Alaró Castle

Alaró Castle is a medieval fortification built in the 13th Century in the actual municipality of Alaro, in the middle of Tramuntana mountains. It is well known that after the Catalan conquest of the island, the remaining Moorish population tried to find shelter in the mountains to protect themselves from the invading troops. They have built such fortifications, some of them unconquerable, topping mountains over 500 metres in altitude. These locations were also conquered, even if it took a while to get to them. One of these location is Alaro Castle, now just some ruins, composed of few scattered walls, five towers and a couple of water tanks.

After a long period when Alaro Castle’s muslim inhabitants were constantly threatened, surrendered to the armies of Pere el Cerimoniós, in 1343. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the castle was gradually abandoned by civilians and functioned as a military garrison till 1741. Meanwhile, an oratory had been built to serve as a religious edifice. Even today, aside from the travel related activities, the Castle of Alaro is used for religious purposes.
To access the Castle of Alaro you need to reach first the town of Alaro and head in the direction of nearby settlement of Orient, then switch towards the possession of Es Verger. You can then choose to continue by car of by foot. It is recommended to continue hiking, to take advantage of the gorgeous natural surroundings, amongst olive trees. Either way, at some point there is no car access so you will eventually have to climb by foot. The last place you can leave your car is a narrow flat ground, at Es Pouet. The hills you need to pass are not very steep, the walking path covered with stones or gravel. Close to the Castle of Alaro, you will encounter a few rocky staircases, easy to follow, till you reach the wonderful medieval structure.

Although the castle itself has its own attractions, like the tower named Presó dels Moros (or la Torre de la Cova), the cave of Sant Antoni or the oratory, your eyes will head to the mountainous plateau and the valley placed at the foot of the mountain, enclosing the summit. On sunny days, seen from the observing platform of the Castle of Alaro, the panoramic view will actually cover the gulf of Alcudia, even the Mediterranean Sea.

The castle has also a INN with 16 beds and the price is 12€ per person you can make booking by calling +34 971  182  112.

How to arrive at the INN

ACCESS ON FOOT
Dry-stone Route GR-221
The refuge can be reached through stage 6 and 7 on option C.

OTHER ACCESSES
From Alaró on the PM210 Bunyola-Alaró road, which links with the Dry-stone Route GR-221.
From Orient. It links with the Dry-stone Route GR-221 In es Pouet.

Castles and ruins