Caminito del Rey — El Chorro Gorge

Caminito del Rey traces a 7.7-kilometre path through the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes gorge, a section of the Guadalhorce valley between Málaga and Antequera in Andalusia. The original walkway — a narrow maintenance path pinned to the cliff face above the Guadalhorce river — was restored and reopened in 2015 with a modernised wooden boardwalk that now attracts over 300,000 visitors annually. The gorge walls rise to 300 metres above the path, and the turquoise water of two reservoirs — Embalse del Conde del Guadalhorce and Embalse del Chorro — is visible far below through sections of transparent floor panels. Photographically, the route divides into three distinct zones. The entrada section passes through open countryside, offering wider landscape shots of the reservoir embankments. The gorge section itself — approximately 2.5 kilometres of pinned boardwalk — delivers the most dramatic photography: cliff walls close enough to touch on one side, a 300-metre void on the other, and the tiny figures of other walkers providing a human-scale reference that emphasises the extraordinary depth. The classic shot frames a section of boardwalk curving around a cliff face with the turquoise reservoir visible hundreds of metres below. The gorge receives direct sunlight at midday in the narrower sections; the walls are in shade during morning and late afternoon. The optimal window for gorge photography is between 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM, when light penetrates the full canyon width and turquoise water colour is at its most saturated. The suspension bridges within the route make strong compositional elements and are most dramatic when photographed with other walkers crossing, adding scale. The route is one-directional and must be completed as a linear walk. Tripods are technically permitted but impractical on the narrow boardwalk sections and cause congestion. Tickets (approximately €10 plus booking fee) must be reserved in advance via the official booking system and sell out weeks ahead from March through October.