It is ironic that one of the most important tourist destinations on the Mediterranean should have such attractive and well-preserved rural areas as those found on inland Majorca.
Majorca has an extensive network of trails. There are paths that go back to Arab times and others running through forests that were used by coalmen and connecting villages. While hiking on Majorca, one can discover places of fabulous beauty full of history and ancient legends. Roads originally created by smugglers that lead to the remotest spots on the coast, coastal watchtowers built in the 16th century to protect from Turkish pirate attacks, “marges” (stone terrace walls) and infrastructures used for farming and collecting water that have lasted since the Arab period.
The majority of the trails pass through the heart of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, the most emblematic nature reserve on the island, crossing crags, cliffs and waterfalls, following gravel paths or goat trails.
In the Serra de Tramuntana there are mountains that rise from 0 m to 1,436 m in just a few kilometres, and almost all of the peaks are accessible, thanks to the roads leading to snow wells.
The rest of the island also has a significant network of trails that run along gentler contours than those of the Serra de Tramuntana, but which possess a surprisingly rich ethnological and cultural charm.
Those who are used to hiking in other areas will be surprised to learn that more than 90% of the island is private property. The large pieces of property on Majorca (“possessions” or tracts of land that include entire mountains) came about during the “Repartiment” carried out by King Jaume I, who distributed the land among the Catalan feudal lords who collaborated in the Christian conquest of the island in 1229. The efforts of the rural landowners have made it possible to preserve this important natural heritage. In recent years, some of them have been forced to close the roads passing through their property. The most common reasons for this are acts of vandalism, the crowding of some routes and the danger of fires.
The intention of this website created by the association, Mallorca Rural, is to raise awareness about and foster rural Majorca through hiking activities, highlighting its cultural aspects, whose people and values have fallen into chronic abandon due to the “great success” of sun and beach tourism, and, paradoxically, it is this abandon that has helped to preserve it. If you follow these paths, you will discover some of the most beautiful, untouched landscapes on the Mediterranean, which you must undoubtedly respect and conserve with your presence.
© Mallorca Rural and the authors