36.93° N · 4.78° W
The walkway through the Gaitanes Gorge, with tickets from €10 on the official website, plus kayaking, a via ferrata, Bobastro and the Ardales Cave nearby.
Part of Curious Places
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Linear route · 8 km · 3–4 h · From age 8 · Tickets from €10, booked on the official website
Via ferrata · K3, medium difficulty · 3–4 h with guide · Zip line, Tibetan bridge and monkey bridge · From age 12 · From €55
Unguided kayak · 2 h · For everyone · From €16 · Departs from Parque Ardales campsite
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
October to May, with good temperatures for walking in the sun. In July and August take the first slot: the walkways have no shade. Closed on Mondays and may close for rain or wind.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The car is the usual way to go: from Málaga it takes an hour and the Visitor Reception Centre car park costs €2 a day. As the Caminito is linear, you leave the car in the north and return to it on the shuttle bus from El Chorro. With a car you can also fit in the Ardales Cave and Bobastro on the same day.
The Caminito is one of the few big days out in the province that you can do without a car. Renfe stops at El Chorro, at the end of the walk, about 45 minutes from Málaga. From the station you take the shuttle bus up north, walk the Caminito downhill and finish next to the train again. Confirm the Sunday timetable before booking your entry time.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
The Caminito is a good family day out from age 8: the walkway is safe, impressive and takes three or four hours. Younger children are not allowed in, so if you are travelling with smaller ones, one adult stays with them at the reservoir, or you leave it for another year.
For a teenager, El Chorro has what they are after: the Caminito's suspension bridge with a grated floor, a K3 via ferrata with a guide and, for those who already climb, one of the best-known climbing areas in Europe.
El Chorro brings together in one gorge what a group of friends comes looking for: a path hung over the void, a via ferrata, climbing and kayaking on the reservoir. Sleeping right there lets you do it all without cars. For a group, the key is to order the days: the Caminito needs booking and is the activity that sells out most easily, so fix it first. The rest is shared out: a guided via ferrata one day, kayaking or climbing another. Staying in El Chorro or by the reservoir saves on cars and lets you walk to the Caminito entrance.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Hotel in the El Chorro hamlet, 300 m from the south exit of the Caminito and 100 m from the train, with a panoramic pool, restaurant and nine room types.
Why we like it: Climbers' guesthouse below the Las Encantadas sector, a 10-minute walk from El Chorro: doubles with bathroom from €70 and shared beds from €20.
Why we like it: Campsite open all year on the shore of the Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir, 1.5 km from the Caminito: pitches from €16 and apartments from €60.
Why we like it: Six furnished cottages next to El Kiosko restaurant, on the reservoir and 2.7 km on foot from the north checkpoint of the Caminito, for 2, 4 or 6 people.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| North entrance (Ardales) | Visitor Reception Centre, reservoirs, El Kiosko and the start of the route | |
| El Chorro (Álora) | Exit of the Caminito, train station, La Garganta and the ferrata |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the leg of Málaga suckling kid or the kid in aloreña sauce, migas to share and grandma's cake
What to order: tapas and raciones to share, a dish-of-the-day stew and a homemade dessert; breakfasts too, before the walk.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
It is the only official website. Anywhere else, you pay for a resale or a package.
The route runs from north to south, and the bus takes you back to your car.
The driver does not accept cards.
If they close for wind or rain, they let you know 24 hours ahead.
Take the first slot of the morning: less heat, fewer people on the hanging bridge and a free afternoon for the reservoir.
The Caminito del Rey is an 8 km walkway hung on the walls of the Gaitanes Gorge, between Ardales and El Chorro, in inland Málaga. It was built in the early 20th century for the workers at the Guadalhorce hydroelectric plants, fell into disrepair over decades and reopened in 2015 with new, safe walkways. Today you walk it with a ticket, a helmet and in one direction only, and there is a whole day's worth of things around it: green reservoirs, a via ferrata, a church carved into the rock and a cave with Palaeolithic paintings.
Only on the official website, caminitodelrey.info, or at the ticket office at the north entrance if there is space left. The general admission ticket costs €10 and you go at your own pace; the official guided tour costs €18, in groups of up to 30 people. Don't buy from other websites that imitate the official one: anything you find outside caminitodelrey.info, active tourism companies or your accommodation is a resale or a package with a guide. Spring and autumn weekends sell out weeks ahead.
Visitors must be 8 or older and carry their original ID card or family record book. Dogs, walking sticks and umbrellas are not allowed. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, with the last departure around 14:50 or 17:20 depending on the season, and it closes on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
From Málaga, it is about an hour by car along the A-357 towards Cártama and Ardales; follow the signs for the Caminito to the Visitor Reception Centre, at the Atalayas pass. By train, Renfe stops at El Chorro in about 45 minutes: you arrive at the end of the route and take the shuttle bus up to the start.
From Seville it is a little under two hours along the A-92 to Campillos and then on towards Ardales. From Córdoba, an hour and three-quarters along the A-45 to Antequera and the A-384; from Granada, a little under two hours along the A-92. From Cádiz or Huelva it is more than two and a half hours: stay overnight in the area.
The Caminito starts in one place and ends in another, and that is what confuses people most. Park in the north, in the car park at the Visitor Reception Centre (€2 a day; booked with your ticket). From there you walk to the access control along the Gaitanejo Path (2.7 km, about 50 minutes) or through the tunnel (1.5 km, 20 to 25 minutes). You need to be at the access point 30 minutes before your time slot, so get to the car park an hour early.
When you finish, in the El Chorro neighbourhood, you hand back your helmet and take the shuttle bus: €2.50 with unlimited trips that day, from 7:40 to 20:00, paid in cash to the driver or bought with your ticket. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to the El Kiosko stop, next to the north entrance.
Allow half a day for the Caminito: an hour to arrive and walk to the start, three or four hours on the route and the shuttle back. With that and a meal, the day is done. If you have the afternoon free, add kayaking on the reservoir, Bobastro or a stroll around the viewpoints at the dam. The Ardales Cave is a two-hour visit at 10:00 (and at 16:00 on Friday and Saturday), so it fits better into a day of its own or with a night in the area.
With a weekend, the plan grows: the Caminito on Saturday, the via ferrata or the cave on Sunday and, if you are coming from Córdoba or Granada, a return via Antequera, about 45 minutes away.
From October to May. The walkway is in the sun almost all the way and in July and August it gets very hot at midday: if you go in summer, book the first slot, at 9:00. In winter the weather is good for walking, but the organisers close the route in rain or strong wind; they notify you by email, text message or social media, and if there is no notice 24 hours before, the visit goes ahead. There are no refunds, but a weather closure can be rebooked from your account. It is closed on Mondays except on some public holidays.
Closed shoes with a proper sole, water, something to eat, sun protection and, if rain threatens, a raincoat: it is a must because umbrellas are banned. There are no toilets or bins along the route, only at the entrance and the exit. Leave the selfie stick in the car: they take it off you at the checkpoint.
In the north, the El Kiosko Restaurant, next to the shuttle stop and above the reservoir, serves breakfast from 8:30 and home cooking. At the exit, the La Garganta Restaurant has a terrace over the gorge and a kitchen open from 12:00 to 22:30, which is handy because the Caminito can finish at any time.
Questions
€10 for general admission and €18 for the official guided tour. On top of that, €2 for parking and €2.50 for the shuttle bus.
On the official website, caminitodelrey.info, or at the north entrance ticket office if any are left. The visitor centre does not sell them.
From 8 years old, with their original ID card or family record book.
No. They are banned on the route, guide dogs included.
Yes: a Renfe train to El Chorro, in about 45 minutes, and the shuttle bus to the start.
Three to four hours on the route, plus the walk from the car park and the shuttle back.
No, except on some public-holiday Mondays. It is open Tuesday to Sunday.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/caminito-del-rey
