On the 8 May our dear friend Jo who had travelled from Lanzarote, Paul and myself put a huge, big tick against the amazingly awesome Caminito del Rey (Little walk of the King) it is an elevated walkway along the Guadalhorce River gorge.
A pleasant car ride of just under an hour skirted Antequera and took us to through the most beautiful countryside. As we got closer to the Caminito del Rey, we all said lots of ¨wow´s¨ and ¨how beautiful¨ it was a treat for all the senses. Lakes, rivers, amazingly high cliffs, forests and very pretty surroundings.
We had booked our tickets back in March, well in advance online for a guided walk to learn as much as we could of the history and at 18€ it was an absolute bargain! The web site is a fund of information (can be translated) and booking is so easy. Please book well in advance as it is extremely popular. It is possible to walk the route on your own but these tickets are very limited. However, there are other walks in the area once your appetite has been whetted by this fabulous walk has been completed.
I can assure you being up on a wooden walkway over a vast gorge carved by a river does come with an adrenaline rush and the views are just spectacular. It makes a great day out and is certainly recommend it as a must-do activity.
Safety is paramount and the entire walk is bordered by handrails and metal fences throughout the gorge.
I will pop my hints and tips at the end of this blog of points that will help you, so please read to the end.
At this point and full disclosure, I have to admit it nearly beat me! I slipped despite my walking boots and hurt my knee about half way round the 7km actual walk. I plodded on - as you do but at the end of the official walk is a further 50 minute walk to get down to the road again. Anyone who has hurt their knees will know going downhill is so very painful. Thank goodness I had 2 such wonderful human beings with me.... With one either side I walked backwards down to civilisation. Would I do it again? Absolutely I would :)
After parking the car we made our way to our preferred entrance. There are 2 entrances but we chose option 2.
1. Gaitanejo Trail - 2.7km - at the side of El Kiosko restaurant. This takes you along a pathway of Aleppo pines that help to stop the land from slipping into the reservoirs and river. You see the old Gobantes Central the first reversible type in Spain and the large spillway of the Guadalteba Dam (4 spans of 11m). You will also see remains of cave houses where there are some rooms preserved. These have medieval origins and were occupied by construction workers and hydroelectric maintenance workers until the 1970´s. The path then goes to the river bank of the Guadalhorce and the vegetation and the reward is the huge Tafoni or Gothic Arch - a huge wall with strange geological formation. It looks like someone had carved out sections of the wall it is very impressive
2. Pedestrian tunnel and Gaitanejo track - 1.5km - this route is about 200 metres from the above entrance. This route takes you through an illuminated tunnel and onto a path and the sight of the emerald water of the reservoir is stunning. Tafoni - Gothic Arch is over on your left hand side and is stunning. It is a sight to behold and maybe a better perspective rather than being very close to it on entrance 1.
The Gothic Arch is actually a circular shape and is outlined on a sandstone wall. As we know Sandstone is easily eroded
Once you arrive at the visitor centre there are toilet facilities - this is the last opportunity to just check ;)
The guided walks (which I highly recommend) are so well organised. An initial briefing outlining relevant do´s and dont´s that are obvious to me but clearly not everyone has common sense.
Then it was time to collect the safety helmet and audio equipment, so you can hear the guide clearly. Once we were all kitted out we set off with our guide Tina. The range of the audio equipment is very good and we only ´lost´ her once as she went around a corner ahead of or little group.
First photo stop was at the dam overflow, waterfall that gushes down into the Guadalhorce River that snakes through the gorge ahead of you into El Chorro lake you will see much later.
History of the Caminito del Rey
The original Caminito del Rey was an aerial trail built in the walls of the Gaitanes gorge. It terraced onto the gorge with an original length of 3km in long sections and a width of barely 1 metre. This walk was hung on the vertical gorge walls around 100 metres above the river.
The path was built because the Hydroelectric Power Station needed access to the Gaitanejo and El Chorro waterfalls for the crossing of maintenance personnel as well as materials and transport. It started from the railway line that had been built in 1866 which connected Cordoba and Malaga.
The initial construction was between 1901 and 1905 along the walls of the Gaitanes Gorge (Desfiladero de los Gaitanes), a canyon carved out by the Guadalhorce River.
When you walk the modern Caminito del Rey, you can see parts of the old path which, had become extremely dangerous from rain erosion and lack of repair. Using El Caminito del Rey became impossible and the connection between villages disappeared along with part of the history of the villages around the area. Indeed it was so dangerous that several climbers were killed while attempting to walk it.
Thrill seekers and rock climbers travelled to the gorge to attempt to walk the increasingly decrepit path. Unsurprisingly accidents were common and people died. Camino del Rey deaths peaked in 1999 and 2000 (there were 5) which led the government to officially close the route to everybody in 1990.
In March 2015 the walkway was finally opened to the public again. It took several years of ambitious engineering – some stretches of the walkway had to be put in place by helicopter – and a cost of 2.24 million euros was paid by the Malaga authority to restore the Caminito del Rey to its former glory. The modern day trail begins in the municipality of Ardales, goes through Antequera, and ends in El Chorro (Álora). It is an essential part of communications and the water and electricity supplies in Malaga.
For its inauguration, the then King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, was invited. He walked along the footpath in 1921 and placed the last stone on the reservoir dam. A white stone seat and plaque commemorate the occasion. It can be seen on the right as you cross the road over the reservoir. Hence it became known as the Kings little walkway.
Flora and fauna
If the drive to the Caminito del Rey drew gasps at the beauty of the area, nothing can prepare you for the exhilarating beauty of nature once you start walking to the gorge. The photos dont really do the enormity of the stunning scenery justice.
Aleppo pines, stone pines, holm oaks and eucalyptus are the main trees in the area, supplemented with scrub, particularly junipers, Sabine junipers, Mediterranean fan palms, brooms and rockroses. Vegetation on the riverbank includes rushes, reeds, canes, oleanders and tamarisks, as well as some poplars and willows.
We were so lucky during our walk to see a pair of griffon vultures with their 3m wing spans circling overhead. Sadly they were soaring so high my phone didn't get a decent photo but it is in my memory bank.
Among the other fauna are mountain birds of prey including the Egyptian Vultures, golden eagle and honey buzzard.
Several species of amphibians and numerous reptiles (eyed lizards and ladders, Montpellier and viperine snakes) are to be found here.
The mountain goat inhabits the upper reaches, along with wild boar, Iberian ibex, foxes, rabbits, dormice, badgers and genets.
I needed to look up the genets and this is what I found on a well known search engine ....
The common genet has a slender, cat-like body, a small head with a pointed muzzle, large oval ears, large eyes and well-developed whiskers up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in length. Its legs are short, with cat-like feet and semi-retractile claws. Its fur is dense and soft, and the coat is pale grey, with numerous black markings. The back and flanks are marked with about five rows of black spots, and a long black stripe runs along the middle of the back from the shoulders to the rump. There is also a black stripe on the forehead, and dark patches beneath the eyes, which are offset against the white fur of the chin and throat. The tail is striped, with anything from eight to thirteen rings along its length. Its body is 43 to 55 cm (17 to 22 in) long with a 33 to 52 cm (13 to 20 in) long tail.
The sides of the gorge are vast 700m is fine looking across the gorge to the other side without thinking about your own position!
The sheer cliffs remind me of magnificent vast Cathedrals with huge spires. I hadnt expected the sight to make such an impression, but I will never forget them.
The people who made the walk way possible from engineers to the actual men who did the hard labour were very special indeed. The original path was constructed by prisoners and the worst of society but we should all be thanking them for their bravery.
In these photo you can see how the river has carved out the base of the cliff.
There are about twenty caverns along the gorge, some of them hanging dozens of metres above the river, their evolution being affected by the progression of the Guadalhorce river, which has deepened the gorge in successive stages.
There is always something to observe and be in awe of throughout the walk.
Along the walkway and protected by a clear screen is an ammonite fossil impression.
It dates from the Cambrian period 600 million years ago.
Andalucía was then covered by sea, until the tectonic plates moved to create vast mountains such as the Gaitanes gorges, El Choro, Monte Hacho de Álora were formed plus the Torcal in Antequera.
During such a huge upheaval from sea to mountainous landscape these giant sea snails got stuck on the surface.
Ammonites are a group of animals protected by a unique spiral-shaped shell that often has ornamentation in the form of ribs or spines. They are common fossils, especially in rocks from the Jurassic age, when they were the most abundant group in the seas.
They are related to octopus, cuttlefish, squid and were predators. From inside its shell would emerge a creature very similar to an octopus.
The train track on the opposite side of the gorge now has high speed trains that travel from Malaga to Cordoba. We were very lucky to see 2 of them. This is the only one I managed to take a photo of though.
They must pass by so quickly and not see very much but what a beautiful part of their journey between such great cities.
The beautiful arched viaduct that the train runs over appears to be a quite recently built. Presumably, heavy rainfall flows down and into the river below.
To the right of the photo is a glass viewing platform. Only 2 people are allowed on at any one time. We all decided to decline this opportunity to see down into the gorge due to the queue and we could see enough during the walk to keep in the memory bank without having to stand over it ;)
The suspended bridge across the El Chorro Dam the day we crossed it was a rather windy and the bridge undulated a bit in the wind - it doesnt rock side to side and it was a great experience.
There are staff on hand for those who fear they can not cross and hands are held. To look back and say I walked across the bridge suspended over the gorge with the El Chorro Dam below is a huge memory and worthy of a slap on the back :)
Important Hints and Tips
Best time to visit - Spring or Autumn - there is no shade from the fierce sun during the summer months
Caminito del Rey web site - https://www.caminitodelrey.inf...
Please book well in advance of your trip 3/4 months to ensure you are not disappointed
Children under 8 years old are not permitted
Walking boots or comfy trainers should be worn NOT sandals as footwear should be closed
The web site states no backpacks however, everyone has small ones
I have personally suggested the web site is amended to small back packs and not the travelling type backpacks
Clothing is better in layers. Temperatures can be cool and the wind sure whips down the gorge in spring
Sun protection is essential at any time of year regardless of the temperature due to the wind
Don't forget your sun glasses
They are essential and will also protect your eyes if the wind picks up during the forest part of the walk
Water and a snack to maintain energy levels throughout the walk
Umbrellas are not permitted so if the weather is cooler or rain is due a waterproof will be needed