Buggy Excursions at Randa: Respect, Rules, and Considerable Noise

Between adrenaline and resident complaints

One late-summer morning in the Son Oms industrial area, just after 9 am, they stand there: rows of buggies, some still splattered with mud, others almost showroom-clean. The air shimmers at about 31 degrees, somewhere a delivery driver buys his third coffee. Tourists with sunglasses and flip-flops board — Germans, a few French and Spaniards. I was there and watched the tour.

What a guided tour looks like

The group gets a brief briefing: behavioral rules, radios, and that you stay behind a follow-vehicle. Then you start — the sound of the engines is immediately present, not a quiet idle. The buggies jolt, accelerate and bring a mix of adrenaline and mental imagery: switchbacks up, sea on the right, pines on the left. At 542 meters, at the monastery on the Randa, the group takes a break. View, photo, water bottles — a quick breath.

We continue toward a small cove. There the sound of engines and the quiet of nature clash: the echo of the column against the rocks startles passersby, dust swirls on the sandy parking area. On the way back, in Palma, a mechanic tells me that the vehicles are regularly checked — both internally and at the vehicle registration office.

Rules, controls and criticism

The operator, a German-speaking rental firm, emphasizes that GPS loggers are in the vehicles and that groups are kept small to limit recklessness and speed. He says most providers adhere to guidelines; problematic are mainly private quad rides that venture off roads into sensitive areas. Understandable, I think — residents are annoyed, conservationists alarmed.

Many questions remain: Is a seat-belt requirement without helmets enough? How thorough are the checks? Local political initiatives in the east of the island have already proposed restrictions after anger over illegal off-road trips has increased.

My impression

I saw people who visibly enjoyed themselves, and operators who insist on order. But I also sensed tensions: a village that wants quiet, and visitors seeking noise and adventure. A solution requires clear rules, consistent checks — and a bit of mutual respect. Until then, it remains a loud, dusty chapter in Mallorca's tourism history.

Tags: Buggy, Randa Mountain, Nature Conservation, Off-road, Tourism