The TransBaleares Route — Island hopping in the Mediterranean Sea

The Balearic Islands have certainly made a name for themselves internationally. Two things probably spring to mind when thinking about Ibiza or Mallorca: lively nightlife and golden beaches. While you wouldn’t be wrong for thinking this, there is certainly much more to discover about these islands while the partygoers are sleeping and the light of day dazzles the islands to life. 
This archipelago just off the Spanish coastline in the Mediterranean Sea captured our attention due to its proximity to our base on the mainland. Without too much of a plan and convinced that we had found a promising winter escape, we set off on a Baleària fast ferry (balearia.com/en) to discover the four major Balearic islands and develop a bikepacking route, which we’ve subsequently dubbed The TransBaleares. While the four islands are separated by just minutes on ferry crossings, it was the stark contrast between the feel of these islands, and the nature of the riding that they offered, that surprised us the most. You can read about every island in each of the separate routes below. Just take into account that they are all very different and that, actually, the terrain varies a lot too which means that the perfect bike on one island might not be the most ideal on the next. We took our Tout Terrain Outbacks to cover all grounds. For more on our day-to-day experience, go check Tristan's collection: komoot.com/collection/1425032/-island-hopping-in-the-spanish-mediterranean-the-transbalearesOr get a better impression by watching the TransBaleares episodes on Youtube: