Travelling to the north of Mallorca with children? Let them learn where oranges come from
Earlier this summer, we spent a week in Puerto de Sóller, Mallorca. From the first day, it was clear that the people of the area are very proud of their oranges (rightfully so, I might add). Taking the expensive, but charming, tram to Sóller, my two eldest were deeply fascinated to see lemons and oranges actually hanging from the branches in the orchards we went past. The next day, I went to the tourist information to ask if they knew of any orchards we could visit so that the children (and I!) could get to see where the oranges grow and possibly pick some. I expected the answer to be something like "yeah, there's lots", but to my surprise the woman behind the woman knew of exactly one: Ecovinyassa. (Carretera Fornalutx, camí de Sa Vinyassa, 07100 Sóller, +34 615 17 27 50) For €10 per person older than 14, we would get a walk around the orchard, a taste of their orange juice, a light snack and some oranges to take home. Children under 14 went for free. My mother and I were definitely going there with the kids.
The orchard is located in Sóller, not too far from the main square. We took the bus from Puerto de Sóller to Sóller, then walked the last distance. With two children aged six and eight walking, and a baby on my back, I'd say the walk took a bit under half an hour. It's a nice walk, not getting a taxi was well worth it. When we arrived at the Ecovinyassa, we were greeted by a man who didn't speak much English. He showed us the way into the orchard, where signs with information were placed next to a path. For us, with two children speaking neither Spanish nor English, this was the perfect guided tour! We could walk at our own pace, translating the signs to the boys when they were interested and just reading on our own when they were not. They enjoyed the beginning of the tour a lot, even if they were a bit disappointed by not being allowed to pick oranges from the trees while we were walking. Free range hens and peacocks caught their interest for quite a while, too. After a while, they tired a bit of the information, but since we were walking on our own rather than listening to a guide, we could handle that first by taking a break, then by walking a bit faster through the last part of the path.
After the walk, it was time for the "orange juice and light snack". My expectations were pretty low, I had pictured us standing there with a small plastic glass in one hand of orange juice and three olives in the other. Oh my, was I wrong! We were seated at a table in the shade of a huge, old tree, and served orange juice and lovely olives as a starter. After the olives came a serving of a vegetarian pizza before a piece of orange cake for each. The children could choose ice cream from the Sóller ice cream factory Sa Fábrica instead of the cake - which they did. After the meal, also got a chance to do something most children can never get enough of: Playing with cute, young kittens.
Everyone, from the baby to the grandmother had a good stay. I can warmly recommend the Ecovinyassa tour to anyone wanting to learn the story behind the oranges in the shops and the juice cartons.
The orchard is located in Sóller, not too far from the main square. We took the bus from Puerto de Sóller to Sóller, then walked the last distance. With two children aged six and eight walking, and a baby on my back, I'd say the walk took a bit under half an hour. It's a nice walk, not getting a taxi was well worth it. When we arrived at the Ecovinyassa, we were greeted by a man who didn't speak much English. He showed us the way into the orchard, where signs with information were placed next to a path. For us, with two children speaking neither Spanish nor English, this was the perfect guided tour! We could walk at our own pace, translating the signs to the boys when they were interested and just reading on our own when they were not. They enjoyed the beginning of the tour a lot, even if they were a bit disappointed by not being allowed to pick oranges from the trees while we were walking. Free range hens and peacocks caught their interest for quite a while, too. After a while, they tired a bit of the information, but since we were walking on our own rather than listening to a guide, we could handle that first by taking a break, then by walking a bit faster through the last part of the path.
After the walk, it was time for the "orange juice and light snack". My expectations were pretty low, I had pictured us standing there with a small plastic glass in one hand of orange juice and three olives in the other. Oh my, was I wrong! We were seated at a table in the shade of a huge, old tree, and served orange juice and lovely olives as a starter. After the olives came a serving of a vegetarian pizza before a piece of orange cake for each. The children could choose ice cream from the Sóller ice cream factory Sa Fábrica instead of the cake - which they did. After the meal, also got a chance to do something most children can never get enough of: Playing with cute, young kittens.
Everyone, from the baby to the grandmother had a good stay. I can warmly recommend the Ecovinyassa tour to anyone wanting to learn the story behind the oranges in the shops and the juice cartons.