GR221 Dry Stone Route hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The GR 221, the Ruta de Pedra en Sec or Dry Stone Route, is Mallorca's long-distance trail through the Serra de Tramuntana, the mountain range along the island's north-west coast. The range was listed by UNESCO in 2011 as a World Heritage cultural landscape. The route follows its old mule tracks, pilgrim paths and snow-collectors' paths, many held up by dry-stone walls that the Consell de Mallorca has restored. The Consell's main route runs 150 km from Port d'Andratx to Port de Pollença in nine stages. It is waymarked with red and white GR marks and wooden signposts, and you sleep in villages and in the Consell's hikers' refuges.

The route

This guide follows the official stages 1 to 8, from the harbour of Port d'Andratx to the Pont Romà refuge in Pollença, about 144 km and 8 stages of about 17.9 km each. The official ninth stage, a flat 6.7 km walk across the plain from Pollença to the sea at Port de Pollença (about 1.5 hours), is an easy extra.

The first short day climbs over the headland from Port d'Andratx to Sant Elm, facing the island of Sa Dragonera. Stage 2 is long and wild: up the Camí de ses Basses, past the old La Trapa estate high above the sea, over burnt and recovering hills around Coma d'en Vidal and down to the stone village of Estellencs. Stage 3 crosses the terraced slopes of Estellencs and Banyalbufar on old royal roads to Esporles. Stage 4 climbs through holm-oak woods to Valldemossa and on over the ridge to Deià. Stage 5 is a gentle walk through olive groves to the Muleta refuge in the old telegraph station on the cliffs above Port de Sóller. Stage 6 is the big day: down to Port de Sóller and through the orange groves of Sóller, up the stone staircases of the Barranc de Biniaraix to Coll de l'Ofre and past the Cúber reservoir to the Tossals Verds refuge. Stage 7 climbs to the highest point of the route, about 1,200 m at the Coll de ses Cases de sa Neu, past old snow pits, then drops to the monastery of Lluc and the Son Amer refuge. The last stage follows the old pilgrims' path through holm oaks below Puig Tomir and down the valley to Pollença.

The profile adds up to about 6,300 m of climbing and the same in descent.

Highlights

• Sa Dragonera: the island nature park off Sant Elm, seen from the first two stages
• La Trapa and the Estellencs coast: high paths with the sea hundreds of metres below
• Banyalbufar's terraces: dry-stone terraces and irrigation pools running down to the sea
• The Barranc de Biniaraix: a gorge climbed on stone steps between terraces
• Cúber and the snow houses: the high, bare heart of the range below Puig Major, the island's highest mountain
• Lluc: the island's main monastery and pilgrimage site, in a holm-oak forest

When to walk the GR 221

The best seasons are spring (March to May) and autumn (late September to November). Summer is very hot, shade is limited on the coast and in the high mountains, and most rescues are for heat stroke and dehydration; from 1 May to 15 October all fires are banned on forest land. Winter is mild on the coast, but the high stages 6 and 7 can have snow, ice, strong wind and short days. The Consell refuges take bookings all year, but in August 2025 they all closed for about two weeks for staff holidays, so check before you book in August.

How many days do you need?

Most walkers take 8 days for the 8 stages, plus a day if they continue to Port de Pollença. Two stages are long. Stage 2, Sant Elm to Estellencs (about 26 km), has no bed on the way except the Coma d'en Vidal refuge, which is booked only as a whole by groups. Stage 6, Port de Sóller to Tossals Verds (about 27 km), is easy to split with a night in Sóller. Stage 5 is short and leaves time for Port de Sóller. Buses reach most villages, so you can walk only part of the route.

Booking and the refuges

There is no permit or fee for the trail. The Consell de Mallorca runs five refuges on the main route: Can Boi in Deià, Muleta above Port de Sóller, Tossals Verds, Son Amer near Lluc and Pont Romà in Pollença. A dorm bed costs 14 euros, dinner 9.50 euros and breakfast 5.50 euros; sheets and towels are extra. Book online through the Consell's refuge-booking service or by phone on +34 971 173 700, between 5 days and 4 months ahead; normally you can stay at most 3 nights in one refuge. Dogs are not allowed in the refuges. In the villages there are hotels, small guesthouses and two hikers' hostels (Esporles and Sóller), and at Lluc the monastery rents rooms. Wild camping is not allowed; the only official camping areas on the route are the free government sites at Lluc, which you book online.

Getting there and away

Palma airport has flights from all over Europe. Public TIB buses run from Palma to Andratx and Port d'Andratx, and from Pollença and Port de Pollença back to Palma; check times on tib.org, as some lines run less often in winter. Most villages on the route have buses to Palma. Sóller is also linked to Palma by the historic Sóller railway. Tossals Verds has no road access; the nearest car park is at Son Ordines, about an hour's walk away.

Money, food and phone signal

Spain uses the euro, and cards work in most hotels and shops; carry some cash for small bars. There are shops and cafés in Sant Elm, Estellencs, Banyalbufar, Esporles, Valldemossa, Deià, Sóller and Pollença, but nothing between Sóller and Lluc, so buy food for two days in Sóller or order meals and picnic bags at the refuges. Water is the main problem: carry 2 to 3 litres and fill up in every village, as springs can be dry. Mobile signal is good in the villages and patchy in the high mountains between Cúber and Lluc.

What to pack

Walking shoes with a good grip for polished limestone, sun hat and sun cream, a rain jacket and a warm layer (the high stages are cold from November to April), poles for the long descents, a sleeping-bag liner, a first-aid kit and the official GPX tracks.

Difficulty and safety

The GR 221 is a moderate to hard walk with no technical climbing. The paths are well built but stony, and the long climbs (Valldemossa to Deià, Biniaraix to Coll de l'Ofre, the snow houses) are tiring in the heat. Limestone is slippery when wet. The Consell only answers for signposted sections, and on stage 4 the stretch through the Son Cabaspre housing estate is passable but not signposted, so carry the GPX. In an emergency call 112; for medical help you can also call 061. The nearest hospitals are Son Espases in Palma and the district hospital in Inca, and Andratx, Esporles, Sóller and Pollença have 24-hour urgent-care centres.