GR221 – Through the Tramuntana Mountains

Mallorca isn’t just a great place to party—it’s also a fantastic place for hiking. At least, that’s been my experience on the GR221 long-distance hiking trail. It winds through the beautiful mountainous landscape in the north (Tramuntana) of the island. The trail typically runs from Port d’Andratx to Pollença in the northeast of the island. However, many hikers start in Valdemossa, since the first few stages are still under construction.

The information you’ll find here is outdated. I hiked the trail in 2010 and 2014. A lot has changed since then. Please consult other sources for information and route details.

Accommodations along the GR221

It’s no surprise that the most popular section of the GR221 is the one leading from Valdemossa to Pollença, since that’s the only section where all the currently open refugios are located. You can stay overnight at the refugios quite affordably (about €11 per night without additional services) and also enjoy dinner and breakfast there. You should reserve a spot at the refugios in advance; otherwise, dinner won’t be served. Reservations can be made either online or by phone.

To Reserve a Refugi

Camping on the GR221

Even though it’s not actually allowed, the GR221 offers many beautiful spots to pitch a tent. On the western section of the trail, camping is practically unavoidable, since no refugios have opened there yet and the hotels (if available) are generally quite expensive.

These days, however, I would generally advise against wild camping due to the crowds of tourists.

Getting to and from the GR221

The bus network on Mallorca is very well developed. So there are no real problems getting to the start and end points of the long-distance trail. It’s also entirely possible to take the bus to the individual stages, so you can spread the trail out over several day hikes. The hub for the buses is Palma, where all bus lines converge. You can find the bus schedules online or at the local tourist information office.

View bus schedules

Local Shopping Options

Along the GR221 route, you’ll repeatedly pass through towns where you can at least restock your supplies. Stores are closed on Sundays and usually during the local siesta hours (2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.). On the first stages of the GR221 (Sant Elm–Estellencs), it’s difficult to find food, and in Estellencs there’s only a small corner store.

If you need outdoor gear, you’ll find the outdoor store Es Refugi (Carrer des Sindicat, 21) in Palma. If you’re looking for methyl alcohol (alcohol de quemar), you’ll find it at hardware stores.

Literature and Maps

On my hike, I brought along the English book “GR221 Mallorca’s Long Distance Walking Route” as well as the “Mallorca – Serra Tramuntana” maps. The book proved to be very helpful, and the maps are also quite good. However, they don’t start until Valldemossa. So you basically have to hike the first few stages without a map or use a different one. For me personally, the book would be more than enough. For Garmin GPS devices, the “Topo Spain V4” maps are a good option, or you can simply use a few custom maps from OpenStreetMap. In addition, you can download the GPS track here as a GPX file.

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