Caminito del Rey

The Caminito del Rey — "the King's Little Path" — is a restored cliff walkway through the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, a vertical limestone gorge cut by the Guadalhorce River in southern Spain's Málaga province. The original catwalks were built between 1901 and 1905 to service a hydroelectric plant and were inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII; by the early 2000s, the concrete planks had crumbled to the point that the path was dubbed "the world's most dangerous walkway" — Spain's regional government closed it after a series of fatal falls. A 2.2 million-euro restoration reopened it in 2015 with timber catwalks pinned to the rock, a hanging bridge, and a tight permit system.

The walk is one-way only, north-to-south, starting from Ardales above the Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir. The first 3 km is a forested approach along the gorge rim. The Caminito proper — the famous part — is a 3.3 km section of timber walkways pinned to the cliff, 100 m above the water at its highest, with the climax a glass-floored hanging bridge across the narrowest point of the gorge. After the bridge, the trail descends gently through scrubland to El Chorro railway station, where a regular train returns visitors back to their cars at the north entrance.

Caminito access is by timed-entry permit only — book on caminitodelrey.info weeks in advance for weekend slots. The walk is wheelchair-inaccessible but otherwise easy: no steep climbs, no scrambling, and the catwalks have railings throughout. Helmets are issued at the entrance and worn by everyone — small rocks do occasionally fall from above. The walk takes most visitors 3–4 hours including waits at the bridge. Spring and autumn are the best seasons; summer afternoons inside the gorge are hot and exposed. Closed Mondays in low season and during high winds — check the official site before driving up.