Caminito del Rey reception center — Attraction in Ardales

FYI, 5 stars for the canyon and the attraction itself, (it's spectacular) and the quality of the trail rebuild. Here's my breakdown of the experience.

If you're staying in a town nearby like Antequera, make sure you leave minimum an hour before your booking time and maybe even an hour and a half before.

If you miss your booking time because you arrived late or arrived on time but there was a long bus line... don't panic. They didn't really care that we missed our booking time at 10:00am and we just joined the next group. Nobody checked our ID either, however, that doesn't mean I'm saying you can arrive late or not bring ID.

You have to walk a little (1.5kms) before you actually get to the access area to get your helmet and guide headphones. That walk, plus the bus wait and bus journey means you need to time your arrival to the parking lot correctly. The next time I do this I'll be there 1.5 hours before my entry time.

I kind of regret getting the guided tour provided by the facility now. They give you disposable headphones and the guide speaks in a microphone and I couldn't hear her at all. We missed a lot of the interesting information because of the wind, quality of the headphones etc. Plus you follow the guide and it's all very quick to keep up. You don't really get a chance to take it all in or at least we didn't with this particular guide.

The guide seemed quite bored and spoke in a low voice like she was reading to the group instead of interacting with us. You could tell she was sick of doing this. Guides can definitely make the experience fun and interesting. She didn't at all. She did the minimum she had to. She wasn't inappropriate but you definitely felt a lack of real interest or enthusiasm on her part which transmitted to the group. This is why I gave the experience 4 stars.

I don't really like heights but AT NO TIME did I feel nervous or unsafe. The rails and cables are high enough that you feel very enclosed and nothing is creaky or scary. I WOULD NOT avoid doing this because you are a little afraid of heights. Again, I'm not a fan of heights but this was easy. The OLD abandoned trail would have been another matter however. I wouldn't listen to people saying it's not for you if you don't like heights and miss this experience. It's extremely well done and engineered and technically not much different than going up a high flight of stairs (except for the spectacular location obviously).

Having had the experience I would now do the trail without a guide. Our guide added nothing to the experience and being in a led group made it all way too fast. I would have preferred to take my time by myself to slowly take it all in. Having said that, if you do get a good guide (that you can actually hear) then the experience could possibly be much better than mine was. Next time we go, I'm skipping the...

El Caminito del Rey, Spain

El Caminito del Rey (“The King’s Little Pathway”) is a narrow walkway pinned along the steep walls of the Gaitanes Gorge in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, southern Spain. Originally constructed between 1901 and 1905, it served as an access route for workers at hydroelectric plants along the Guadalhorce River.

Geological Features

The walkway follows the sides of the Gaitanes Gorge, carved by the Guadalhorce River over millions of years.

The cliffs are composed primarily of limestone and dolomite, which were heavily eroded by water and wind, creating vertical walls up to 100–150 meters high.

The gorge exposes stratified rock layers, making it an excellent site for studying sedimentary geology and fluvial erosion processes.

Structure and Engineering

The original pathway was made of concrete, steel, and wood, anchored to the cliff face. Over time, deterioration made it extremely dangerous, earning it the nickname “the world’s most dangerous walkway”.

Renovations completed in 2015 restored and reinforced the walkway with modern materials, including steel catwalks and safety railings, while preserving its historic route.

The path is approximately 7.7 km long, with 3 km of cliffside walkway and the remainder crossing the gorge floor and connecting bridges.

Environmental and Climatic Conditions

The gorge experiences a Mediterranean climate: hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

Microclimates occur within the gorge due to shade, wind, and river proximity, supporting diverse flora, including endemic shrubs and ferns that cling to rock faces.

The cliffs are home to bird species such as griffon vultures, eagles, and peregrine falcons, which nest on the vertical walls.

Safety and Tourism

While the walkway has been modernized, the location remains physically demanding and exposed. Visitors must follow safety guidelines and wear protective equipment.

El Caminito del Rey is a popular adventure tourism destination, attracting hikers, climbers, and nature enthusiasts.

Scientific Significance

The site provides insight into erosional processes, sedimentary rock formation, and cliff ecology.

Its combination of extreme vertical cliffs, riverine erosion, and Mediterranean flora makes it a natural laboratory for...

There are many access points so it gets confusing, here's a breakdown:

Get here at the reception center and park your car. This is the guarded and paid parking you can choose when you buy your visiting tickets. You can also pay at your arrival. I recommend getting here one hour and a half before the time displayed on your ticket. You have toilet here, but they are not the last ones. Lock your car and go to the bus stop a few meters away. The buses run every 15 mins in the summer season. They are bringing in here the people who finished the trip or parked their car at the end of the trip before starting, which is El Chorro village. Get in the bus and it will take you to the north 1km to El Kiosko. Keep the ticket provided by the bus driver for your return. When you get off the bus at El Kiosko you'll have two entrance caves displayed on a sign. You'll take the one with shorter distance. Toilet is also here but it's nasty. Start walking back on foot the road you came with the bus. It's about 300m, you find the tunnel and enter it. Keep walking and after 15-20 mins you should arrive at the starting point. You have toilets here too. Staff will take care of you here and start the journey, enjoy! Arrive at the end, toilets, drinks, shops are available. Now you need to get back to the parking. Keep walking to the village up towards the bus stop. Don't be scared of the huge line, we got 2 busses at the same time, just stay in line and wait a bit. Hop on the bus with the ticket you kept. First stop will be the reception center where you parked your car. Next stop is El Kiosko and so on.

That's the route of the bus. Some people left the car at the end of the trip and took the bus to the starting point. It's a smart move but I haven't seen any big parking space at El Chorro.

It's very beautiful and nice, but I would not do it in the summer time, the heat must...