showed no clear price.

To go further, ROIG offers hotel pick-up in the east. The island tour by land and sea, from April to October, takes about seven hours: Sa Calobra, a boat to Port de Sóller, the Sóller tram and train, with an official guide, for 99 euros per adult and 49.50 per child up to 12 according to its website. The trip to Palma, Valldemossa and Sóller, with a stop at the Son Marroig viewpoint, costs 60 euros per adult. Check when booking that your hotel is within the pick-up area.