Roundtrip Lluc-Puig de Massanella 18 km

Beautiful but quite strenuous roundtrip to the highest accessible peak of Mallorca, the Puig de Massanella (the highest peak Puig Major has a military-run antenna complex on the summit). The trip requires some scrambling between Coll de n’Argentó and Puig de Massanella. The trip is varied with pine forest, holly oak forest, the Lluc monastery, karst mountains, ledges, ruins of snow houses (Cases de Neu) formerly used to store snow, and endless views across the Tramuntana mountains, Mallorca and the sea. The start is at the large paid parking lot at Lluc (24-hours opening time). You can find something to eat and drink at the start in Lluc and at the Repsol gas station on the Ma-2130 a few kilometers before the end. Take enough water on the trip. I did this trip in summer, and starting at sunrise is then a good option to avoid the worst of the day-time heat. Shade can only be found up to about 900 meters. With mist and rain the trip is not recommended, especially the scrambling part to the summit. The summit is at 1364 meters (the elevation of my GPS was about 65 meters off).
At the start you can take a look at the Sa Font Cuberta source before you take the GR221 long-distance path. This path partly paved with stones takes you through olive grove, stone walls, and holly oak forest up to the Ma-10 road. You cross this road and continue on the GR221 through holly oak forest mainly on forest roads. Before exiting the woods the path is again paved with stones. The path then rises across a ledge onto a plateau covered with grass. You follow the path towards the pass Coll de ses Cases de Neu. Just before you turn left on a path to the summit of Puig d’en Galileu at 1195 m. The views are magnificent. You turn back to the GR221 which crosses the pass and then descends to a valley before ascending again towards the pass Coll des Telègraf. Just before you pass ruins of a snow house and beyond the pass there are more to find, also when climbing on to the pass Coll des Prat. When arriving at this pass the view towards the Puig de Massanella on top of a steep rock face is great. You continue on the GR221 for a while and then take a minor path toward the Coll de n’Argentó. Here the scrambling starts to make the south-western ascent up the ledge. Up on the ledge you continue back along it towards the summit (no clear path). The views from the summit of the Puig de Massanella are superb. I saw several griffon vultures and a monk vulture (cinereous vulture) circling around the summit and the nearby Espoló Sud. From the summit you descend in eastern direction towards the Pla de sa Neu, a local low which collects snow in winter. From here you descend further towards the Cami de la font de l’Avenc. On this path you descend further into the forest and then on to a pass Coll de sa Linia. Here you arrive to a forest road that takes you down towards Comafreda farm. At a large rock you turn right onto a path going around the farm property and taking you to an access path/road of the farm in the valley of the Torrent de Comafreda. You follow this path forest road past a fence (hiking ladder provided to cross the fence) and then follow it down to the Ma-2130 road. You follow this road past a Repsol station with restaurant and shop. At the bifurcation you take a path and road along the Urbanització des Guix. You are now on the GR222 hiking trail all the way to Lluc. The trail takes you first down to a field and then slightly up to the Son Amer refuge. Here you have a view towards Lluc. You then descend towards Lluc through the forest to the valley and walk along fields towards the access road to Lluc. You walk to the sanctuary and first take a look in the botanical garden of the sanctuary (there is also a paid swimming pool here if you need cooling down). You then walk to the square and visit the Basilica, and courtyards (free access) and museum (paid access) if you like. There are also bars and restaurants here. From here it is a short walk back to the parking lot.