Above the Guadalhorce river, a path goes nearly 8 kilometers hanging by the cliff of the beautiful natural area of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes. Some parts of the valley reach 700 meters of depth. And at some point, the valley is only 10 meters in width. This walkway is called El Caminito del Rey, a path that used to be one of the world’s most dangerous.
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Why would people build this dangerous path?
In the early 20th century, a hydroelectric power station was constructed in Defiladero de los Gaitanes. To make the most of this land’s unevenness, engineers planned to run a canal from the northern reservoir to El Chorro in the south. For the maintenance of this canal, people built a small service path.
It extends alongside the Gaitanes Gorge on its right bank for about 3 kilometers long and goes between vertical walls and a bridge in the same valley over the water channel.
Nowadays, it is known as El Caminito del Rey because King Alfonso XIII inaugurated the work.
A vital path for the residents
Besides its importance for maintaining the canal, this path integrated deeply into local’s life back in the days.
Except for some houses, the village El Chorro also had some inhabited caves nearby. Some workers who participated in the building up of the canal and the hydraulic dam lived there with their families. The construction of El Caminito del Rey provides a comfortable and quick access between the caves and El Chorro village.
And after the construction of the Chorro dam, some workers who had participated in the project settled down permanently there. For them, this path plays a vital role in their lives. It was a shortcut to school for kids, a path for women to the grocery, and a trail for men to the town’s restaurants. The lights settled by the course witnessed day-to-day people passing by on foot, bike, or horse.
The route of El Caminito del Rey
El Caminito del Rey’s entire route is 7.7 km long, of which 4.8 km are access ways, and 2.9 km are footbridges. In terms of the footbridges (the most prominent part), the distance from the beginning to the end is 2.9 km. It divides into 1.5 km of walkways and 1.4 km of trail or forest track.
To complete the entire route, you shall prepare for at least a 3 to 4-hour walk. Since the path goes down from the north to the south, it is less tiring to start from the north zone and exit from the south. Since October 1, 2015, you’re only allowed to walk the path from Ardales to El Chorro, from north to south.
After finishing the route, you could take a shuttle bus that runs between two areas to get back to the parking lot situated in the northern zone.
If route planning and time calculation drive you mad, then following the guidance of a tour guide would make your trip much more pleasant.
What can I see on the way?
Strolling down El Caminito del Rey, it’s astonishing the panoramic view of the stunning canyon sculpted by the Guadalhorce River. On top of that, the whole area of Gaitanes Gorge is full of lives.
Except for those gigantic rocks, we would be able to see numerous plants such as Aleppo pine, stone pine, holm oak, and eucalyptus throughout our way.
This area is also home to mountain birds such as Egyptian vulture, griffon vulture, and golden eagle. So you might want to keep your eyes open on the way.
On the higher land lives the mountain goat, foxes, rabbits, dormice, badgers, and genets. If you’re lucky, you might encounter some of them.
Other ways to have a good time
Surrounded by mountains, rivers and reservoirs, the natural area provides lots of active tourism activities.
You could get a kayak to chill out for a while in the peaceful lake or go to the camping site to have a good time with your family and friends.
If you are pretty energetic after finishing El Caminito del Rey, then paddle surf, climbing, and rappelling could be of your choice.
Also, don’t forget that the province of Cadiz is not far away neither. I believe the sherry wines there will give your trip to Andalucía a remarkable memory.
If you need any more information on El Caminito del Rey Hiking experience, we are just a message away. Feel free to contact us and we will organize it for you!