GR 221 Cúber - Biniaraix - Soller + Puig d l’Ofre

GR 221 Cúber - Barranc de Biniaraix - Biniaraix - Soller + Puig d l’Ofre.
This is perhaps the most beautiful trip in Mallorca! Mostly because this is a tour of contrasts, in that it starts up in the mountains and leads down the wild and impressive valley of Barranc de Biniaraix towards the lowlands around Soller. Along the way the trip is spiced up with the detour up to the top of the 1093 meter high Puig de l'Ofre. The start takes place at the Cuber reservoir at the foot of Puig Major, who from this side seems very towering and majestic. The trip is part of the long stage on GR221 between Refugi de Muleta and Tossals Verds. Starting from Cuber, it is a few meters up the beautiful and wide valley with the river bed Torrent de Binimorat. On the other hand, it is many meters down the narrower Barranc de Biniaraix, but here the trip takes place on a very beautiful built-up road, which is actually protected: the old pilgrimage route to the monastery of Lluc.
See the Government’s booklet:
https://www.caib.es/sites/espaisnaturalsprotegits/f/203406

Cúber reservoir is located in a natural depression. The Cúber reservoir has an area of 59.3 ha and a maximum capacity of 4.6 hm3. Originally designed to produce electricity, it was converted to supply the city of Palma with drinking water. It also receives water from the nearby Gorg Blau reservoir, which is at a slightly lower altitude. The water is initially pumped, but then gravity makes it run down an open channel over 5 km long.

Camí des Barranc de Biniaraix:
The Barranc de Biniaraix ravine is the natural means of communication from the valley of Sóller to the valleys of Lofra, Cúber, the monastery of Lluc, Orient and the Pla de Mallorca. The camí is almost 3.5 km long and was officially declared a protected Monument as being a Asset of Cultural Interest in 1994. There can be found most of the features that define the bridle paths of Mallorca: fords with passadores (stepping stones), stretches of cobbled way with ratlletes (diagonal drainage channels), and a central course of stones to reinforce the path, escopidors (parapets), marges (retaining walls), etc. After years of neglect, in 1987 restoration work started, carried out by the School of Margers (dry stone wallers) run by the Consell de Mallorca, the body that since then has been responsible for its maintenance.

Barranc de Biniaraix:
This ravine is bordered by the peals of Es Cornadors to the south and by Es Morro de ses Solanes to the north. Its slopes, organized into agricultural smallholdings, have been intensively terraced, mainly for the cultivation of olive trees. It is also a good example of the integration of dry stone structures into the natural environment; this building technique was indispensable for agricultural purposes, and was used to resolve problems of refuge and shelter, as well as to mark property boundaries, ensure a water supply, access, etc.

Sóller:
In a fertile valley surrounded by olive and orange trees and vegetable gardens, this commercial town with a great love for the produce of the land blossoms. The ancestral homes of emigrants who returned enriched from their time in South America or France stand in its narrow streets. Regular commerce with France had cultural consequences, reflected in aspects such as the architecture and the language, and indeed many families here still speak French. The Plaza de la Constitució is dominated by the church of Sant Bartomeu and the Banco de Sóller, buildings with Modernist features. The municipality is highly prized by hikers who walk, among others, along the cobbled path of Barranc de Biniaraix. The Sóller tram and train, which still operate, are from the early 20th century. The town of Sóller, in the centre of the valley, at an altitude of about 30 m, was already settled in the time of Moorish rule. One of its most distinctive features are the grand houses built towards the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th, paid for with money made by emigrants from the town. Many were constructed in the Modernist style, which was also used in the design of the façade of parish church of Sant Bartomeu, the Bank of Sóller and the houses of Can Prunera.