Discover the most authentic rural areas of Mallorca
There are so many ways to experience Mallorca, and Zafiro would like to help you discover them all. This time we would like to suggest a different type of stay, taking a walk through rural Mallorca, the lesser-known part of the island.
This brief guide goes beyond the famous coastline to visit the beating heart of the island, where the cobbled streets and shaded squares of inland towns and villages invite you to indulge in the serenity of the Mediterranean way of life.
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Rural Mallorca has no sandy beaches. It’s a place dotted with pathways, narrow roads, agriculture and beautiful scenery. This natural canvas is the backdrop for the most vivid colours, from the pink and white flowers of the blooming almond trees to the silvery green of the olive groves. This mosaic of Mediterranean vegetable gardens, orchards, ancient olive trees and valleys with a legacy from another age is where our special journey begins, designed for travellers aiming to disconnect, be inspired and fall in love again on this magical island.
Almond trees in bloom in Mallorca
In late January and February, the island's mild climate allows the almond trees to bloom in Mallorca, creating the most extraordinary and beautiful sights. The island is covered in a carpet of white at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, a sight which has been inspiring artists from every part of the world for centuries. This includes the Catalan artist Joan Mir Trinxet, the most important Spanish post-impressionist landscape artist and lover of rural Mallorca. Or the contemporary artist Miquel Barcelo, who has done a great job of capturing the beauty of Mallorcan almond trees in some of his works.
- Where to see them?
The fields around Sóller and Bunyola are the main almond growing areas. You don’t have to take any specific route to discover them. All the secondary roads that lead to the centre of the island (the Raiguer region) or the Tramuntana mountains will take you to them directly.
- Our recommendation
Make the most of your stay and visit some of the most beautiful viewpoints in Mallorca to see this awesome sight from above. For example, the Puig de Randa (Llucmajor), the Bonany Hermitage (Vilafranca de Bonany) or the Sant Salvador Sanctuary (Felanitx) are perfect viewpoints.
If you would also like to take a stroll through the history and culture of Mallorca, we suggest you visit the Finca de Raixa, a beautiful Mallorcan manor and estate located in Bunyola, a place where the fields of almond trees are uniquely intertwined with the history of the island.
- Did you know...?
Almonds are used in numerous popular sauces, stuffings, stews or desserts, such as “gató” or the typical autumn “panellets”, and an almond granita is also ideal to cool down in summer.
Mallorcan olive groves
The Mallorcan olive groves are living witnesses of ancient agricultural traditions that are deeply rooted in the island's scenery and culture. Dating back to ancient times, brought to us by Phoenicians and Greeks, these fields full of olive trees create a green and silver blanket from the gentle slopes of the Serra de Tramuntana to the plains. In the Tramuntana mountains the olive trees grow in ancient, terraced fields, an ingenious adaptation by local growers to the terrain in rugged mountains that overlook the sea, creating a cultural landscape that has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. These terraces not only help prevent soil erosion and maximise crops in a difficult terrain, they also create one of the most iconic views in Mallorca.
In the flatter parts of the island, the olive groves occupy large fields that add a calming and serene beauty to the land. The twisted and robust trunk of each tree tells a story about survival, adaptation and continuity, year after year, in the heat of the Mediterranean sun, producing olives that are used to make extra virgin olive oil with an incomparable flavour and quality.
This liquid gold is at the heart of Mallorcan cuisine and is an icon for the natural and cultural wealth of the island. The local varieties, Mallorquina and Empeltre, have a fruity and soft flavour with a hint of almond, and add a tasty surprise to any type of preparation.
- Did you know...?
In the village of Caimari, about 20 minutes from Sa Pobla, you can visit an oil-mill museum called Sa Tafona de Caimari, that still extracts oil by hand from the olives harvested from the trees that surround this beautiful village at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains.
- Our recommendation
Join in an olive-oil tasting session on the island and visit some of the olive oil producers in the Binissalem region and the Sóller Valley. You’ll love the quality and diversity of the oils, with a meticulous production process and the use of sustainable cultivation techniques.
We recommend you tour the entire Pla region, visiting small, charming towns such as Muro, Petra, Santa Margalida, Sencelles, Costitx or Sineu. In the outskirts of town you will see extensive green fields, dotted with large areas of intense red that contrast beautifully with the blue spring skies.
Mallorcan vineyards and wines
At the end of summer, when autumn begins to appear on the island, a golden blanket covers practically the entire interior of Mallorca. The wheat fields and leaves in the vineyards announce one of the most deeply rooted traditions in the inland areas: the “vermar” (the grape harvest).
Mallorca has a wine-growing tradition that dates back to Roman times, and today achieves its maximum expression in DO Binissalem and DO Pla i Levante. Unique, high-quality wines influenced by the Mediterranean climate, the altitude and the nature of the land. Discovering the native varieties (Manto Negro, Caller and Prensal Blanc) is a great way to learn more about the passion of generations of Mallorcan winemakers.
- Did you know...?
One of the towns with the longest history of vineyards is Binissalem, in the centre of the island, about 20 minutes by car from Palma and Sa Pobla. As well as being a lovely town, it’s also where the grape harvest becomes a huge festival. From mid to late September, the entire town celebrates the grape harvest. The festival showcases local wine and cuisine, including a very popular dinner on the streets featuring “vermar” noodles. If you get the chance, you should also visit the annual Binissalem wine festival, which is also held around that time. This event is an ode to this part of rural Mallorca, with tastings, dances and even a grape war.
- Our recommendation
Make sure you try the traditional aged reds and young white wines, take a tour of the fields or the most famous wineries to learn about the secrets of the production process. You’ll love the personality of wines such as a Reserva Veritas 2007 or a Pedra de Binissalem Negre 2011 made by the historic José Luis Ferrer winery. Or a private reserve 2010 or a Macia Batle 1856 from the Macià Batle winery, one of the largest on the island.
The Mallorcan kitchen garden
The ingredients for the real Mediterranean diet grow in the vegetable gardens and orchards of Mallorca. Towns such as Sa Pobla, Campanet, Mancor de la Vall or Muro are surrounded by fields full of all types of vegetables, creating unique and very diverse landscapes depending on the time of year. For example, the fields of artichokes, chard and watermelon are spectacular!
- Did you know...?
Sa Pobla is one of the few places in Spain able to produce a double potato crop, one of which goes almost entirely to the United Kingdom. This is because it’s a town with a big supply of underground water, allowing the fields to offer the perfect humidity to grow all types of vegetables and plants.
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