This Climbing Mecca Is Smack Dab in the Middle of the Next Total Solar Eclipse

Two experiences that rank high on many a do-before-you-die list converge this August. The first is an experience I’ve only dreamed of: the magical freedom of deep water soloing. Mallorca, a Spanish island just east of the mainland, serves as the unequivocal epicenter of the discipline. The second experience is far more fleeting—and one that I’ve been lucky enough to have twice. On August 12, 2026, the planet’s next total solar eclipse will arc across eastern Greenland, western Iceland, and northern Spain.

Picture it: You’re pulling up limestone jugs as the waters of the Mediterranean lap against the cliff below. As the light takes on an indescribably eerie quality, you catch yourself after nearly falling off a slippery hold. With the sky visibly darkening, you top out. Through eclipse glasses, you see that the moon has taken a bite out of the sun. That bite grows bigger by the second. Darkness consumes the sky as a ring of light appears above.

For climbers, it may seem pure kismet that this coveted celestial event will pass over a place so legendary across the atlas of climbing. After all, any given location on earth only sees an eclipse once every 360 years, on average. If you have any inkling that you want to make a Mallorca solar eclipse trip happen this summer, the time to start planning is now. Because after traveling for two total eclipses, I’ve learned that advance planning pays off.

Here’s everything climbers need to know to go deep water soloing and eclipse chasing this August.

Tips for planning a Mallorca solar eclipse trip

My biggest tip is to book everything ASAP. Undoubtedly, some dedicated umbraphiles—the nerdy term for people who chase total solar eclipses—planned their trips months, if not years, ago (this is no joke). If you want to make this trip happen, book a room, flights, ferries, and rental cars (if needed) now.

You’ll also want to put some thought into exactly where you want to be when the moon starts moving over the sun. Do you want to be climbing? Atop the cliff? In a boat? On a beach? With close friends—or at a party in Palma? If you want to maximize every second of eclipse time, position yourself in the southern part of the island, absolute dead center in the path of totality, which is the central arc of the eclipse.

To explore the arc of the eclipse and the various data points across the path of totality, play around with this interactive Google map created by information-technology professional and eclipse enthusiast Xavier M. Jubier. As you’ll see, the closer you are to the center of totality, the longer you will experience total darkness and that signature ring in the sky. The maximum totality time—one minute and 36 seconds—will be found in southern Mallorca. The northern part of the island will experience a few seconds less.

For more pointers on catching this eclipse in Mallorca or beyond, check out my ultimate guide to the 2026 total solar eclipse.

What to know about climbing in Mallorca

In this 27 Crags topo, which is available for purchase, over 800 DWS routes exist across the island. While the idea of DWS in Mallorca might primarily conjure up images of Chris Sharma and Hazel Findlay sending super steep and challenging lines, there are also easy and moderate routes to be found. Single digit grades like 5.7 and 5.8 await at the Virgin Area of Cala Sa Nau. Plenty of 5.10s can also be found at Cala Sa Nau, as well as in other spots like Cala Llamp and Cala Santanyi. (Cala is Spanish for “cove.”) Even Sharma’s notoriously stout 5.14d up the Es Pontas arch sits alongside a 5.9 and 5.10.

On top of the typical difficulty grades, DWS routes also can be associated with S grades that describe the fall potential involved off any given route. According to local Mallorca outfitter Rock and Ride, the S grading system is as follows:

• S0 is a relatively safe fall, typically with a low crux
• S1 suggests a little caution with higher routes holding bigger fall potential
• S2 indicates potential ledge falls or shallow water
• S4 are the most serious routes: tall with high cruxes, which also may have ledge-fall potential or shallow water

Deep water soloing isn’t the only climbing found on Mallorca. A number of sport crags await inland—and there are even a handful of boulder problems and trad routes on the island, according to Mountain Project. A couple of these non-DWS crags include Calvia with its row of 5.10s, Alaró’s mix of hard and easy, and the collection of crags near Palma at S’estret.

Timing and conditions

First, know that temperatures will likely be quite balmy in August—it’s considered the hottest month of the year on this Balearic island. According to AccuWeather, historic highs hover around 88 degrees Fahrenheit, dropping to 67 degrees overnight. That means you’ll want to avoid climbing during mid-day and early afternoon heat, which actually makes a pre-eclipse evening send quite ideal. “I would only recommend climbing in the evening,” says Climbing Senior Editor Anthony Walsh, who traveled to Mallorca a few months ago. “The mornings on the water are insanely humid, which makes even giant grippy jugs feel like they are coated in ice.”

In Mallorca, the August 12 eclipse will begin at 7:38 p.m. local time and reach maximum totality at 8:31 p.m. The show will be over about 20 minutes later, right around when the sun sets at 8:49 p.m.

When it comes to timing your trip, one of my biggest pieces of advice to eclipse travelers is to plan at least a couple buffer days around the day of the eclipse so you avoid the travel rush. While you can fly directly to Mallorca via the Son Sant Joan Airport in the island’s capital of Palma, you might save money by booking a flight to Barcelona or Valencia and take a ferry to Mallorca. Try to arrive in Mallorca by August 9 or 10 so you can get settled and avoid crowds.

Since the total eclipse occurs late in the evening on August 12, I would also recommend staying at least a couple days on the island before departing. This will give you a chance to stay up late the night of the eclipse, process the experience, and get some more climbing in the next day—and, again, avoid the rush of eclipse tourists traveling back home the day after.

A peculiar packing list

There are a few unique supplies you’ll need for your eclipse experience. And packing for a deep water soloing trip is a bit different than for your typical climbing getaway.

Based on his recent trip, Walsh recommends getting strategic about the best vessel for chalk. Before he left, he crafted several unlined chalk bags from nylon scraps. It turns out it’s the liner inside a chalk bag that actually takes the longest to dry out.

But once Walsh arrived in Mallorca, he saw an even better way to chalk up above water. “Some DWS veterans used a cut-off plastic juice jug as a chalk bag,” Walsh recalls. These DIY plastic chalk containers were about four to six inches deep, with two punctured holes at the top to thread a waist belt through. “This solution is much faster to dry out than a nylon bag,” Walsh reflects. “It holds its shape better (for frantic chalking up when you’re 30 feet up and pumped) and it’s much easier and cheaper to build.” You can engineer this DIY chalk holder with supplies you pick up on the island, versus packing everything in.

Below are a few more essentials you’ll need for DWS and eclipse viewing.

Essentials for deep water soloing:

• 2 to 3 pairs of rock climbing shoes. Since falls will soak your shoes, you’ll want extra pairs to change into while your others are drying.
• 2 to 3 chalk bags. Similarly, you’ll want to swap out chalkbags during dry time. Ideally, as stated above, these are unlined or DIYed from plastic jugs upon arrival.
• A ton of chalk—or perhaps even better, liquid chalk. If you use a tube of liquid chalk, you can skip the chalkbag.
• A couple bathing suits secure and supportive enough to climb and fall in
• A lightweight or packable travel towel 
• A dry bag 
• A guidebook to Mallorca DWS

Essentials for eclipse chasing:

• Eclipse glasses to protect your eyes during the event. Purchase well in advance since supplies tend to run thin in the lead-up to an eclipse.
• Binoculars or a scope for viewing the eclipse (only during totality to avoid damaging your eyes)
• Solar or portable chargers so you can maximize your time at your eclipse viewing spot
• A headlamp for hiking out of your eclipse viewing spot in the dark, since this eclipse hits just before sunset

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