mountain rescue service on Mallorca, but now there are two professional teams: one from the fire service or Bomberos (tel 080 or 112) and the other from the Guardia Civil (tel 062 or 112). There are three police forces: the Policía Local wear blue uniforms and are attached to local municipalities; the Policía Nacional wear brown uniforms; and the Guardia Civil wear green uniforms and are often seen in rural areas. All three police forces may be called upon in an emergency, tel 112.
Mountain rescue is free of charge and unfortunately has been kept very busy. However, getting a message out in an emergency is not always easy. Mobile phones and GPS units may not get a good signal in some places, and time lost trying to get a signal can be crucial.
Carry a first aid kit to deal with the usual cuts, scrapes and blisters. For other health issues there are pharmacies in the towns and most villages. If any regular medication is needed, include it in your pack. If a doctor or a trip to a hospital is required, an insurance policy might help to offset the cost of certain treatments. Some insurance policies may class walking in the mountains of Mallorca as a hazardous pursuit, in which case you might not be covered. Others, such as the BMC (www.thebmc.co.uk/insurance), are more likely to class it as ordinary walking.
Best of all, walk safely and avoid suffering any injuries.
Using this guide
The rugged coast from Torre de Lluc to Morro de sa Vaca (Walk 42)
The overhanging peak of el Fumat towers above Cala Figuera (Walk 49)
This guidebook offers all the information you need to organise a successful walk in the mountains, whether the route is waymarked or not. The routes may be adapted and amended, bearing in mind any alternatives that are suggested. Many of the routes link with, or run concurrent with other routes, allowing for significant variation.
If using public transport to reach a route and depart afterwards, be sure to check current bus and train timetables online, or obtain them from the Estació Intermodal in Palma. If you have timetables to hand, then you can refer to them easily. If you don’t have them, then you risk missing a bus by a matter of minutes and might discover that the next one will not arrive for several hours, or even a couple of days! If a taxi is likely to be needed, be sure to get a local taxi number in advance. At the last minute, bars and restaurants usually have the numbers for local taxis.
Read the walk descriptions in advance to see where refreshments are located, and be sure to buy provisions to cover for long walks that lack refreshment options.
An information box at the beginning of each route provides the essentials for the day’s walk: start and finish points, distance covered, total ascent and descent, the length of time it’s likely to take to complete the route, the title of the sheet map you should carry with you, refreshment options, and details of public transport. The nature of the terrain is always described, so that you know which routes involve open mountainside, which are in dense forest, which are on rugged paths and which run along gentle tracks. Some routes involve hands-on scrambling, agility and a head for heights; any potential difficulties or challenges are highlighted in the walk information boxes.
In the route description, significant places or features along the way that also appear on the map extracts are highlighted in bold to aid navigation. As well as the route being described in detail, information about local places is provided in brief.
Many things are likely to influence the time it takes to complete a day’s walk. The timings given in this guidebook are walking times, and do not account for breaks along the way. If you keep beating the stated times, you probably always will, and you can plan ahead on that basis. If you fall behind the stated times, then work out by how much, and apply that to future routes.
If stuck for words, needing a handy phrase, wondering what an item of food is on a menu, or just idly curious about the meaning of some of the placenames on maps, check the glossary in Appendix A – which includes a topgraphical glossary containing terms used within route descriptions. Detailed information about public transport, including which buses can be used for which walks, is given in Appendix B. Useful contacts are listed in Appendix C.
GPX tracks
GPX tracks for the routes in this guidebook are available to download free at www.cicerone.co.uk/949/GPX. A GPS device is an excellent aid to navigation, but you should also carry a map and compass and know how to use them.
SANT ELM, ES CAPDELLÀ, CALVIÀ, GALILEA AND PUIGPUNYENT
Approching the village of Galilea, with Puig de Galatzó beyond (Walk 10)
High on na Pòpia, looking towards the lighthouse on Cap de Llebeig (Walk 1)
The western extremity of Mallorca contains the sizeable town of Andratx, the lovely village of s’Arracó, the bustling resort of Port d’Andratx and the quiet little seaside village of Sant Elm. The mountains are small and never reach as high as 500m (1640ft), and while they are quite rugged, they are also criss-crossed with paths and tracks that allow most parts to be explored. A ruined Trappist monastery occupies a remote valley in the mountains, proving to be a popular attraction for walkers (Walk 3). The cliff coastline is formidable, although there are beaches and rocky coves that are fairly easy to access. Sant Elm offers a ferry connection with the splendid island of sa Dragonera (Walk 1), which looks like a miniature mountain range.
Higher and more remote mountains rise further inland, with Mola de s’Esclop (Walks 4–6) and Puig de Galatzó (Walks 7–9) being particularly prominent; the latter rising to 1027m (3369ft). In recent years, the extensive estate of Finca Galatzó was made public, allowing both mountains to be climbed from a beautiful valley. In earlier years, they were usually climbed from another public estate, Son Fortuny above Estellencs. Motorists who climb these mountains often have to retrace steps to their cars, but walkers who use buses can traverse both mountains and finish far from where they started.
Other fine walks include one from the town of Calvià to the hilltop village of Galilea (Walk 10), with an option to continue to Puigpunyent. (There is a route from Galilea to Puig de Galatzó.) Another route from Puigpunyent climbs the old mountain road of Camí Vell d’Estellencs, descending along the old Camí de Superna to return to Puigpunyent (Walk 11).
WALK 1
sa Dragonera
| Start/Finish | Calo Lladó, sa Dragonera |
| Distance | 20.5km (12¾ miles) |
| Total ascent/descent | 620m (2035ft) |
| Time | 6hrs |
| Terrain | Mostly old roads and tracks, with easy paths, despite the steep slopes |
| Map | Alpina Tramuntana Sud |
| Refreshment | Plenty of choice at Sant Elm, drinks available on the Margarita ferry |
