Spain’s Caminito del Rey reopens today after three day closure due to damaging landslides

MALAGA’S star hiking trail, Caminito del Rey, will reopen today, Friday 16, after three day closure due to damaging landslides.

As work to repair the damage caused by the recent landslides is still in progress, the walkway will be partially open with a circular route having an entrance and exit from the southern area, thus avoiding the area affected by the landslides.

This is a provisional solution that will be maintained until the repair of the damage caused as a result of heavy rain that affected a section of the wooden walkways near the north access has been completed.

According to Diputacion de Malaga in a statement, the landslides occurred at 11.18 p.m. last Monday, December 12.

The main damage occurred in one of the narrowest points of the route, on a slope facing the route through which the Caminito runs, and despite the Caminito having protection meshes on all the slopes where landslides can occur, a 20-metre section of the walkway was destroyed.

The exact causes of the landslides, which coincided with heavy rains (around 90 litres per square metre) and should have been prevented by the protection meshes in place, are being studied and evaluated.

Since the walkway was first opened, priority by the management company has always been given to guarantee the safety of visitors.

In fact the path is closed for a day every week for maintenance work.

Additionally, every day, before visitors start their visit, maintenance staff walk the entire route to check that there are no incidents on the path.

Furthermore, there are 56 cameras along the entire route to detect any anomaly that may occur during the visits, and there are around twenty protective nets in case of landslides.

Some 1,100 people visit the Caminito del Rey every day.