The history of the Caminito del Rey
El Caminito del Rey is a footpath attached along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Ardales in the province of Málaga. Caminito del Rey loosely translated means “The King’s Path”.
What until a few years ago was considered the most dangerous hiking trail in the world is now one of Andalusia’s major tourist attractions.
The trail was originally a way for workers at a power station in a deep gorge to transport themselves and materials between various parts of the ravine. Caminito del rey fell into disrepair and became a dangerous playground for adventurers.
The Spanish authorities closed the trail after several people fell to their deaths. After restoration, the new Caminito del Rey was completed in April 2015. Now a very safe, but still highly dramatic, walk along the vertical slopes of the ravine.
The walk
You will not be disappointed. Most of the Caminito del Rey is made up of walkways attached to a vertical sheer rock face in the El Chorro ravines. Only a wire or railing separates us from the cliff. Just below the new walkway, you can still see the remains of the old dangerous road, without railings and with sudden holes and broken sections.
Book tickets for Caminito del Rey
You book a day and time. In high season it is necessary to book in advance. Otherwise, you can take a chance and buy a ticket on the spot, it usually works out. The trail may be closed if the weather is too bad. Avoid Mondays when the trail may be closed (some months).
Who can walk the Caminito del Rey
Anyone who can manage a 2-hour walk with staircase-like climbs can do the hike. If you are afraid of heights, you may not want to walk the trail, but everywhere there are ropes and protection against the cliffs. The trail contains no sections where you are without railings or protection so do not let your fear of heights prevent you from hiking.
Getting there and from there
Caminito del Rey is just over an hour’s drive from Fuengirola and from March 2023 you can also take the train from Fuengirola, see information further down the page.
You start at the northern entrance. The road signs point the way to both the northern and southern entrances, so it is important to remember that you start from the northern entrance.
At the northern entrance there are car parks and restaurants. From here it is about 2 km walk to the actual starting point of the Caminito del Ray. You should therefore be at the car park at least half an hour before your start time on the Caminito del Rey trail.
At the starting point the tickets are checked, you get a helmet and a briefing on the rules of behavior, if you drop something in the gorge it is gone forever, don’t litter and the helmet must be kept on throughout the hike and so on.
About fifty people are allowed on the trail at the same time, but everyone can walk individually at their own pace.
After the walk
The hike is followed by a 15-minute walk along a country road to a bus stop. Buses run every half hour back to the north entrance. The whole adventure from the car park, walk back to the car park takes just over 3.5 hours.
From March 2023 you can take the train to Caminito del Ray, the timetable is available online and the journey takes about 3 hours or 1 hour by car.
This is the official site of Caminito del Rey →
El Chorro
El Chorro is a paradise and one of the most beautiful places in the Malaga mountains. The Guadalhorce River runs between the steep and extremely high walls and there are plenty of hikes here. If you like rock climbing, there are over 1300 routes.
At the campsite at El Chorro Lakes you can rent kayaks, go paragliding or paddle surfing. The old town of Álora is worth a visit.
At the El Mirador restaurant you can enjoy a wonderful meal with a spectacular view of the surroundings.
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