Hiking the El Caminito del Rey - Adult Only Bed & Breakfast Casa Don Carlos

Finally, after years of waiting the day is come: El Caminito del Rey, once the most dangerous hiking trail in the world, has opened his gates to the public on the 25^th of March 2015. This is made possible by the millions of investment of the Diputación de Málaga, municipalities and Junta de Andalucía. After years of preparation, but only a year of work, is the new walking path El Caminito del Rey in the small village of El Chorro opened.

Reservations are required!

You can book via the website some months ahead. The entrance fee is € 11.55 (including the bus ticket back).

Please note: any sort of highs and or depth fear can hinder walking this route!

Total length of the route is 7.7 km, divided into 4.8 km long access ways and 2.9 km long boardwalks.

As for the boardwalks, the most famous part of the trail, 2.9 km of their length between the entrance to them and the exit point, comprises 1.5 km long boardwalks, and 1.4 km long paths or forest walkways. Estimated time for the full length of the route (this is the way that comprises the two boardwalks, and the paths and the forest walkways that serve as the entrance to the area or its exit) is between three and four hours. Visitors should mind the long distance and the steep slopes that are to be covered in order to access the boardwalks.

There are two options to book your tickets:

Book yourself by the official website of the Caminito del Rey

If you have a reservation at our Bed & Breakfast or Villa Alegria you can order tickets using the button (below). we will order the tickets (if available) and they will be available upon arrival service cost € 2,00 p.p.).

Order tickets El Caminito del Rey

More information…

El Caminito del Rey and its role in Local Developme

El Caminito del Rey as a Service Trail

The trail known as ‘El Caminito del Rey’ had an important role in a unifying mission of the village El Chorro. This narrow path, which goes along the right side of the gorge – El Defiladero de los Gaitanes (currently it only goes along the railway on the left bank of the Guadalhorce), was used for transport services between a small dam at the beginning of the water canal in Gaitanejo and the hydroelectric precipice El Chorro, placed past the Cliff of El Gran Gaitán.

This, above all, functional path, very soon after it had been built, started to form part of everyday life of local people from El Chorro and surrounding villages. Besides few houses, the village El Chorro had many caves turned into houses with plenty of inhabitants, which were spread all over different mountains. For instance, in the area of Gaitanejo, where the beginning of the water canal connected to the hydraulic dam was, lived many families. Some of them were directly involved in the canal and hydraulic precipice maintenance, while the others were shepherds or farmers. The creation of the path that was 100 metres above the bottom of the gorge entailed a fast and comfortable access to El Chorro village. The building of the path also advantaged other caves inside the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, like Toro (Bull) Cave, because they got directly connected with the railway and El Chorro.

Workers of El Chorro Dam

In the 1920s, after the dam El Chorro or The Count of Guadalhorce’s Dam, as it was called later on, was built, some of the workers who participated in its construction stayed to live in that area. The trail – El Caminito del Rey was of great help to all of them. Children could go to school that was not far away, women buy essential products, and it was possible for everybody to keep in touch with other villages behind the surrounding mountains.

Continuous comings and goings of people of all ages along the trail were common from that moment during the day or night, considering that the way was lightened. Inhabitants from this area used it to meet other people, and still today, they remember very fondly how they walked along the path Caminito del Rey, on foot, by bicycle or on a horse, when they wanted to cross the Gorge of the Gaitanes. They remember how children used it to go to school, women to grocery shops, and men to a canteen; how sometimes they had to carry parcels and shopping bags across the path, and sometimes they would go over it for pleasure to meet their girlfriends that lived on the other side. This is how the path became the part of these people’s day-to-day pace and got attached to some of the most important moments of their lives.

Damage on the Trail and the Need for its Reconstruction

Little time ago, the trail was highly damaged. Natural circumstances and human actions brought it to a state of deplorable devastation.

It was impossible to use El Caminito del Rey and the connection between different villages disappeared as well as a part of the history of the villages from that area.

Repairs on the path El Caminito de Rey

Reconstruction of the trail is not only important because of tourist reasons and because it is an attraction for the visitors who come to the area of El Gaitanes, but also because it is a part of history and memories that belong to the people from this zone.

Therefore, the Málaga County Council in collaboration with the towns that the path goes through – Álora, Antequera and Ardales–, Andalusian Government and a few ministry departments, decided to start reconstruction works on the path. The contract was accepted in February 2014, which means that the works are going to start in 2015.

Compulsory Regulations

Tickets shall be obtained on telematics-based platform at the path’s website (www.caminitodelrey.info), or by means determined by the licensed company. You will be issued with the ticket only after having accepted the conditions. On that occasion, you shall be given an access code that can be read by telematics devices.
Access will always be, unless authorization, by the northern area (Ardales) in order that the visitor always makes it downhill.
Visitors and minors with responsible adults need to have their ticket and ID, passport or corresponding identification at all times in case they need to show it to the personnel at some point of the path. The ticket has to be handed at the exit as well.
Person in possession of ticket will have civil liability insurance that will cover any accident along the trail except those provoked by failure to comply with established regulations or those that are visitor’s fault.
Visitors who have previously booked their tickets need to arrive at the access points at least half an hour earlier than written on the booking receipt so groups could be formed.
Visitors with tickets shall go directly to the trail through the entrance placed in the Municipality of Ardales (northern access). These will be indicated by signs. It will only be possible to access the path at the authorized places, while the entrance at any other spot, especially along the railway, is absolutely forbidden. The County Council and the corresponding organization in charge of the spot will be absolved from any responsibility in the case of that kind of actions.
Visitors are obliged to put on correctly the safety equipment they will be provided with at the entrance.
Everybody should walk on the right side of the trail, above all, along the boardwalks. When two people get across each other, there is to be careful when walking next to the rail that protects from falling down the gorge in order to avoid hazard.
Those who would like to go climbing will have free entrance to the path. For that purpose, they need to show their civil liability insurance at the access points, and to register and accept the regulations and conditions of the nature reserve in the case of this activity.
Climbing is allowed only on the walls that have been approved for that purpose by the responsible environmental consultancy. Nevertheless, in the gorge, only the part of the rock under the boardwalks will be in use. Any competitive climbing without previous authorization from the body responsible for the environment is forbidden. Moreover, climbers have to respect other regulations, obligations and prohibitions from this document, except those regarding rucksacks. It is banned to jump over the rails in order to access the climbing areas, or to anchor on the boardwalks.
Visitors, climbers and other people who come to El Caminito del Rey Path, and the nature reserve Desfiladero de los Gaitanes have to obey these norms as well as those established by the responsible environmental consultancy.

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The following rules shall also be considered:

At the access points and during the visit, the rules are to be followed by everyone, as well as the indications given by the staff from the Control and Information Section and from the security guards. Please, take necessary measures to prevent falling down and keep the area clean.
People and vehicles can only move in the areas which are authorized and indicated for that purpose. Therefore, you have to respect the banning and information signs.
Those who do not respect the above rules can be expelled from the area by the responsible personnel or authorities.
The corresponding organization has the authority to close, limit or temporarily suspend visits, even during the opening hours and days, for safety’s matters, and in order to preserve the place, or because of refurbishment works, weather or some circumstances beyond anybody’s control. There are no rights of compensation for the people affected by these changes.
Nonetheless, regulations, rules or suggestions given by the employees who manage the trail, environmental agents, or state security officers are compulsory.
All the information related to this active tourism infrastructure, as well as changes, alterations or problems regarding the access to the area, will be provided at the path’s website and the telematics-based booking platform

Walk the Caminito during your stay in Bed & Breakfast Casa don Carlos!

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