Only seven weeks earlier, I’d signed onto my first tour of this kind with Exodus Adventure Travels from the comfort of my oversized and very soft living-room couch.
The small group tour operator is based in the UK and has 50 years of global experience in leading active tours. The trip that called to me, “Walking in Mallorca,” spans seven nights — five days on the trail and one day off. It traverses the island gem where the jagged Tramuntana mountain range dominates the terrain and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site for its diverse agricultural landscape and storied medieval history.
I’m using the trip as motivation to get into better shape, experience an active outdoor holiday, and push my physical and mental resolve.
The prize? Sun-soaked days traversing ancient pilgrim paths, many along the GR-221, northwest Mallorca’s nearly 100-mile Dry Stone Route. There’s gob-smacking coastal views of volcanic rocks juxtaposed against the cerulean Mediterranean and new friendships to develop with kindred spirits who are quick to share their knowledge, insights, and kindness.
Photo: Michael J. Solender
Our group meets for a paella dinner and tour briefing on the first night after arrival in the tiny village of Port de Soller, our base for the next four nights. Exodus tours are open to all age groups with most adventurers in the 55-plus category. There’s nine people in my group: three Americans and six from the UK. Our ages range from 43 to 75.
Jacob Vink, our local guide, notes that hill walking — a British term that Americans might refer to as mountain hiking — demands our full attention. Focus is as important as physical stamina, he explains, as the trails we traverse are lined with jagged dolomite and limestone rock and gravel. The paths are well defined but often narrow, occasionally bearing exposed tree roots and scrubs, while the ascent is frequently steep and laden with rocks the size of grapefruits or larger.
Exodus categorizes this trip as moderate, with an activity level of three on a seven-point scale. In the pre-trip guide, the operator notes that participants should expect hilly and mountainous terrain, loose rock underfoot, and daily walks between four and seven hours. Walking distances range from 6.5 to 12.5 miles, with elevations gains between 885 and 2,200 feet.
Photo: Courtesy of Jacob Vink
Day one on the trail is a meandering coastal trek to the nearby village of Deia with grand overlooks of the tiny bay at Cala Deia. We take the wooden tram at Port de Soller to its big brother town of Soller on day two where the trek to Biniaraitx takes us on a circular route a bit more inland. Here, we navigate past row after row of fragrant orange trees, gnarled olive trees in expansive groves, mossy rock outcroppings, and wind-swept oak and conifers.
Day three offers a break from hiking (more on that later) while on our fourth day we’re back on the trail and transfer to the holy pilgrimage destination of Lluc. This is home to the 12th-century Lluc Sanctuary — the first on the island dedicated to the Virgin Mary. We stop en route for a short hike along a coastal mule track where a combination of ancient oak forest trekking and dramatic coastal views frame our day. Finally, the fifth day and final hike is to Puig d’en Galileu, one of the highest peaks on the island. It offers mountain views across the Lluc Valley, fern-filled areas above the treeline, and unspoiled views of nearby Tomir and Roig peaks.
Photo: Michael J. Solender
I find the most challenging aspects of the treks to be the uneven terrain and the durations of some of the ascents, which are up to two hours of climbing that offer only rare stretches of relief in the flats. Several more experienced group members advise me that they rate these parts of the trek on the challenging end of the moderate scale.
It’s these physical and mental challenges, combined with a determination to achieve success, that my peers and I find exhilarating. Overlay the majestic panoramas of the mountains encroaching the sea, a frequent soundtrack of rhythmic surf pounding the shoreline, and siting raptors aloft riding thermals, and it’s easy to understand the appeal.
Photo: Michael J. Solender
On the trail, we stop frequently for water and protein- and carb-rich snacks like nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit. Lunch, typically a sandwich with fruit, provides an extended break to re-energize and regroup. I’m glad for the Only Hydration electrolyte powder that I add to my water as the unseasonable heat bites hard.
Most days we discover municipally sponsored refuges on the trail where we can purchase cold drinks and food, and places to sit and relax provide brief respites.
One of the main reasons I chose to trek with Exodus is its reputation for strong guides. Vink is no exception. His expertise and guidance prove invaluable to me and the group time and again. His intimate knowledge of the trail places him at anticipated pinch points with navigation advice and a steady hand in assisting us past tricky obstacles. He lends me a spare pair of walking poles early on, which, after I gain rhythm, prove helpful.
Photo: Michael J. Solender
I spend the third day of the tour, my free day, off the trail exploring the lively village of Valldemossa, which is a 20-minute taxi ride from Port de Soller.
Composer Frederic Chopin convalesced here from pulmonary disease in the mid-1800s, living in the monastery that today serves as a museum. There’s a delightful 15-minute performance of his music daily for museum patrons. When combined with lunch at nearby Restaurant Es Port de Valldemossa, it makes for a fine day of Mallorcan culture and history.
I stop in Soller on my way back to marvel at the Sant Bartomeu Church and have a light tapas dinner and a glass of Rioja at Bar Molino, a hideaway off the tourist-trafficked main square.
Photo: Michael J. Solender
In Port de Soller, we stay at the Hotel Eden Nord, a centrally located property catering to cyclists and hikers. In Lluc, we sleep like ascetics at the Lluc Monastery in spartan rooms surrounded by centuries of history. I’m glad for my early morning visit to the sanctuary where the 13th-century church enjoys early 20th-century interior updates and iron work by Antoni Gaudí. There’s a contemporary Mallorca art museum here featuring local notables such as Josep Coll Bardolet.
Heading back to the States after a week in Mallorca, I find myself exhausted yet exhilarated. Much as I’d hoped before embarking on the journey, it’s clear that hill walking in this wondrous region of Spain delivers nutrition for the mind, body, and soul. 