Caminito del Rey hike

Caminito del Rey is one of the most adventurous and picturesque hikes in the world. 

The El Caminito del Rey hike was once notorious for being unsafe, but nowadays, anyone can experience the Caminito del Rey hike safely. 

Visitors can enjoy the plentiful adventure activities along the way. Caminito del Rey excursion still provides enough opportunities for adventure along its 8 km long route. 

From the entry point of El Conde de Guadalhorce to its exit point of El Chorro dam, the Caminito del Rey route has beautiful natural sceneries and thrilling moments making your excursion memorable. 

Let’s check out the things you will experience on your El Caminito del Rey hike, including the stunning viewpoints are inseparable from your excursion.

Depending on the speed and time you take appreciating the surrounding natural beauty at any of the Caminito del Rey hike viewpoints, Your hike may take 3 to 4 hours. 

The El Caminito del Rey hike features two gorges, cannons, a huge Valley, and the unmissable suspended boardwalk!

Here are the most significant points on the Caminito del Rey hike, which you must visit after booking your Caminito del Rey tickets.

Access 1 – Tunnel 1, The Gaitanejo path 

This section starts through the Tunnel Grande next to the El Kiosko restaurant. It has a longer route, approximately 2.7km, and will take roughly an hour to finish.

The trail goes through the narrow forested trail with the Aleppo pipeline. From there, you’ll reach the signposting “Caminito del Rey.” It features a meander with traditional cave houses from El Gaitanejo, “Casa de Farraya.” 

The trail descends to river level with riverside vegetation and plenty of opportunities for landscape photography as you stumble upon tafoni, a great wall wit peculiar geological formations.

It is also known as the Gothic arc and features an area with the info panel “Guadalhorce River in Gaitanejo section.” The beginning section ends soon after this point.

Access 2- Pedestrian tunnel and Gaitanejo’s track 

This part has a  relatively shorter beginning section, approximately 1.5 kilometers long, and will shorten your walk to 25-30 minutes. 

It is 200 meters from the El Kiosko restaurant, sometimes called the Pedestrian Tunnel. 

It also gives access to the Gaitanejo tracks and eventually descends until the El Gaitanejo dam. 

You will also be able to spot the Gothic arc or tafoni later on your trail but from a different perspective. 

But before you take one of the two access points, if you drive yourself to reach here, you must know about Caminito del Rey’s parking facilities. 

Visitor’s reception booth and services 

After the tracks, crossing, and the different landmarks, you will get to the visitors’ reception booth. 

You will find information panels wherein two paths connect. Beyond this, you will get to your first Caminito del Rey hike viewpoint.

First Cannon – Gorge of Gaitanejo 

Regardless of the access point, the first of two great gorges will come next. It will give you a small glimpse of what’s next to come.

This section is approximately 2.9 km long and has exciting scenery, including the popular circular viewpoint. 

Along with this, you can view commemorative plaques bearing interesting information. 

The gorge is barely 10m wide and features the first boardwalk of the Caminito del Rey hike, and you will feel the thrill is about to start. 

The section will lead to El Soto, which is in between the two cannons, Gaitanejo and Tajo del las Palomas. 

The start of El Soto is known as the butter stairs, at here you will taste what the Caminito del Rey hike is all about. 

Don’t forget to click a few panoramic pictures of the surroundings to capture  memorable visit.

Second Cannon – El Tajo De Las Palomas 

Following your El Soto adventure, you will delve into the second Cannon, the El Tajo de las Palomas. 

The first part of this section is 700 meters and is known as El Puente del Rey as then king Alfonso XIII crossed it after stepping down from the train. 

You will access stunning unrestricted view of the surrounding landscape.

Don’t forget to look down as you cross the bridge. This is a great opportunity to click some photos as well. 

After the descender Cueva del Toro, you will find the amazing Rocas Llanas Viewpoint. 

This is where most Caminito del Rey hikers pause to appreciate the surrounding landscape’s beauty.

Third Cannon Gaitanes’s Gorge and south wall 

Before reaching this section, you will go past plenty of amazing sights along with some adventurous sections along the Caminito del Rey hike. 

But everything pales in front of the final section of the Caminito del Rey hike, which is nearly 2.5-2.7 km long. 

It is mostly done through the hanging boardwalks for which the Caminito del Rey is most popular.

The access is 800m long with 250 meters tall walls and more than 100 meters above the river

The last cannon is also perfect for observing the mountain stratum vertically. 

The newly made boardwalk also lets you peek at the deteriorating old boards after it was first built more than a century ago. 

You can learn more about the Caminito del Rey facts by picking the guided Caminito del Rey tickets.

As you progress on the new boardwalk, you will find San Cristobal Alcoves at the end portion of it. These are natural cavities on the mountain. 

Your heart will certainly skip a beat if you look down from this height! And to test your mettle, you should stop by the glass balcony. 

A extended glass floor on this boardwalk with simple railings lets you observe the surrounding Caminito del Rey landscape’s unfliterered and unrestricted beauty.  

Your heart shall thump with an adrenaline rush at such heights!

Going beyond this, you will see the iconic hanging bridge, an inseparable identity of the Caminito del Rey hike. It makes for a great spot to click a few photographs as well.

Exit Boardwalk 

The exit path is a small 2.1 km trail stepping  down to the meeting point with an informative panel on “Geology.” 

Continuing down on the trail, you will get mesmerizing views of the entrance of the George, the dam, Mesas de Villaverde, and the village of El Chorro. 

Going down almost to the level of the dam, you will find a service path with trees and a sidewalk. 

To know how your amazing adventure ends, you must get your Caminito del Rey ticket and find yourself!

But to get an idea, check out the Caminito del Rey Virtual tour beforehand.

El Chorro Waterfalls

One of the unmissable parts of the Caminito del Rey hike is the suspended boardwalk almost 100 meters above the river Guadalhorce Reservoir. 

But beyond this, there are plenty of amazing sights to behold during the entire Caminito del Rey. 

On the Caminito del Rey hike, you will cross two gorges, cannons, and a vast valley. 

There are two access routes, but the trail’s highlight is the exit trail via El Chorro. 

It has a spellbinding gorgeous view of the falls on the route that falls from the height of over 100m just beside the iconic Caminito del Rey bridge. 

There are plenty of other natural and artificial falls throughout the Caminito del Rey hike, especially deep within the narrow gorges you witness. 

If you like photography, click some panoramic pictures of the falls from the various Caminito del Rey viewpoints.

Hiking around Malaga

Those looking for adventure and bountiful natural scenery will be lucky as there are plenty of opportunities for hiking near Malaga, Spain. 

Hiking around Malaga Spain, or hiking in Malaga,Spain is one of the best ways to explore the city’s natural beauty. 

We highly recommend you go on one of these various Malaga hiking routes. 

We have made your work easy by compiling many fascinating Malaga hiking tours or Malaga hiking trails that you can enjoy. 

So, to add to your fun, after getting the Caminito del Rey hike tickets, take a list of the top 3 Hiking Trails in Malaga. 

These trails will surely make hiking in Malaga, Spain,

Monte San Anton 

A perfect little hike to get your thoughts together while you stroll through vegetation and beautiful natural sceneries. 

This is a 3.7 km out-and-back, one of the best hiking trails near Malaga. This is easy to moderately challenging, so perfect for hikers of all levels of experience. 

This is at an elevation of 188 meters thus, you will be able to enjoy some picturesque city coastline and city skyline views. 

This is one of the easily accessible Malaga hiking routes.  It is located around a 15-minute drive from the center of Malaga. 

If you are driving yourself there then you can park your vehicle in an alley which is 100 meters before the beginning of the trail where parking is not prohibited. 

Three summits are easily accessible. You can take your entire family as children can also take part in this. 

Don’t forget to click some panoramic pictures of the Mediterranean Sea and the city. The best thing is that you can visit this trail anytime, all week. 

Plaza La Merced – Gibralfaro

This is also one of the relatively shorter Malaga hiking routes. It is approximately 4.2 kilometers. 

The Malaga Hiking trail is a loop of 4.2 kilometers thus, it starts and ends at the same point. 

Like the previous one, this is also a moderately challenging Malaga hiking trail and takes an average of 1 hour 30 minutes to finish from the start. 

You can also enjoy various other activities, such as mountain biking, running, and walking. 

Starting at the Plaza de la Merced, walk through Mount Gibralfaro in a circular direction passing the Castillo de Gibralfaro and the famous Alcazaba of Málaga. 

It is easily accessible given its convenient location as the Plaza de la Merced is one of the main squares in the center of the city. 

The hike entails quite a bit of history behind it as well. For instance, Gibralfaro Castle and the Alcazaba of Malaga were built in the 14th century. 

Thus, this Malaga hiking trail has a perfect mix of good trails, great views, and beautiful historical monuments. 

It remains open throughout the year, and the weather is somewhat manageable to do it any time of the year. This is a family-friendly activity; thus, you can also take your kids. 

Dogs are allowed but only on the leash.

Sendero Picapedrero – Boticario 

If you want to experience some serious hiking, you can’t overall Sendero Picapedrero.

It is almost 13 km long and the elevation goes up as high as nearly 456 meters. But don’t worry; this is still moderately challenging, so people of all sorts of experience can participate in it. 

This is perfect for being surrounded by nature and getting close to it. At your elevation, you can see the nearby peaks and greenery easily. 

You can experience and witness all sorts of activities here, such as people doing mountain biking and trail running. 

The trail remains open throughout the year, and you can hike any time of the year. 

The only thing to remember is the weekends which can get busy. But if you want to see nature and Malaga’s true beauty, then this Malaga hike is for you. 

You can go with your family and experience it. Dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash. 

Get ready for the ultimate adventure at Caminito del Rey – one of the most breathtaking attractions out there! 

Want to know more? Keep reading to discover all the thrilling details.

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