Full beds, full joy: Refuges in the Tramuntana packed on the holiday weekend

Full beds, full joy: Refuges in the Tramuntana packed on the holiday weekend

615 overnight stays in seven huts – Locals use the mountains for group tours

During the long constitutional holiday weekend, the Serra de Tramuntana was magnetic once again: All seven refuges managed by the Consell de Mallorca were completely booked. 615 people stayed overnight in the shelters, about eleven percent more than in the same period in 2024. On the trails towards Tossals Verds, on the steep paths below Puig Major and around Deià and Sóller, groups with full backpacks, children, older couples and dog owners could be seen – a colourful picture that smelled of weekend, fresh air and packed snacks.

The visitor numbers are not just a tourist trend. Many Mallorcans used the free days to go on multi-day hikes with family or friends. The scene in the early morning at the bus station in Sóller: voices bent over maps, the clatter of walking poles, a café con leche in disposable cups – everyday moments that show how close the mountains are to residents.

For the huts, the rising demand means more work: cleaning, transporting materials, managing sleeping quarters and maintaining paths. The Consell de Mallorca takes on these tasks and has already announced funds for 2026: the budget for maintenance and operation of the refuges and public fincas is set to grow by eleven percent to around €2.8 million. The money will be spent, among other things, on path repairs, energy supply and measures to make operations more weatherproof.

On the ground, you can feel that this investment is tangible. Larger containers with spare materials now stand on some access roads; in other places loose masonry has been secured. Not everything is new, but for hut managers and volunteers such sums are a relief: they can plan necessary repairs instead of patching things up at short notice.

Full occupancy has also boosted small local businesses. In Port de Sóller, on the Plaça de la Constitució in Fornalutx or in the small bodegas in the valley, more orders arrived in the afternoons. Walking groups strengthen the local café culture, the small workshop, the rising demand for transfer services between villages and parking areas – things that often remain inconspicuous in everyday life.

Of course, increased visitor numbers also bring challenges: overcrowded parking lots, busier paths in some sections and the recurring issue of avoiding litter. Those who love the Tramuntana make sure it stays that way: take backpack rubbish home, stay on marked paths, be careful with fire (important even in winter) and treat private fincas with respect are simple rules everyone can follow.

The image of full refuges is a small, reassuring sign for Mallorca: the mountains function as a local recreation area, a place for meeting and an economic space for villages that otherwise rely on gentle tourism. The decision to provide more money for maintenance shows that the infrastructure should be preserved – not as an end in itself, but so that the huts remain stable in stormy winters and hikers can find safe shelter.

If you now feel like mountaineering: the huts are managed and reservations are handled through the Consell's official channels. A practical tip: if you are flexible, choose days outside long weekends and start early from the village centre to experience the quiet stretches of the Tramuntana before the day hikers arrive. Then a sunny break on a wall in Fornalutx fits even better.

Conclusion: Fully occupied refuges are more than a statistic. They show that the Tramuntana remains important to island society – as a meeting place, a small source of income for villages and a reminder that investments in paths and huts pay off directly in everyday life.