Puig de Massanella
Peak · 1364.90 m · Mallorca
Checked
Puig de Massanella's bare limestone summit looms over the Ma-10, one of Mallorca's most-photographed mountain backdrops. At 1,364 m it is the island's second-highest peak, and the highest anyone can stand on: Puig Major's summit has been military ground since 1958. Snow wells near the top fed Palma's ice trade until 1925.
For riders staying around Cuber, Lluc or Sóller, Massanella is often the classic day off the bike: a walk to the summit and back. The usual route climbs from the Santuari de Lluc monastery through holm oak woods before breaking above the tree line onto open limestone, with a stone signpost marking the fork between the ascending and descending paths. Alternative approaches climb from Mancor de la Vall or from the Sóller side of the massif, both longer days on foot. The final push to the top is a genuine hands-on scramble rather than a technical climb, a five- to six-hour round trip for most walkers who make the summit and come back down.
What you see
From the summit ridge, a plateau of pitted grey limestone opens out with almost no cover, the ground falling away south toward Puig Major and, on a clear day, north across the sea to Menorca.
Practical
The direct routes to the summit cross private land close to the top, where the landowner typically collects a small fee from passing hikers, though enforcement is inconsistent.
mountainhikingviewpointkarst