We loved hiking to these ruins which are on the top of Mount Alaró in the foothills of the Tramontana mountain range. They are one of the three remaining rock castles in Mallorca and located near the town of Alaró which is on the west side of the island.
The Route and Where to Start
The hike is 3.3 miles with an elevation gain of 882 feet if you start from the parking lot at Es Verger which is a restaurant known for its lamb dishes. We drove our Fiat 500 rental car up the rough, narrow road with no issues but we saw several people who decided to park down below and walk up to the trailhead instead.
The Climb Up
We walked up a dirt road from the restaurant which took us through a pretty forest and offered views of the valley below and peeks of the castle above us on the top of the mountain.
After reaching a crossing with trail post sign for multiple routes we continued on GR221 and the path turned rockier and steeper as we got closer to the top.
At the Top
There's not much left of this fortress that records show existed since 902, but the towers and walls that are still standing were really cool to see and we loved being able to look from both directions. It was great to just wander all around the ruins and at almost 2700 feet the views were wonderful!
A Great Spot for Lunch
We continued climbing up past the ruins and enjoyed a wonderful Mallorcan brown bread toast with jamón Serrano and cheese and a cold beer from Hosteria del Puig d'Alaró which also offers lodging (they only accept cash). After enjoying our time wandering all around we began our descent and passed several families on our way back down carrying their overnight stuff coming up for the night and since it was New Years Eve we wondered if they would have great views for fireworks!
December 2022
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