Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
runs twice a day east to Orient (€2, 30 minutes). This is a microbus service and you need
to book a seat in advance by calling 617 365365.
The Palma-Inca train calls at the Consell-Alaró train station (20 to 30 minutes), where
it connects with local bus 320 for Alaró (15 minutes).
CANYONING THE SERRA DE TRAMUNTANA
The wild limestone peaks and boulder-strewn gorges of the central Serra de Tra-
muntana between Valldemossa and Sa Calobra create the ideal backdrop for
canyoneers. By far the most challenging (rated 5-6, for experts only) is the 2.5km
Gorg Blau-Sa Fosca, one of Europe's most dramatic canyons, descending north
and then northeast from the dam of the same name. It's a tough route, with drops,
scrambling, freezing water and a 400m stretch in total darkness to negotiate. An
easier alternative (though by no means a walk in the park) is the 8km Torrent de
Pareis, surrounded by majestic rock walls. Either way, a local guide is essential; try
Experience Mallorca (
Click here
)
, Tramuntana Tours (
Click here
)
or Món d'Aventura
(
Click here
).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Cala de Sa Calobra & Cala Tuent
Taking in the wide open sea, the island's highest mountains and plunging cliffs, the
Ma10 road from Sóller to the Monestir de Lluc is one of Mallorca's great drives - or
cycle rides, if you are that way inclined. The first stop is the
Mirador de Ses Barques
,
about 6km out of Sóller, with phenomenal views all the way down to Port de Sóller; the
cafe here serves great freshly squeezed orange juice, as well as snacks. The road unravels
eastward to cross the Serra de Son Torrella range, and 16km out of Sóller a side road
leads north up to the island's highest point,
Puig Major
(1445m). The peak is off limits,
however, as this is Air Force territory and topped by a communications base. From here
it wends its way around two dazzling patches of liquid blue, the Cúber and Gorg Blau
dams.
All of which is just a tantalising prelude for the hairpin-riddled 12km helter-skelter of
a road down to Sa Calobra. Whether you're swooning over the giddy ravine views, gulp-
ing as a coach squeezes through an impossibly narrow cleft in the rock, or aping Tour de
France winner Bradley Wiggins with a thigh-burning pedal to the top (he does it in 26
minutes, for the record), this spectacularly serpentine road, which branches north off the
Ma10, is pure drama. Carved through the rock and skirting narrow ridges as it unfurls to
