GR221 Dry Stone Route, Mallorca

Serra de Tramuntana, Mallorca · Spain

Moderate8 daysEurope~£600 est.

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Overview

Mallorca's mountain spine is nothing like its beach-resort reputation. The GR221 runs the length of the Serra de Tramuntana — a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape — on cobbled pilgrim paths and dry-stone walled terraces built over a thousand years of olive farming. From Port d'Andratx you climb through holm-oak forest to ridge-lines with the Mediterranean glittering on both sides, drop into honey-stone villages like Deià and Sóller for coffee and ensaïmadas, and finish beneath the crags above Pollença. The walking is civilised but never soft: days regularly top 1,000m of ascent, the limestone is ankle-testing, and in the high section past Cúber reservoir you traverse beneath Puig Major, the island's highest peak. Spring brings wildflowers; July and August bring heat that stops sensible walkers. The refugis are the catch: the Consell de Mallorca's mountain refuges (Tossals Verds, Muleta, Son Amer) are cheap, excellent and book out months ahead, especially for spring — reserve the moment plans firm up, or mix in village guesthouses. Palma's airport puts the trailhead an hour away by bus. Eight days, around £600 with refuge half-board and a proper Sóller lunch in the middle.