El Caminito del Rey – The King’s Little Path
The King’s Pathway, also known as “El Caminito del Rey” is a walkway, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Ardales in the province of Málaga, Spain. Constructed in the debut of the 20th century to give workers access to two hydroelectric plants, the path was closed in 2000, for more than a decade, after many people died attempting to cross it. The Spanish King Alfonso XIII inaugurated this pathway in 1921, which is why it’s now called “The King’s Little Pathway”. The King himself strolled the length of it to marvel at the breathtaking & scenic landscape.
Schedules
Open from Tuesday to Sunday with the following schedule:
winter schedule: from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Summer time: from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed every Monday of the year, on the 24th, 25th, 31st of December and 1st of January.
Rates
General Ticket + Bus Ticket [Acceso Norte-Ardales] € 10.00 + € 1.55
General Entrance [Acceso Norte-Ardales] € 10.00
This type of visit consists of doing the trail by themselves.
GUIDED VISITS 18€
Modality designed to enjoy a more enriching experience of the Caminito. It is the same trail as the General Visit but a specialized Tour Guide provides information about history, geography and biodiversity in both English and Spanish languages to a group of visitors no longer than 25 people.
Note
The Caminito is a linear tour, not circular, only one direction and descending from North (Ardales) to South (El Chorro). It consists of a linear journey of 7.7 km (approximately 2h and a half).
After finishing the tour and to return to the parking in the North Zone, there is a shuttle bus available for € 1.55 per person.
About the route
How long is El Caminito?
The total route of the Caminito del Rey is 7.7 km, of which 4.8 km. are accesses and 2.9 km. from door to door of the catwalks (catwalk – Valle del Hoyo – catwalk)
How long does it take to travel?
The footbridges, due to how dangerous they were until the restoration, are the best known part of the route. The distance between the entrance by the control booth and the exit is 2.9 km, divided between 1.5 km of footbridges and 1.4 km. of trail or forest track. But at these distances you have to add between 1.7 and 2.7 km. of path from the north entrance and 2.1 km. from the south entrance to the control booths. All this means that the estimated time to complete the complete route (section of the door from one gangway to the other, plus the trails or forest tracks to reach / leave the area) is between 3 and 4 hours. Visitors should keep in mind that to reach the accesses of the catwalks they must travel a considerable distance as well as the slopes of them.
How is the route?
The route of the Caminito del Rey is linear, not circular, so you must ensure your return to the starting point by your own methods. However, there is a bus service shuttle between the north (Ardales) and south (El Chorro, Álora) or vice versa that for a small price (€ 0.94 or € 1.55, depending on whether or not you have the card of the Metropolitan Transport Consortium of the Malaga area) will allow visitors to the Caminito del Rey to move to its starting point along the current MA-444 road. For more information about schedules and routes.
More information and sale
tel 902 787 325
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