We wanted to add a day of hiking to our Andalusia trip and so we decided to tackle what was once known as the “world’s most dangerous walkway “, the El Caminito del Rey (The King’s Little Path) in El Chorro, near Ardales in the province of Málaga. As there is a limit to the number of people allowed on the trail at any given time, we had to book weeks in advance. In fact, we planned our entire three weeks in Andalusia around our ticket dates for this unique experience. Well, it did not disappoint!
There is a parking-lot at the entrance to the trail but make sure that you get there well before your ticket time as it fills up very quickly.
Although no longer dangerous, the Caminito is still known as one of the world’s scariest walkways. The highlight is a 2,9 km boardwalk that clings to towering vertical rock walls, one hundred metres above a narrow gorge. This is definitely not for people with acrophobia – although it is thrilling to lean over the railing and peer down into the gorge below!
The views are spectacular and the entire experience on the boardwalk is an adrenaline rush.
We opted for the guided tour and it was well worth the money. Despite the scorching August heat, we thoroughly enjoyed the four-hour leisurely trek.
You may be wondering what the origin of this spectacular walkway is? Why build a boardwalk against the side of a mountain? The entire trail of 7,7 km was built in the early 1900’s to allow employees and maintenance workers at the hydroelectric power plants of Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo to access the two facilities as quickly as possible. King Alfonso XIII used the walkway in 1921 to inaugurate the Conde del Guadalhorce dam.
Our guide told us of how intrepid workers would scurry to the power plants along this treacherous pathway every day and how unaccompanied children would have to traverse the trail to get to school.
The original gorge walkway was made of concrete and rested on steel rails built into the rock face. However, over time it fell into disuse and disrepair and many sections of the concrete path collapsed.
Over the years the Caminito became a magnet for adventurous and reckless mountain climbers and hikers alike. Five deaths in 1999 and 2000 eventually led to its closure. A team of engineers came up with a plan for its renovation, and the new boardwalk opened in 2015. As one walks along the new path, sections of the original concrete path are visible everywhere. One can only imagine what it must have been like navigating that narrow, dangerous walkway.
It’s an adrenaline rush but over too soon so we plan to do it again someday. There is a public bus service that runs from the end of the trail back to the parking lot. But, if you decide to do this in summer, first stop for an ice cold beverage at the little hotel located at the end of the pathway. The cold beers we enjoyed there were great!