Caminito del Rey reception center
Caminito del Rey reception center things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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The Camino del Rey is a spectacular walk through 2 narrow gorges which would be totally inaccessible were it not for the elevated walkway and trail. It is an easy walk,and thus very popular. There seem to be too many groups on it at one time for the capacity of the trail. The groups are following a guide, and so are slow, because naturally, they want to take photos and selfies and listen to the guide. My advice is to book early as an individual, and not choose a guided walk, unless you like that sort of thing. I was at screaming point within the first 15 minutes, because most of what the guide has to say is either screamingly obvious, or I already knew from prior reading about the history of the hydroelectric power scheme which is the reason the trail even exists.Apart from that I had a great view of the back of the person in the group walking in front of me. Joy! Also, to hear the guide, one uses earbuds. For those of us using hearing aids, not practical. Fortunately, one need not stick with the guide. I escaped as soon as possible, and was eventually able to maintain a pace between a couple of groups. They are hard to pass, since the boardwalk is quite narrow. Once I got to this zone of compromise, I was able to enjoy my walk much more. The connections between ends of the trail, organisation of shuttle buses, and the management of vast numbers of tourists by the guides and organisers was most impressive. If I visited in future, I would try for an early departure, and so avoid midday crowds
Ken RichardsKen Richards
20
This place is a little hard to find, but worth it! We booked a guided tour and we were not disappointed. Probably one of the most amazing hikes that we have ever done on this planet, and not one to be missed! The total hike only took about 2 hours for us, and was not strenuous. We parked in a small parking lot adjacent to the tunnel entrance to the trail, which is noted on Google maps. (Parking Ardales Caminito del Rey). Then, it was about 100 yards walk to the tunnel access to the trail that leads to the reception center. There is plenty of free parking along the road, and many people chose that option, but it is a busy trail and the parking options fill up quickly. Plan to arrive early. We had printed tickets, and we were placed with our guide and given helmets for the hike. The hike is a once in a lifetime experience, and is fairly easy, as you are on well developed walkways with plenty of cables to grab and fencing for safety. The views along the trail are expansive. Expect to take a lot of photos! At the end of the trail, there are several small food stands where you can get snacks or a beer, etc. Then, you will walk another 200 yards or so up the hill to catch the shuttle bus back to the parking area and entrance to the trail. The bus is 2.50 Euros each, and you MUST pay cash! Have the cash ready to pay the bus driver at the end. It’s a great experience that I would definitely recommend when you are in the area!! Check it off of your list….
Mark PittsMark Pitts
170
Great experience. Just a couple notes about reaching here from Ronda (weekdays) as there’s a lot of information online about reaching from Malaga but not Ronda if you don’t have a car. For some reason the locals will not tell you this, but if you’re staying in Ronda and planning to do this hike, it’s very easy to take the 8am train from Ronda, reach the El Chorro train station (transfer in Bobadilla) in about 1.5-2hrs. From El Chorro (south end of the hike), there’s regular shuttles that operate between north and south ends of the trail that you can get for 2 euro (cash). The hike starts at the north end. Start hike / group tour around 10.30am, you’ll be done in a couple hours. The train back to Ronda starts at 2pm from the same station at south end, so it gives you ample time to get some food and drinks before starting the 1.5hr journey back to Ronda. It’s really simple this way! Weekend times might be different so please do check. I was told to take a bus from Ronda to Ardales which is the closest town to Caminito from north, but DO NOT do that, as it can get tricky to get a taxi (only means of transport in Ardales) to the Caminito Del Rey visitor center. The other option is to have your hotel in ronda book a round trip taxi but the price is a bit steep ( abt 150 euros ). You can use Google maps for train times and routes, it was pretty accurate.
Harjapjit BakshiHarjapjit Bakshi
00
This is the "reception centre" where the *actual* Carminito del Rey trail commences. To reach here, you choose one of two tunnels to start your initial journey to get here.. The tunnel (longer route) just right of the El Kiosko restaurant takes about 50 minutes. The tunnel for the shorter route (20 minutes) is just 200 metres further south of the tunnel for the longer route. Once you reach the "reception centre", you show your tickets (it can be from your phone) and you then wait for your your scheduld slot (approximately every 10 minutes) to be called. You will then collect your helmet & hair net & receive a brief safety speech. After that, the trail beginis and is about 5 km long (approximately 1.5 hours if it is not too crowded). At the end of the trail, you need to walk another 1.5 km to follow the signs (and other people!) to reach the bus stop where you can take the bus/coach (it costs 2.5 Euros {cash} per person) that shuttles you back to El Kiosko restaurant (3 stops). The journey from either tunnel to the reception centre have some lovely scenery. The trail itself is breathtaking and you will find a new photo opportunity every couple of minutesI I highly recommend this trail which is relatively simple to undertake.
Ying HauYing Hau
50
Wow, wow.....WOW!! As no doubt everybody says, you NEED to book this amazing trip WELL in advance!! My lovely wife did do, and I'm very glad that she did. The guided tours are held a couple of times a day, so we decided to do the early one, which started at 9am. We got to the Central carpark at just gone 8am, and got the bus ride up.....then walked for another 20 minutes, and just about made it in time for our guided tour. If you want this to be a relaxing stroll, then get there SUPER EARLY!!. After queuing for a bit, we were introduced to Paul, our English guide. Paul was like a modern day Lawrence of Arabia kind of chap, full of enthusiasm and thoroughly engaging, who, over the years, had taken the time to visit the local families who's ancestors had actually been involved in its construction. His knowledge of the local wildlife, his observations and tales of what life was like during the inception and construction of the station were invaluable to our tour, and thoroughly enjoyable.... thank you Paul!!!
Simon RixonSimon Rixon
00
Fantastic hike, not too difficult. A little scary at times, as some parts are very exposed. There's a bridge at the end, which is see through and it keeps moving (like a suspension bridge, not rigid), that was the scariest for me. I was very confused at the entrance, as the guide gathered all of us and said anyone with a ticket for 12 and before will go in at that time. As we were booked for 12, we didn't have to wait, but I guess others did. No one bothered to explain anything. I guess they waited to have enough people. It would help a lot if there was a proper reception, or if they at least came out and said what was going on. Also, be careful if you're using public transportation. There were some buses to Alora in google, but nothing showed up in reality, so we had to wait hours for a train to Antequera Santa Ana and go to Malaga from there.
0MissJackal00MissJackal0
00
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