The Caminito de Rey (The King's Little Walkway) runs for over three kilometres some 100 metres above the Guadalhorce River in the Desfiladero del los Gaitanes Gorge near the village of El Chorro, north west of Málaga. Finished in 1906, it was constructed to service a channel and numerous sluice gates connected to the Salto de Chorro hydroelectric plant. Its royal association came when El Chorro Dam was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII who walked the pathway in 1921. Once considered to be the scariest and most dangerous pathway in the world, it was closed to the public for safety reasons in 2000 following several fatal accidents.
But not anymore. At the of March 2015, the first tourists traversed an impressive new boardwalk installed at a cost of 2.7 million, mostly constructed right above the crumbling old concrete walkway. Tourists are given a hard helmet which must be worn at all times on the linear route which totals approximately 7.7 km, divided into 4.8 km long access ways and 2.9 km long boardwalks. A reasonable level of fitness is required; allow around 4.5-5 hours to complete the walk. Coaches run between the north and south ends of the gorge for a modest price. Groups of 50 people are allowed to enter the walkway every half an hour and we were among the lucky ones who managed to obtain free tickets on offer for only the first six months.
Billed as one of the top new travel experiences by Lonely Planet for 2015 will do much to ensure the popularity of El Caminito del Rey. Although via ferrate climbers and thrill seekers will lament the loss of one of their most risqué adventure playgrounds, those looking for a bit of excitement will doubtless find this just the ticket. If they can get hold of one!
Music: Paris, Texas, Gotan Project
Read the blog of our visit at: kernowclimber.blogspot.ie