3 peaks (Tres Puig) hike in the heart of the Tramuntana. Mallorca has 54 peaks over 1,000 metres, this hike crosses three of them: Puig de sa Rateta, Sa Francesca and de L'Ofre. Great views are guaranteed! Here you will find the description and GPS data.
Key facts for the Tres Puig hike in Mallorca
♡-Factor: ♡♡♡♡♡
Walking time: 4:00
Elevation: 560 m up 570 m downhill
Length: 13km
Accessible by public transport? Summer season only. The bus goes from Sóller to Pollença and stops at Cuber (www.tib.org/en) .
Family friendly? yes
Refreshments on the way no
I saved the GPS Data on Outdooractive - may be you have to change the language to english in the app
BEST TIME All year round
Starting point Cuber Reservoir
Note: The hike is only marked with cairns.
Alternative: If you want, you can also descend 830 meters from Coll der O'fre through the Barranc de Biniaraix. Then the hike becomes 5.7 km longer,
Hiking guide: The best thing about the hikes with Josep from Mallorcawalks are his rustic snacks! Joking aside, once you get off the island's main hiking trails, orientation can become quite challenging. On difficult tours, such as crossing the Torrent de Pareis or climbing the Puig de Migdia, the guidance of local hiking professionals can be very helpful. Josep Suau, +34 680417900, mallorcawalks.com.
Description for the Tres Puig hike:
From the car park at the Cuber reservoir, we walk along the right bank to the dam wall. Here a valley branches off to the left, which we follow to a holm oak grove. Here a path marked with cairns leads to the right up a stony path. The path soon leads through alpine terrain with great views towards Alaro. After a small basin, the path leads parallel to the right on the ridge up to the first peak. Now we see the entire mountain panorama with the highest mountain Puig Mayor and the lakes. The next two peaks are exceeded in a southerly direction. After descending from the Puig de L'Ofre we follow the GR221 back towards the parking lot.
With Josep we are going on the "Tres Puig" (in English three peaks) hike today.
After the view on the first summit Puig de sa Rateta (Rateta means rat in English) inspires us, but the wind almost blows us off the cliff, we climb south into the valley to the second summit Sa Francesca (1067m). Here the ridge gives us some wind protection. Josep proudly shows us the most poisonous plant on the island: “It's a sea onion. My grandmother used to make a brew from it and then used it as rat poison.” How fitting that this plant, which actually resembles a large onion, grows right at the foot of the “Rat” mountain …
In the video I wanted to know from Josep why you should come to Mallorca for hiking.
You can check it out on Instagram.
Near the Puig Francesca, only the Puig de L'Ofre (1091m) is missing. To us it looks like a giant bald man because, funnily enough, it is the only mountain that is forested almost to the top. From here you have – surprise! – a breathtaking view, this time of the steep valley of Barranc de Biniaraix, one of the most powerful gorges in Mallorca, which is only a few meters wide in some places. The centuries-old pilgrimage route laid with Katzenstein (today part of the GR221) winds through them from the lush Orange Valley of Soller over 1,000 meters in altitude into the barren mountain world of the highest peaks of the Tramuntana.
Mallorcan snack = pure happiness at the summit!
Josep has disappeared on the leeward side of the mountain, now he waves to us. While we were marveling at the landscape and taking photos, he prepared us a traditional Majorcan snack on the summit: there are home-grown olives, home-made tomato spread that you spread thinly on bread and with wild fennel, olive oil, sobrassada (a typical Mallorcan sausage), or strong cheese from the neighboring island of Menorca. There are also juicy oranges - of course from Josep's garden and - if you want - wine from a fur bottle. Pure mountain happiness!
Black Vulture Revival
A large shadow moves in front of the sun
Look, a black vulture"
Josep exclaims enthusiastically, "They were practically extinct in the 1980s, but now you see them more often again". We're not quite sure if the low-circling vultures with their impressive three-meter wingspan are a good sign (what do they actually feed on if they don't get unsuccessful hikers) and to be on the safe side descend in the direction of the Cuber reservoir.
Click on the first picture to start the photo gallery.
INFO
BEST TIME
The best time for hiking is between mid-February and late May. From June to mid-September it is often quite hot. From September to the end of October the island is no longer quite as green, but the sea is still warm enough for swimming.
LITERATURE
Mallorca – The most beautiful coastal and mountain hikes. Rother hiking guide revised edition 2021
WEATHER
With 300 days of sunshine a year, the weather in Mallorca is rarely really bad for several days. On rainy days, the Serra de Tramuntana is often a weather divide. This means that when it's bad in the west, the weather in the east can be passable - and vice versa.
CARDS
A good hiking map is the Kompass hiking, cycling and leisure map on a scale of 1:75,000, which is also available locally.
The three sheets »Mallorca Tramuntana Central«, »Mallorca Tramuntana Nord« and »Mallorca Tramuntana Sud« from Editorial Alpina on a scale of 1:25,000 are the best choice for the Tramuntana hiking region.The “Vall de Sóller” map (1:15,000), also published by Alpina, is ideal for the Soller region. The Alpina map "Mallorca Nord" (1:25,000) covers the north.
EQUIPMENT
We recommend hiking shoes with a good profile (otherwise the paved paths can get quite slippery...), rain and sun protection, and - for cooler days - warm clothing. Long, thin pants or knee-high socks, because the tours that are not used that often lead through high cutting grass that sneakily scratches your legs.