Discover the Sierra de Tramuntana, a World Heritage Site

The Sierra de Tramuntana is a mountain range that extends all the way from the north coast of Mallorca to the south coast of the island, it gets its name from the wind that blows from the mountains, in Mallorquin it is called the Sierra de Tramuntana, it is 99 kilometres long and its two biggest mountains are the Puig Major d’en Torrella and Puig Major de Massanella, the Puig mayor is the tallest at almost 1500 metres high. There also 3 reservoirs up in the mountains: Cúber, el Gorg Blau and a smaller one which is only used by the military base at Puig Major.

The history and heritage of the Sierra de Tramuntana

The Sierra de Tramuntana has an incredible cultural landscape formed by roads, cliffs, terraces and dry-stone constructions made by man who, far from destroying the natural view of this area, has respected the environment and has integrated into it perfectly, making it even prettier. 

The Sierra de Tramuntana has an incredible hydraulic heritage; thanks to the ingenuity of man the exploitation of water resources were developed to supply water to the terraces where olive trees grow on the mountain slopes, during long dry hot summers. The Arab invasions over the centuries meant that the population were compelled to leave the coast for the safety of the mountains and constructed a coastal surveillance network to alert the towns of the arrival of enemy ships. These consisted of towers, watchtowers and two rock castles.

We should also mention the religious heritage present in the mountains, especially the monastery at Lluc, a place of pilgrimage and a site of cultural interest in Mallorca. It was the Sierra de Tramuntana that brought the first tourists to the island in the beginning of 20th century, thanks to a group of pioneering visitors such the Archduke Luis Salvador de Austria. He was so fascinated by Mallorca's north coast that he bought several large estates in the Valldemossa and Deià areas, which went on to become two of the most important tourist locations on the island.

The Archduke built several viewpoints, still in existence today, so that travellers could enjoy the wonderful landscape offered by this part of Mallorca's coastline. Today its wonderful scenery, views, villages and coves make it a first-class tourists destination attracting hundreds of tourists from all over the world who find on their arrival in the Sierra de Tramuntana a wealth of cultural, historical and gastronomical heritage.