The beauty and power of Nature is immense here. If you had some trad climbing in this mix, the sensations felt while moving up these rocks are almost always very intense. 

 

Below you will find some recommendations for sectors and routes. For sure, it's a biased list. Many good routes will be missing, and some recommended places might misguide you to explore others not mentioned. 

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If you are just getting into traditional or adventure climbing or want to get to know Cabo da Roca, we would suggest starting the following sectors:

• Esquina do Vento (excellent cracks above the sea on very solid rock that accept a lot of gear; the hanging belays can be seen as an introduction to multi-pitch climbing)

• Gozzi (very easy climbs, despite the protection being scarce, there are some bolts)

• Tsunami (good cracks on very solid rock that accept a lot of gear to practice trad climbing with a good ledge to belay)

• Bloco Superior (it just has two routes, but they are perfect for beginners)

• Placa Sul (longer low-angle routes with some bolts on harder sections, good base)

• Blocos de Gulliver (nice and easy dihedrals to start placing gear) 

• Promontório (very good vertical routes that accept lots of gear)

• Pedreirinha (some limestone cracks perfect for starting lead climbing on gear)

 

 

To the proficient trad climbing looking for single-pitch routes, we would recommend:

• Placa da rosa (just for the winter, when the beach is empty of people. The rock isn’t perfect, but acceptable)

• Penedo do boi (very good rock and some demanding lines) 

• Força na verga (short, intense and fun) 

• Sector perdido (hard lines on solid rock)

• Placa central (good slab and dihedrals)

• Lobo mau (long and awesome dihedrals and fingercracks)

• Ultramar (solid rock and some nice lines)

• Varandas do Guincho (a bunch of harder lines)

• First pitches of routes in Espinhaço, such as Miradouro, Direita, Imaginaria, Lunática, Normal (and its variants that go directly to the second pitch) or Mancha Branca

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For those searching for adventures, we would recommend:​​

• Praia do cavalo (good routes to come to understand how a ground-up route is put up)

• Ravina do abrigo (the cliff looks awesome, so the routes must also be, right?)

• Espigão (we could call it the "Leaning Tower" of Roca)

• Pedra da Azoia (some demanding pitches on gear, followed by some demanding bolted pitches)

• Pilar do golfinho (much better lines than they look when you stand beneath them)

• Baia do terror (if you want to fell like on the Eiger, but without all the snow and the cold)

• Baia estreita (to find out that the slabs at Penedo da Amizade are actually fun)

• Parede do arpão (amazing routes if you are in shape, if not at all in shape, it's a good place to refresh those fixed line ascending skills)

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Multipitch routes  :

• Noiva (an excellent adventure accessible to all levels of climbers)

• Placa do sol (you need to align good conditions, with the tides and a calm sea)

• Cara Norte (solid rock best to be climbed when the wall his exposed to the evening sun- to dry the wall)

• Espinhaço (lots of multi pitch routes for all levels and tastes)

• Baia estreita (very good rock with demanding technical slabs)

• Parede das Tormentas (amazing rock and amazing routes)

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Russian roulettes (if your are looking for choss):

• Praia Grande (its must better than it looks like)

• Pirâmide de Alvidrar (a good place to understand the importance of double ropes)

• Noiva (the normal route on the east face is not that bad, its climbed often)

• Ursa (the top fell of a few year ago, lowering it summit ...)

• Baia do terramoto (the quintessential experience of loss rock at Cabo da Roca)

• Esporão ruinoso (probably an hyperbole for choss)

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Must do routes:

• Fissura Z (amazing limestone crack)

• Fomeca (amazing first pitch, fist jam and #4 cams)

• Hiperxia aguda (a demanding line on a mix of granite and limestone)

• Anatomia do medo (a pleasant finger crack, second pitch easier if you have a strong mind) 

• Louriçal ( glorious hand jams and a spicy top out on L1 if you go straight up)

• Fenda do Boi (stellar finger crack and a delightful crux roof)

• Palácio da Lua (on the top 5 of the best cracks in Portugal)

• Via da Direita (the most repeated route in Espinhaço)

• Normal (second most repeated route in Espinhaço)

• Lunática (the most free climbed route in Espinhaço)

• Imaginária (first pitch at 6b will always feel hard no matter how many times you have climbed it)

• Trono do Diabo (amazing traverse route at Parede das Tormentas, the devil will poke you when you sit at its trone)

• Directa yosemitica (L2 is on of the best overhanging finger cracks in Cabo da Roca, L3 the run out after the crimp sequence will blow your mind)

• Boulder azul (put those hand gloves on and fight as Mohamed Ali)

• Ultramar (an amazing crack with a hard mental mantel)

• Guincha (overhang fist crack)

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And many, many others….

 

Explore them all in the Sectors |  Topos page.