If the question is how a family starts hiking in Mallorca's Tramuntana mountains without a child melting down at the end, the answer is almost always Cúber Reservoir. At 750 m altitude it sits between Puig Major and Puig de l'Ofre, right under the island's highest peaks, but the loop around it is essentially flat. About 5 km. The first half up to the dam is paved and even buggy-friendly, the rest is a wide gravel path with no tripping hazards. Time with kids: two to three hours including breaks.
What makes this route special for kids are the animals. Half-wild donkeys, sheep, goats, plus frogs and birds live around the reservoir. The donkeys often come right up to the path, let you pet them, occasionally steal a pretzel out of a hand. Blackberries and rose hips line the path in late summer.
The landscape does not feel Mediterranean. More like high mountains in the Pyrenees. Holm oaks, bare rock, water, wildflowers in spring. In summer it is noticeably cooler up here than down at the coast, in winter it can snow (rare).
Getting there: parking lot right on the Ma-10 between Sóller and Lluc, opposite Refugi Tossals Verds. Come early, the lot is small and full by 11 a.m. in summer. Without a car: bus 354 (Sóller-Cuber-Lluc) runs a few times a day in season, irregularly in winter, check the TIB Mallorca timetable before going.
Bring: water (nothing up here), shade is sparse, hat mandatory. In summer start before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. There is no place to eat along the route, but Sóller and the Lluc monastery have options before and after.
Alternatives for families wanting more: from the reservoir an easy path leads to Font de Noguer (spring, 30 minutes extra) and a much harder climb up Puig de l'Ofre (3-4 hours, 400 m vertical, more like age 10+). With younger kids the loop is plenty.
