Trail Run Mallorca | Crossing the Tramuntana

Day 1 - Arrival into Mallorca

Distance: No trail running

Welcome to Mallorca!

Arriving into Palma de Mallorca Airport at any time we’ll pick you up in the arrivals area of the airport (you won’t miss us!) and take you straight out to the our hotel in the charming coastal town of Port de Soller (the journey should take between 35 - 45 minutes).

Mallorca is surprisingly big, but it is remarkably quick to get around and it won’t take us long to reach our accommodation.

We check-in with some time to relax and get your bearings after the flight.

We will all catch up later that evening for us to get to meet your fellow Pure Trail runners, as well as our trail running guides for a briefing of the adventure that lies ahead for us.

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Day 2 - Es Capdella - Estellencs

Distance: Approx. 8 - 10 miles

Time: 3 - 4 hours trail running

Departing our hotel after breakfast we drive to the pretty inland village of Es Capdella (approx. 45 minutes driver) in the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains.

Departing the village we soon hit the trail which starts gently running on dry undulating tracks with amazing views of the Puig Galatzo mountain which stands proud in the middle of the valley.

The trail continues on through large olive groves and passes the impressive Finca de Galatzo - a grand old estate which is surrounded by orange and olive groves. After a while we skirt beech forest, large boulders and big mountains flanking us to the left. As we run through the forest we begin to see the remnants of lime kilns, ice-wells and old charcoal burners from times gone by.

About half-way through our journey we begin a steady but steep but very satisfying climb which tops out over a beautiful col. Looking back the views are magnificent and inspiring.

We then have the joy of running downhill, running past a mountain refuge and picking up the trail through a forest before we reach the main road where our support vehicle will be waiting for us with supplies and to top up our water bottles. After a brief road section we enter a forest, with the Mediterranean seemingly within touching distance.

We then arrive into the village of Estellencs - our final part of the day - where our team will be waiting to meet you and transfer you back to Port de Soller with the rest of the day to relax.

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Day 3 - Estellencs - Esporles

Distance: Approx. 9.5 miles

Time: 2 - 3 hours of trail running

After breakfast we drive back to Estellencs which will take around 1 hour to reach as we travel along the mountain and coastal roads. The views are so beautiful we are likely to make a few impromptu stops - particularly at the Torre del Verger - which is very impressive.

We hit the trail again picking up where we left off, departing Estellencs along a short section of the road, which soon diverts off onto a trail before picking up a smaller section of road again.

The trail starts to climb steeply uphill alongside an old trail and farm stead as we emerge into a beautiful beech forest with blue views of the Mediterranean to the north. At this point the trail really begins to open out and makes for exceptional trail running.

After a while the trail becomes stonier and it’s advisable to take care as not to come over on an ankle. The trail trickles down towards the beautiful village of Banyalbufar where our support vehicle will be waiting to meet us and top us up on supplies.

We begin a steep, long climb up (500-600m) through the old village which follows on old road, turning from asphalt to cobbles as we head to the Coll de Sa Basseta passing ancient homesteads which time has forgotten.

As we begin our very steep downhill, care is advised as the cobbles are hard to navigate and its worth slowing down if you are running fast. You can also see ancient ice-wells can be spotted which are impressive and worth stopping to explore.

Finally we reach the main road, which we cross and follow the undulating trail, alongside a pretty stream as we emerge into pretty Esporles.

Time to relax and soak up the day in one of the nearby cafes, before we head back to Port de Soller.

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Day 4 - Valdemossa to Deia

Distance: 10 - 11 miles

Time: 4 -5 hours of trail running

One of our favourite days of the whole trail running journey.

This is a beautiful, but challenging part of the journey with a steep, long climb out of Valdemossa as we head towards the charming town of Deia via the summits of Puig Graz and Es Caragoli for some incredibly rewarding views from the top.

After breakfast we drive to the incredible village of Valdemossa which is an easy 35-minute drive from our hotel. If time and the group allows we’ll explore the village before heading onto the trail.

We pick up the trail which makes for comfortable running as we enter a valley with lofty peaks above us.

Before long this section turns into a steep, long climb which we intend to walk up. Many lime kilns and charcoal burners can be seen throughout the forest as we head upwards.

The trail eventually slackens off near the mountain refuge where there is a great spot to sit and rest to take in the views.

As we emerge above the trees the views are instantly magnificent as we pick up a more runnable section as we head to the first summit of Puig Graz (937m) - a great spot for photos.

After this point the trail becomes very stoney and care needs to be taken when running as we head towards of second summit of Es Caragoli for more pictures and time to take in the breath taking views.

We then immediately start a long, hard descent with distance views of Deia coming into range. This section of the day can feel quite exposed and great care will be taken as we begin the first stage of our descent. We will only walk this section of the narrow trail as we stick close to the cliff base and venture down towards the beech forest.

Eventual the descent begins to ease and we can start some beautiful trail running again as we enter a medieval olive grove terraces and villages which time has completely forgotten.

An old cobbled path helps us along our way as we travel down into the breath-taking village of Deia where our support vehicle will be waiting to meet us with time available to explore the village before we head back to Port de Soller.

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Day 5 - Rest Day

Distance: No trail running

Today we have a full rest day to relax and enjoy Port de Soller.

There are several optional excursions we recommend (available at additional cost) if you would prefer to see some other parts of the island:

+ Take the old tram from Port de Soller to Palma to visit some of the cities cultural wonders

+ Go sea caving or dry canyoning

+ Visit some of the islands remoter beaches

We can arrange for local visits through our partners either in advance or we can discuss with you locally when we are in Mallorca.

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Day 6 - Soller to Lluc

Distance: Approx. 12 - 13 miles

Time: 4 - 6 hours of trail running

Today is our longest, but also one of the day best days of the entire trail.

We’ll start the day after an early breakfast as we head to Soller which is a short distance away. Running through the ancient we arrive in the curious little town of the Barranc de Biniaraix which is the gateway to a spectacular gorge. The dry stone trail ascends steeply via the ancient cobbled pilgrim’s path, alongside sheer cliffs and shady terraces which time has seemed to have forgotten.

Looking behind the views of the mountains and oceans is simply spectacular.

Arriving at the top of the gorge the trail slackens as we then enter a pine woodland. The trail then descends wonderfully as we head towards the Cúber reservoir, a welcome landmark with outstanding mountain views on all sides.

Our support vehicle will be waiting for us here to top up our supplies before heading onto the second section of the day.

The trail head towards the Font des Prat which is an easy path, to begin with. We’ll pass a series of ancient snow-pits along the way giving us an insight into the islands rural history.

We’ll travel through oak woodland and after a slow climb through the top of the treeline we emerge at the top of a mountain pass - the Coll des Prat.

The views from here are extraordinary with Puig Major (the islands highest peak) standing proud behind us. Our trail then descends through old villages, with one final climb, as we head down a stone path until we see the Lluc Monastery coming into view.

If we arrive before 5 pm we’ll be able to see the famous choir school’s daily rehearsal, before heading back to Port de Soller.

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Day 7 - Lluc to Pollenca

Distance: Approx. 9 - 11 miles

Time: 3 - 4 hours of trail running

Our final day on the trail.

We’ll depart from Port de Soller and take the impressive mountain road back towards the Lluc Monastery, the mountain road is a bit slow and will take us around about 1 hour to reach.

Much of the day is an enjoyable descent as we pick up the trail from the Lluc monastery. A familiar sight is the oak woodland which we once again travel through before picking up country lanes that route through old villages.

In the near distance, we can see the bay of Pollenca as we descend gently the whole way down, with one small but final climb to navigate before we enter the old town.

Arriving into Pollenca we’ll take some time to explore and enjoy a drink in the provincial square to celebrate our journey.

Our support vehicle and transport will then be waiting to take us back to Port de Soller for some proper time to relax and enjoy the beach.

This evening we’ll celebrate our crossing of Majorca with a group meal at our hotel.

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Day 8 - Homeward Bound

It’s time to pack up and bid farewell to your new-found trail running friends and our local team.

Private transfers are arranged for you back to Palma de Majorca International Airport in time to connect with your onward flight back home.