Caminito del Rey (hiking trail)

Caminito del Rey is a suspended walkway built into the walls of the Gaitanes Gorge. The path runs along the cliff faces and consists of sections roughly 3 kilometres long with a width of just under one metre. The route begins in the municipality of Ardales, passes through Antequera and ends in El Chorro in Álora.

The path hangs on the vertical rock walls around 100 metres above the river. It was built because the El Chorro hydroelectric plant, which owned the Salto del Gaitanejo and Salto del Chorro power stations, needed a way to get between the two waterfalls. The purpose was to make it easier for maintenance workers to move between them, as well as to transport materials and inspect the facilities.

Work began in 1901 and was completed in 1905. The path started at the Renfe railway tracks and ran through the Gaitanes Gorge, making it easier to get from one side to the other. At the inauguration of this impressive structure, King Alfonso XIII travelled to the Conde del Guadalhorce dam in 1921 and crossed the already-built path.

It was at this point that people began calling it Caminito del Rey, a name still used today. One of the best-known sections of Caminito del Rey is the walkway along the Gaitanes Gorge. This cantilevered structure can be seen from the railway, and everyone who spots it is impressed by both its daring construction and the picturesque landscape it offers.

From the road between Álora and El Chorro, you can see a small, picturesque bridge at the entrance to the gorge, connecting the walkways on the two cliff faces. From the bridge, the path continues along the cliff faces and ends at the railway line between Córdoba and Málaga.