Day 57 on our journey through Europe. 3,700 km travelled.

After an uncomfortable journey along small, steep and narrow mountain roads, we arrived at the car park at the reservoir near El Chorro the evening before. Another Andalusian highlight was on our agenda, namely the Caminito del Reyloosely translated as the little royal road. We spent a quiet night here, got up comfortably in the morning and wondered a little why the car park was filling up more and more with cars. We realised that we were at the end of the Caminito and thought "Well, it's a hiking area", so we made our way to the starting point of the Caminito. But when we got there, there wasn't a soul to be seen. Okay, so we checked the Caminito website more closely, as there was absolutely no internet reception the previous evening at the reservoir. Lo and behold, the course of the Caminito had been adjusted due to a rockfall and the start was now at the southern end. So it was clear why there was such a hustle and bustle in our car park early in the morning. As we probably wouldn't have been able to get a parking space at the old location at the reservoir with our big car, we took the car park far outside at the "Centro Visitantes". A shuttle bus took us along a winding route to the current starting point of the Caminito.

The history of the Caminito del Rey

The history of the Caminito dates back to 1901, when it was built as part of a project to utilise winter rainfall and hydropower with dams, pipelines and hydroelectric power stations. The Caminito was built to transport the building materials through the gorge in the extremely impassable terrain and to maintain the system. The inhabitants of the neighbouring villages also used the path every day. The children used it to go to school, the men to go to work and the women to go shopping. At night, the caminito through the gorge was even illuminated and the remains of the lanterns can still be found today. The condition of the path deteriorated over the decades due to the effects of the weather. In 2001, the path was closed completely after accidents and fatalities occurred.

In order to be able to use the path for tourism again, it was completely rebuilt in 2014 and 2015, about 2 metres above the old path. The remains of the old path are still clearly visible today (see picture above). Today, it is one of the biggest attractions in Andalusia and is correspondingly popular. In summer, it is sometimes necessary to book three months in advance, as only a certain number of visitors are allowed.

Pre-book the Caminito del Rey?

Since a waiting period of several weeks would also have been necessary in our case, we had decided in favour of a Guided tour which turned out to be a stroke of luck in retrospect. With a group of 25 people and an English-speaking guide, we were led through the gorge for two and a half hours. The prices are moderate at €10 for the individual ticket and €18 for the guided tour (January 2023). The guide told us a lot about the history of the trail and about the flora and fauna in the gorge. For example, the following grow in the gorge Carob trees. Did you know that the seeds in the fruit of the carob tree were already used in ancient times as a Weighing unit for Diamonds was used? All cores have a weight of almost 200 milligrams with a hit rate of 95%. These 200 milligrams result in a Caratthe unit of weight for diamonds. And if you keep your eyes open, you can see imprints of diamonds right at the top of the path. Fossils, more precise Ammonites, see.

High up on the Caminito del Rey - vultures and fossils

As mentioned above, the tour normally runs in one direction from north to south through the gorge. At the end a Shuttle bus visitors back to the starting point. Due to the closure of the path, it was only possible to walk from the south portal to the centre and then back again. However, this did not detract from the enthusiasm, as the most impressive part is in the south. The entire trail is usually around eight kilometres long and often runs high up on the rocks, but also sometimes through open sections such as small forests. In the most spectacular places, the path hangs from the 400 metre high cliffs a good 100 metres above the floor of the gorge. You don't need a lot of luck to spot the gliding Vulture to be able to observe them. In any case, you should be well prepared for the tour. Free from giddiness be. The route is absolutely safe, but a suspension bridge, made of steel after all, which crosses the gorge at 100 metres in often strong crosswinds, is a challenge for some. Incidentally, children under the age of eight and dogs are not permitted.

Our conclusion about the Caminito del Rey

All in all, we were very impressed - by the route, the guide and the spectacular scenery. Early booking is definitely recommended, preferably via the website https://www.caminitodelrey.info/. We also recommend the guided tour because of the wealth of information.

In the next post: Ronda and the Sierra de Grazalema