Walking the GR221 through Mallorca’s Tramuntana mountains

By Joakim Steinsvåg

Keen for a hike before winter, Joakim Steinsvåg spent a week under blue skies hiking the GR221 through Mallorca’s Tramuntana range.

After the huge disappointment of having to cancel my summer hike on the GR5, as autumn approached I was desperate for a long-distance hike before winter settled on Europe. But where to go? I spent most of September checking weather forecasts in Scania (Southern Sweden) and Alsace, hoping for blue skies, autumn leaves and hearty food. But it didn’t look very promising. Come early October it was time to check in with reality: if I wanted blue skies, I would have to go south. It would have to be the Spanish GR221, Ruta de Pedra en Sec, through the mountains of Mallorca’s Tramuntana range. Not a bad choice, it turned out.

Not that I expected it to be. It had long been on my wish list and with Paddy Dillon’s guide, Trekking in Mallorca, everything was in place for a good one-week hike through limestone mountains and rosemary.

Trekking in Mallorca

GR221 - The Drystone Route through the Serra de Tramuntana

£16.95

Guidebook to walking the GR221 Drystone Route (Ruta de Pedra en Sec) traversing Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana between Pollença and Andratx. Following rock, paved paths and mule tracks between welcoming villages, the 140km (87 mile) trek is in 10 day stages and showcases the island's forests, mountains and drystone structures.

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Rainclouds drifting in towards the island of sa Dragonera, day one. If you’re walking the GR221 from south to north, the island is first seen on the descent towards Sant Elm. Since 1995 the island has been a strict nature reserve, protecting a large breeding colony of the elegant Eleonora’s Falcon as well as Peregrine Falcons.

The southernmost part of Serra de Tramuntana seen from the 928m summit of Mola de s’Esclop. day two. The summit is slightly of route, but can easily be climbed on a 30min detour. The views from the summit are spectacular.

Hikers on their way southwest from Estellencs. Between Port d’Andratx and Estellencs the route is mostly unwaymarked and in some sections navigation demands your full attention. Other sections, like this one passing in front of the limestone knoll es Castellet at 776m, is easy to follow with the help of a good map.

Having crossed the highest sections of the route on day two, the GR winds its way through pine forest using an attractive old highway turned forest track.

The first of several mountain villages on the GR is Estellencs. The village has two hotels, both in its compact centre. The small Hotel Nord is found in a charming old building below the main road and this is the view from one of its balconies. Not a bad place to end a good days hike.

Houses in Estellencs, apparently for sale. If you should choose to buy them, please don’t ruin their rustic charm, even though “rustic charm” is so early 2000s.

Looking back along the coast, day three. The foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana are mostly forested, the most common forest types being pine forests and evergreen oak forests. The most abundant pine is the Aleppo Pine Pinus halepensis, as seen here in the hills surrounding Estellencs. This species natural range is restricted to the Mediterranean region and its stronghold is eastern and southern Spain.

The GR221 is not called The Drystone Route for nothing. Drystone walls are a prominent feature along the trail and many stretches are paved with rough limestones. Consell de Mallorca, who is responsible for the trail, have recreated many of these old ways connecting the villages of Tramuntana. Not ideal for sensitive knees but very picturesque. This is the Camí des Correu, or Post Path, between Banyalbufar and Esporles.

Street leading up to the church in Esporles. The villages in the area are neat and well kept. This is no poor and derelict backcountry. Esporles has a leafy central square ideal for lunch, which is also very popular with cyclists.

The first day started out with rain. I had just started the climb out of Port D’Antrax when the first droplets fell. But it was only a drizzle and the forecast promised beautiful weather for the rest of the week. A few hours later, as I approached the first village of Sant Elm, the rain clouds had left and beauty had arrived and it stayed with me for the rest of my hike.

In the Tramuntana range the villages are well known for their beauty. They have attracted artist, writers and other notabilities ever since Chopin and George Sand spent a freezing winter in Valldemossa in the 1830s. Tramuntana is also the name of the chilling northerly winds that sweep through these mountains in the winter. A fact Chopin and Sand might not have been aware of when deciding on Valldemossa as their winter retreat.

The village of Deià

After World War II the British writer Robert Graves settled in what is now perhaps Mallorca’s most famous village, Deià. Back then Deià was a farming village growing olives and almonds. Gradually, the agrarian community turned into an artists’ colony; a cosmopolitan haven for bohemians. Wealthy foreigners have since taken over many of its houses. This gradual change has been described in the novel Wild Olives by Robert Graves’ son, William. The change has of course come with a price, both for the locals and later for the pioneering foreigners making Deià their second home. Living expenses have increased and the attractions of the Tramuntana villages are no longer a secret kept within the creative classes. Today, tourists flood the streets of Deià, Valldemossa and Sóller.

And that was exactly what they did this day in October. So after a quick lunch at a random restaurant I was on my way. However, as is the case in many a quaint small town, most of the tourists are there only for a quick midday peek. But as a hiker you usually enter the streets of a new village just as the last tourist bus is on its way back to Costa something.

Arriving in picturesque Valldemossa the previous night, as the sun was descending towards the limestone ridges, and having dinner with a view of the lower part of town as the surrounding hills were glowing in the light from the last sunrays, was therefore every bit as satisfying as you could hope for.

The view from sa Comuna at 704m. Beyond the eastern edge of the Serra lies the big, central plain of Mallorca. In the distance the low mountains of the Serra de Llevant on the east coast reaches 561m. In the future the GR222 will connect GR221 to the northernmost part of this range.

Hikers taking a rest on es Caragolí above Deià, day four. Deià can be seen resting in the foothills below. In the background Mallorcas tallest peak Puig Major towers above the surrounding mountainscape.

The lighthouse Far de Cap Gros was reached as the sun was setting on the fourth day. The lighthouse stands guard above the narrow entrance to the harbour at Port de Sóller. Its closest neighbour is Refugi de Muleta, a refuge run by Consell de Mallorca. Several refugis, public as well as private, are available along the trail.

Leaving Sóller on the fifth day through little hamlets whose names are derived from Arabic. Ahead awaits one of the longest and steepest ascents on the GR221, the amazing Barranc de Biniaraix. This gorge is declared a site of cultural interest because of the old drystone steps zigzagging their way up to remote farms clinging to the mountainside. It’s also one of the most popular and busy hiking paths on Mallorca, for good reasons.

Puig Major is the tallest mountain on the island, standing at 1445 meters above sea level. Unfortunately, it is a military zone and therefore out of bounds.

A waymark passed on day six, on the way to Lluc. The northernmost part of the GR221 between Sóller and Pollenca is well-waymarked and signposted, but don’t expect red and white flashes painted on rocks and trees at short intervals, like one might be accustomed to from France.

Migrant birds

As I was doing the GR221 in October, the forests were alive with migrant birds from Northern Europe. One species was more numerous than any other. The robin. I have never seen so many robins in such a short amount of time. Every tree and every bush seemed to have its own robin paying a winter visit. In the evergreen Holm Oak woodlands, flocks of mistle thrush were rattling by overhead and on the highest part of the trail, climbing towards the Coll de Prat at 1220m, even a couple of ring ouzels had found a heathery patch to suit them.

But for a birder like me, the ornithological highlight was the black vulture. These huge birds of prey are found only in a few places in Europe, mainly in Spain. They have been driven to extinction on other Mediterranean islands, but a breeding program and strict protection measures stopped this from happening on Mallorca. Ever since their comeback their stronghold has been the northern part of the Serra, north of Sóller, where they breed mostly in pines growing on coastal cliffs. However, they have also returned to the mountains south of Sóller. Already on my first day on the GR, several of them were posing on ridges along the trail. The black vulture is the only vulture on the island and unmistakable because of its size.

Holm Oak woodland beyond Lluc, day seven. The evergreen Holm Oak Quercus ilex is native to the Mediterranean region. It forms both closed-canopy forests and open woodland in many parts of the Tramuntana range. The forests have been heavily exploited for charcoal production.

Pollenca is the final destination (or the starting point) for most hikers on the GR221. It’s a charming little town with good hotels and restaurants as well as a refuge on the outskirts of town. The beaches at Port de Pollenca is only a short bus drive away.

Hypericum balearicum, a Balearic endemic.

Erica multiflora in full bloom. This species can be almost as tall as a man and dwarfs the familiar Northern-European heather species.

Crocus cambessedesii, another balearic endemic flowering in autumn.

The GR221 is still developing. Not all of the stages have been waymarked, mostly because of resistance from landowners. Like the part crossing Mola de Son Pacs, between Esporles and Valldemossa. As well as a lack of waymarking, this part of the trail also lacks an obvious path in places. Only very discrete stone cairns lead the way. Paddy Dillon’s instructions, as well as the map, have to be read and followed carefully on this stretch. But it’s worth the effort. After a slow start navigating meticulously up a stony slope, soon the path becomes clearer and later starts climbing the ridge sa Comuna, peaking at 704m. Although this whole area is forested, there are great views to be had just a couple of metres off-track. From Mola de Son Pacs you look down on the coast and cultivated fields.

From sa Comuna, Palma and the whole central plain of Mallorca can be seen in the distance.

The Drystone Route takes you up and down hills and mountains and in and out of charming villages through the length of the Serra de Tramuntana. It can be hiked in a week. In the not so distant future it will also connect to the developing GR222, crossing the plains of Pla de Mallorca on its way to the low mountains of the Serra de Llevant. So for my next trip to Mallorca I will probably need two weeks.