How to Visit Caminito del Rey in Malaga
Visiting the Caminito del Rey is one of the essentials of Malaga. This road that was once known as the most dangerous path in the world must be understood and traveled with tranquility.
The Caminito del Rey has to be on your list of places to travel in Spain but arm yourself with patience to get tickets.
In this post, I will tell you about our experience of touring “Los Gaitanes” Gorge, and I will also give you a small guide to organize your visit.
- If you don’t want to drive: Guided Tour From Malaga
Where to Buy Tickets for the Caminito del Rey
The tickets to Caminito del Rey can be purchased online, although this is an authentic adventure in itself to buy them on the official website.
Some companies make the tour to Caminito del Rey from Malaga and Costa del Sol. I think this is the best way to go if you don’t have a car or if you prefer to have some peace of mind.
- Caminito del Rey: Guided tour from Málaga and Costa del Sol
A Little History of the Most Dangerous Path in the World
The Caminito del Rey is located in Los Gaitanes gorge in a beautiful natural setting. The Caminito del Rey is an aerial path built on the walls of this gorge.
The works began in 1901 and ended in 1905. To inaugurate this work of the early twentieth century, King Alfonso XIII 1921 crossed the road. From that moment on, people began to call this road the “Caminito del Rey,” a name that remains almost a century later.
Over the years, this road was abandoned, and the maintenance on the bridge was brought to a halt.
This lack of maintenance led to its deterioration, and it became very dangerous to cross it. The area is very famous, however, for people who are dedicated to climbing.
The climbing led to many ventures to cross it, which caused numerous accidents, including some fatal ones. As a result, in 1999 and 2000, the Junta de Andalucía decided to close the access to Caminito del Rey due to several fatal accidents that occurred in these years.
In addition, to prevent people from continuing to get through the closed area, they imposed a fine of € 6000 on people who crossed the closed area by climbing or by train tunnels.
In February 2014, restoration work began, and in March 2015, Caminito del Rey was once again open to the general public. Currently, it is very safe.
When to Go to Caminito del Rey
El Caminito del Rey is located in Málaga, so we recommend that you do not do it in the summer.
We went in November, and it was hot, so in August, the place must have literally been an oven. The best dates to go are in spring, autumn, and winter.
From my point of view, the best thing would be to go in the spring since the vegetation is much prettier at this time of year.
Also, try to go in the low season. It’s when it will be easier to find tickets.
The Walking
The tour of El Caminito del Rey is amazing; we loved it. We had already been to the “Chorro” area, and it was wonderful.
The natural environment is unique, and the path runs between two gorges, several canyons, and a large valley.
There are parts of the road that give more vertigo than others. In some parts, you are about 100 meters walking along the footbridge on the gorge’s wall.
The route is linear and one-way. It begins in Ardales and ends in Alora. The route is about 8 kilometers in total, and it takes roughly 3 or 4 hours to complete depending on the number of stops you make.
The route is very easy to do, and you don’t feel vertigo (I think…)
- Caminito del Rey: Guided tour from Málaga and Costa del Sol
- Read: Thing to do in Malaga in a week end
How to Get to Caminito del Rey
Getting to Caminito del Rey is very easy, and you have two main options: by road or by train.
- By train: RENFE has daily regional services that drop you off at El Chorro.
- By car: Access to Caminito by road from Malaga is via A-357 It is a very good road to the Zalea crossing. From this moment, you can:
- continue on this road to Ardales, and take the MA-5403 exit towards M-442 to El Chorro.
- or continue on the A-343 until the intersection of Pizarra and A-7077 towards Álora-El Chorro. Once in Álora, the distance to El Chorro is 12 km.
Prices:
General admission costs € 10 and with a guide, € 18. (*Prices may change)
Tickets can be purchased online, and my recommendation is to do it in advance as they tend to run out very quickly.
First visits begin at 9:30 am with passes every 30 minutes approximately.
The following days are closed: January 1, December 24, 25, and 31.
We got tickets thanks to my sister, who lived in Malaga, and met someone who booked us five tickets.
Our thoughts
Here I will divide my impressions of the visit to the park, the management, and the tickets’ theme.
Concerning the Caminito itself, it is a wonderful, and well-taken care of site that I think is worth visiting. Honestly, I do not know if € 10 per person is a bit much, but if it helps maintain the park, I will let it pass.
I also said that I expected it to give more vertigo, but I think that seeing so many people walking by takes away the adventure.
We went to Caminito del Rey in November of last year (2018) after having tried it several times and never getting tickets.
I do not know if you remember that last year, it rained a lot, and the road that “unites” the road’s beginning and end was cut short.
So our visit began leaving the car at the end of the route. We left the car in the free parking and got on the shuttle bus to go to the beginning of the route, where we paid for the entrance and were given the helmet.
The road was broken and cut; the shuttle bus took about an hour to get to the starting point. The price of the shuttle bus was € 3 per person.
The ticket issue seems like a sham or a mafia ran it; call it what you want. The thing is that on the webpage, you can buy tickets for the current month and three months ahead, but the weekend for 4 months ahead are sold out, with some exceptions.
With this in mind, the agencies, guides, and others seem to buy the tickets to sell them. Of course, this is just from hearsay; I cannot confirm it with certainty.
But buying tickets became mission impossible. So you can imagine that when my sister lived in Malaga, I went a few times and never got tickets until she had to pull a few strings …
Where to Eat in the Caminito del Rey or nearby
During the tour of the path, you can eat the food that you carry in your backpack, but if you want to take advantage and eat in the area, I leave you two recommendations that we have tried and loved.
Restaurante El Mirador. This restaurant is at the beginning of the path. We stumbled upon it on a previous visit when we were with the whole family. It has super nice views of the Guadalhorce reservoir.
I recommend this restaurant if you leave the car at the beginning of the Caminito and have your afternoon entrance. Take the opportunity to burn calories along the way.
As a recommendation, make the reservation by phone.
Los Caballos Restaurant. This is the restaurant where we ate the day we toured Caminito del Rey.
It is a little further and on the way to Malaga, but since we were driving and did not book in advance at the Mirador or any other, we had to go farther away from the path.
This restaurant is huge, and we had to wait about half an hour to have a table, but it was well worth the wait. The typical dish to order is the Plato de Los Montes and the porra Antequerana (like salmorejo). In any case, the two restaurants had excellent food.
Have you already visited the Caminito del Rey? Then, tell us about your experience!
Plan Your Trip to Malaga
Last Updated on 9 October, 2023 by Veronica
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Author: Veronica
Vero, a seasoned traveler, has explored 25 countries and lived in five, gaining a rich perspective and fostering an infectious passion for travel. With a heart full of wanderlust, Vero uncovers the world’s hidden gems and shares insights, tips, and planning advice to inspire and assist fellow adventurers. Join Vero and let the shared passion for travel create unforgettable memories.
