Did you know? 5 curiosities about the Caminito del Rey in Spain

THE Caminito del Rey is one of the most spectacular natural sites in Malaga, a unique aerial path suspended 100 metres up against the walls of the gorge.

The hiking path, nicknamed the “Walkway of Death” by intrepid rock climbers for decades, winds through narrow footbridges along the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes gorge, 100 metres above the waters of the river Guadalhorce reservoir, as it runs through the famous beauty spot; El Chorro Gorge.

To visit the Caminito del Rey you need to book your ticket on their website, the cost of the general ticket is €10.

But did you know?

• You can actually visit the caminito virtually: The walkways, paths and main points of interest of the Caminito del Rey seem to come to life with this virtual reality tour of the Caminito del Rey, which includes 40 points of interest along the spectacular route, and which you can visit at caminitodelrey.info/tour360.

• The Caminito del Rey is a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site status

• There is an alternative path for when the weather is bad, via a tunnel that connects the Valle del Hoyo with the suspension bridge and avoids the footbridge. After its restoration in 2017, this 300-metre route, 285 inside and 15 outside, is operational.

• The path was originally built as workmen’s access around 1905 and improved and first opened to the public in 1921 by King Alfonso XXIII hence the name the King’s little path. However, by the 1980s the path had fallen into disrepair and though it was closed to the public, daredevil hikers would still access it and attempt to cross it, leading to several fatal falls in the 1990s which earned its reputation as one of the most dangerous hikes in the world.

• The ‘new’ Caminito del Rey was re-constructed and reopened to the public in 2015. The route and design of the new path keeping as closely as possible to the old 1921 path.

READ MORE:

• Summer tickets go on sale for ‘world’s most dangerous path’ Caminito del Rey in Spain’s Malaga
• Spain’s Caminito del Rey finally an official stop on the Cercanias train service