Caminito del Rey

The Caminito del Rey is a walkway fixed to the sheer walls of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, a limestone gorge near El Chorro in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. Built in the early twentieth century to serve hydroelectric works, it was closed after decay and reopened in 2015 as a managed, ticketed route. Access is by timed ticket only, sold on the official site caminitodelrey.info, and tickets for popular dates sell out well in advance. Visitors must show identification at the entrance, and a helmet is issued at the start. The route is walked in a single direction, so the entrance used depends on the ticket, and a shuttle bus links the car parks and the walkway start. Drivers reach the area in roughly an hour from Málaga on the A-357, with paid parking near the entrance. Public transport options include a bus to Ardales or Álora, or the Cercanías C-2 train to Álora followed by a taxi. The full route is about 7.7 km including access paths, and the suspended section is considerably shorter than that figure suggests. Allow three to four hours, plus time to walk between car park and entrance. The gradient is gentle overall, with some stairs, so the effort is low and the route fits the easy category despite the height. The surface is a mix of wooden boardwalk, steel and concrete sections, and gravel access paths. Exposure is the defining feature: the boardwalk hangs roughly 100 m above the Guadalhorce river, with glass-floored and open-sided stretches, and a hanging bridge near the end. The gorge walls rise steeply on both sides, offering partial shade but little shelter from midday sun on the access paths. Landmarks include the narrow Gaitanes gorge, the old original concrete walkway visible below the new one, and the views over the reservoirs near El Chorro. There are no huts and no reliable water sources on the route, so visitors bring their own water. Once on the walkway there is no practical turn-around point, so anyone prone to vertigo should consider the commitment before starting.