Nature and beach
Guided / Self-guided trails
The "Caminito del Rey", located in the Natural Park Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, is located in the center of the province of Malaga, less than 60 km from the capital, bounded to the north by the Serrania de Ronda and the Plains of Antequera and south by the Guadalhorce valley and the historic region of Campo de Camara. The Caminito del Rey is a pedestrian walkway of more than 3 kilometers, built on the walls of the Gorge of the Gaitanes. The path, barely a meter wide, hangs over the Guadalhorce River, in some sections at a height of up to 105 meters. The original path was built between 1901 and 1905, when the Sociedad Hidrográfica del Chorro, then owner of the Saltos del Chorro and Gaitanejo, needed an access to both sides of the gorge, so that maintenance workers could access and transport materials. When the works of the reservoir began (1914-1921), the visits to the area were very frequent, both by friends and family of the engineer Rafael Benjumea. Given the beauty of the route Benjumea decided to fix it and reform the bridge that joined the gorge. In 1921, with the inauguration of the Guadalhorce reservoir, King Alfonso XIII crossed the path and since then it has been known as the "caminito del rey". With the passage of time, the path deteriorated, the railing disappeared almost entirely and several sections collapsed or disappeared. This peculiarity made many hikers were attracted to visit it, in addition to having one of the most famous climbing areas in Europe. Its comprehensive rehabilitation was approved, and after three years of design by architect Luis Machuca, given the complexity of the project, and a year of construction on March 28, 2015, it was opened to the public. It has been chosen by Lonely Planet as one of the best places in the world to visit in 2015. Awarded by several architectural awards, it is undoubtedly a must-see place. This path does not yet present an accessible entrance. A study is being initiated to make the most appropriate adaptations to provide the necessary accessibility conditions in the first 200 meters of the Camino. <span class="automatic-translation-warning">This text was automatically translated.</span>