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El Caminito del Rey (the kings little pathway) is a walkway, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in the province of Málaga, Spain. The walkway was built to provide workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls with means to cross between them, to provide for transport of materials, and to facilitate inspection and maintenance of the channel. Construction began in 1901 and was finished in 1905.
If you check the internet you'll discover that some claim this to be the scariest walk in the world
!! This is probably due to its highly deteriorated state. The walkway is 1 metre (3.3 ft) in width, and rises over 100 metres (330 ft) above the river below. Constructed of concrete, resting on steel rails supported by stanchions at around 45 degrees into the rock face. Due to deterioration there are numerous sections where part or all of the concrete top has collapsed. The result is large open air gaps that are bridged only by narrow steel beams or other support fixtures. Very few of the original handrails exist but a safety-wire runs the length of the path.
With the above in mind we left Frigiliana, our 2nd base when holidaying in Spain, and headed for Ronda which would be our 3rd base. We would go via El Chorro and see for ourselves if it is indeed as scary as some say!
El Chorro is a small village with around 250 inhabitants. It has a railway station, some pubs, a hotel and a campsite. The area around here is renowned for rock climbing. We arrived after a 90minute drive and took a wander around, we had thought of trying to hire equipment to do the walk but El Chorro was deserted.
Park just beyond or at the campsite and simply follow the road. The views of the gorge and lake are simply breathtaking.
The walkway soon comes into view.
Time to take a closer look...
On closer inspection we realized that you required some climbing gear (via ferrata) to complete this walk. Luckily for us a guide was just starting the walk whilst another guide was finishing.
The start - a tricky set of moves across pins sticking out from the rock face.
The finish - an abseil from the walkway down to the start. The Govt removed the start and end of the paths to stop people from doing this walk and risking their lives. Many people have been killed on this walk in recent years.
The Bridge
Their is a sign banning people from entering the train tunnel and walking the tracks. If caught expect a fine of 6000 Euro! However It does provide some interesting photos if you miss the sign and wander down the tunnel
We spent a couple of hours here taking in the views before making our way back to the car in El Chorro.
This walk does indeed look scary but it also looks great fun. I would certainly give this a go if with someone experienced and using the correct equipment.
The drive through the mountains and Spain's "Lake District" to reach Ronda was stunning. We visited this area again on our last day...and we hope to be back again one day soon
