Caminito del Rey - how to walk the most beautiful hike in Spain

Once, this mountain trail El Camino del Rey was considered one of the most dangerous in the world. It was called El Camino de la Muerte – which means “The Path of Death.”

Only brave climbers could reach it and complete the route using special equipment. However, the times when hikes on Caminito del Rey were both dangerous and illegal are long gone.

Since 2015, wooden platforms have been securely attached to the mountain slope and suspended 100 meters above the Guadalhorce River. These replaced the partially ruined old path, and the modern Caminito del Rey, supported by new infrastructure and safety measures, has gained immense popularity among tourists. So much so that tickets for visiting the Royal Path must be purchased in advance.

In this publication, I will tell you what you need to know before visiting El Caminito del Rey and how to prepare for the most beautiful hiking route in Spain.

Recommended reading: Camino Portugues – coastal route from Porto to Santiago-de-Compostela

History of Caminito del Rey

Caminito del Rey was originally a path used by workers during the construction of hydroelectric power plants in the early 1900s. For a long time, it was operational, and besides transporting construction materials and servicing two important dams, it was used by both locals and tourists. In 1921, the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, even walked a small section of Caminito del Rey to officially inaugurate the Conde de Guadalhorce dam, which led to the route’s name, El Caminito del Rey (The Little King’s Path).

However, over time, the path through the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes gorge, 100 meters above the Guadalhorce River, fell into a dangerous, semi-ruined state.

It was first officially closed in the late 1980s – early 90s, but people still had easy access to it. Over the next decade, several fatal accidents occurred, culminating in the deaths of three tourists who used a zip line in 2000. This tragic episode led to more decisive actions: sections of the old path were destroyed to make them inaccessible and officially closed.

However, climbers and thrill-seekers ignored the threat of a 6000-euro fine, as the reputation of the illegal “Path of Death” – as Caminito del Rey came to be called during that time – attracted them with a terrifying allure. There are no official figures on those who suffered on Caminito, but unofficial data suggests it claimed at least ten lives in recent years.

Today, the situation on Caminito del Rey is completely different.

Reopening of Caminito del Rey in 2015

The renovation of the modern Caminito del Rey took three years and cost 9 million euros. The suspended walkways, bolted to the rock, have been widened, made of wood, and equipped with steel railings and handrails to prevent falls. The route has controlled access from both sides, staff with first aid kits at certain points, and defibrillators along the path. Guided tours are conducted here, and helmets are mandatory to protect tourists from falling rocks.

You might be a little disappointed to learn that Caminito is no longer as risky and terrifying an experience as it once was. After all, this is what made it so famous and accessible to any tourist over the past 20 years. And in my opinion, that’s great – everyone has the opportunity to see this beauty safely. And for that, you don’t have to climb into a dangerous gorge trap.

Tickets for Caminito del Rey

El Caminito del Rey is a very popular trail (thanks to social media) – so you need to buy tickets in advance. The number of people allowed on the trail is limited to ensure safe movement without crowds.

The maximum is about 1,100 visitors per day, who are allocated into different time slots. Additionally, tour companies buy tickets in bulk and offer guided tours. Often, the cheapest tickets, which allow entry without a guide, sell out months in advance.

Sometimes, during off-peak hours (early in the morning or after 4:00 PM), there are free tickets available at the ticket office near the entrance to Caminito. However, this is unpredictable, so you shouldn’t rely on it. You might miss out on this route. Buy your tickets in advance when planning a trip to Andalusia. Or consider organized tours – many depart from Málaga and other Andalusian cities.

There are two types of tickets on the Caminito del Rey website:

Standard entry tickets – cost 10 euros per person, and you can purchase up to 10 tickets at a time for a specific available time slot. This ticket type allows you to walk Caminito at your own pace, with a set start time but no fixed end time for the route.

Excursion Tickets – cost 18 euros per person, also sold for specific time slots. You must join a group with an official guide of Caminito del Rey, and groups can include up to 30 people. This means you must complete Caminito on a stricter schedule, usually about two hours. During the walk, the guide provides commentary on the history of the trail, flora and fauna, as well as some anecdotes. Essentially, nothing particularly interesting to rush after the guide and hang on every word.

Note: If you didn’t get tickets for 10 euros, this does not mean that by purchasing an 18-euro ticket, you must go with a group. We walked the trail independently with excursion tickets, without guides. It was more interesting for us, and information about the route can be read on the official website of the trail.

Tickets go on sale three months before the visit date. The highest demand is on weekends and during peak tourist season (i.e., Easter and July-August, although it is extremely hot at this time). I bought tickets in July for the end of September. Tickets for 10 euros were already sold out! I had to buy them for 18 euros and complete the route independently, but at almost twice the price.

Where to Buy Tickets for Caminito del Rey?

So, if you are just planning this route – buy tickets for Caminito del Rey in advance. There are several options for where to buy tickets:

The first and easiest option – buy directly on the official website.
If tickets for your desired dates are no longer available on the official site, you can purchase tickets from resellers who charge almost the same price. For example, on the well-known site GetYourGuide – if you change your mind, tickets can be easily refunded with a full refund up to 24 hours before your visit date.
Another alternative is to buy a ticket along with a transfer on the Tiqets website.

How to Get to Caminito del Rey?

Most tourists plan their Caminito del Rey visit while staying in Malaga or on the Costa del Sol coast. From there, it is indeed the easiest way to reach this hiking route, relying on public transport. However, if you rent a car, it opens up the possibility of visiting this place from anywhere in Andalusia. But let’s go step by step.

How to Get to Caminito del Rey by Public Transport?

For those planning a one-day trip from Malaga or nearby resort towns of the Costa del Sol, there is an option to get there as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Trains running from Malaga to El Chorro station cost only 4 Euros one way. There are 5-6 daily departures from Malaga Maria Zambrano railway station to El Chorro railway station. At the time of writing, there are morning departures at 8:24 AM and 9:43 AM. The travel time is about 50 minutes.

You can find the schedule and buy tickets on the railway company’s website RENFE or on Trainline (prices are the same).

By Car

If you have a rental car – that’s how we traveled, renting a car – it’s very easy to get here via the highway from anywhere in Andalusia or other cities in Spain if you’re traveling around the country. We drove from the Costa del Sol coast – the drive took about 1.2 hours.

Parking at Caminito del Rey can be an issue if you’re planning to visit during peak season (summer). We visited Caminito at the end of September, bought tickets for 12:00 PM, but arrived an hour and a half before the start of the route. That way, we easily found parking spots close to the entrance.

If you plan to travel by car or rent a vehicle for a few days or a week to explore the coast and beyond, we recommend considering the following options.

Economybookings.com – offers budget deals from the largest international rental companies as well as many small local agencies, which often have much better prices. You can often find great deals.
RentalCars – a subsidiary of Booking.com, featuring larger companies with reputable brands. Their prices are also good.

Where to Park at Caminito del Rey

We recommend researching parking options near the entrances to the Caminito del Rey route in advance.

The official starting point of Caminito del Rey and the place where you show your ticket and receive your helmet is known as North Access (Acceso Norte) – here on Google Maps. Everyone taking this route enters through the North Entrance, regardless of the type of ticket they have: individual or group tour.

The route is one-way: you start in one place and finish in another, near the El Chorro railway station. Most tourists arriving by train take a special bus to the start of the route for 2.5 Euros. The village is located near the South Entrance (Acceso Sur) – the final point of Caminito del Rey – so everyone finishes their walk there.

But we arrived by car, so I decided to leave the car where the route starts – near the Northern entrance, specifically near the El Kiosko restaurant.

Here are all the parking options at Caminito del Rey near the Northern entrance:

The Northern access point is not located near the road, parking lot, Caminito del Rey visitor center, or shuttle bus route. It can only be reached by walking 1.5 km through a couple of tunnels and a bit of a dirt trail.

This 1.5-kilometer walk is marked with signs and starts at a tunnel on the roadside. Everything is well-marked. You should allow at least 20 minutes for a comfortable walk and plan to arrive at the Northern access point 15-30 minutes BEFORE the time indicated on your ticket.

Ardales Parking – a large dusty private parking lot directly opposite and across the road from the tunnel entrance. Parking costs 2 euros (cash only), but it opens only at 8:30 AM, so it may not be suitable for early arrivals. Note that this is not the parking lot where you can reserve a space when purchasing Caminito tickets online.

El Kiosko – a very limited roadside parking lot opposite El Kiosko, a small restaurant/café. Parking here is free, but you will have to look for an available space unless you arrive early in the morning or get lucky during the day. From here, you need to walk five minutes back along the road to the tunnel entrance, which is on the restaurant’s side.

Official Caminito del Rey Parking – a large modern asphalt parking lot next to the new visitor center building. However, this parking lot is the farthest from the tunnel entrance – actually 2.2 km away! It is usually the first parking lot you pass when driving to the Northern entrance. The fee is 2 euros, and you can pay and reserve a spot when purchasing tickets on the official website. You can also pay upon arrival, but during peak season, spaces may not be available.

Parking near El Chorro Station:

If you park here, you will need to take a shuttle bus from the station to the tunnel entrance to start your hike (this is the same as for people arriving by train). The travel time from El Chorro to the tunnel entrance is 15-20 minutes, but keep in mind that you may need to wait for the bus and queue for a seat.

Aparcamiento sur Caminito del Rey Gratuito. It’s a small free parking lot near the entrance to El Chorro along the MA5403 route. There is plenty of space under the pine trees, but most visitors park at one of the lots near the Northern entrance. These are 1.5-2.2 km from the entrance, requiring a walk from the parking area.

Shuttle Buses Between the Northern and Southern Entrances of Caminito del Rey

The shuttle bus costs 2.5 euros per person (one-way or round-trip, same price), and tickets can be purchased onboard with cash or at the ticket office near El Chorro station. All shuttles are large, accommodating approximately 40-50 people.

However, the Caminito del Rey shuttle bus does not take you to the start of the hike. Instead, it transports you between all the parking lots mentioned above, the tunnel entrance, and the railway station. You must walk 1.5 km to reach the trailhead – no buses go there!

Timing for arriving in time

If you arrive by train, you will need to take the shuttle bus at the start of your day to get to the tunnel entrance. The journey takes 15 minutes, and the bus stop is here. You may need to wait for the bus or for a seat, so plan enough time to travel by train + bus to reach the trailhead on time.

Conclusion: Plan your time wisely + account for an additional shuttle bus fee.
So, if your ticket starts at 11:00 AM, you should arrive at the parking lot or railway station no later than 10:00 AM (or even a bit earlier if you don’t want to rush).

Almost immediately, you find yourself on the first section of wooden boardwalks hugging the cliff, and the scenery quickly becomes incredibly beautiful. Eventually, this leads to some of the most breathtaking views on the route before merging with a dusty road – the views along this section are so stunning that we recommend taking your time if you’re hiking independently to fully appreciate them.

You continue along a dusty natural path for about 1.5 km before the suspended wooden platforms start again. This last section, where you walk above the old trail, cross the glass-floored viewing platform. And traverse the bridge, looks and feels even more dramatic than the first. Here, you’ll find the most impressive views of the entire route. There’s also a suspension bridge where you can see the abyss beneath your feet. If you’re afraid of heights, it might be a bit intimidating.

In the final part of the route, as you reach the southern access point, you will have to walk another 10-15 minutes along a dusty road to El Chorro. There, you can find the train station back to Málaga or the shuttle bus to the various parking areas mentioned above. If the bus is full or has just left, you’ll simply need to wait for the next one, so there’s no need to rush at the end. Alternatively, you can sit at the picnic tables – food and drinks are available here.

How Long Does the Caminito del Rey Hike Take?

If you are part of a guided group (tickets cost €18), wearing gray helmets. For groups route takes about two hours from start to finish. We separated from the group and walked as much as we could. And tried to avoid congestion and enjoy the trail and scenery at our own pace. However, we felt it was necessary to keep up and finish with the group.

If you are hiking independently (tickets cost €10) you are wearing blue helmets. In this case you could theoretically complete the hike in about 1.5 hours if the trail is not too crowded. However, I recommend bringing some snacks, allowing time to pass larger groups, and avoiding bottlenecks. Stop occasionally to soak in the best views. Take your time and enjoy up to three hours to fully experience the trail and take plenty of great photos.

What to Bring for the Caminito del Rey?

Footwear – Sneakers or trekking sandals are sufficient. Flip-flops are strictly prohibited! You won’t even be allowed on the trail with them. Heavy hiking boots are also unnecessary.
Small backpack – Large backpacks are not allowed on the Caminito del Rey trail.
Bring water and snacks, but note that picnicking is not allowed on the trail.
Take sunglasses and apply sunscreen. It’s best to avoid hiking between 12:00 and 15:00.
The last opportunity to use a toilet before hiking is at the northern access point and visitor center. There are no toilets on the trail! After the southern exit, you’ll find a toilet about a five-minute walk away. Once you start the Caminito, there is no turning back, and all movement is one-way.

Other important information

The official website states that visitors aged 8 and over but under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. If you are with children, you should carry their ID, especially if they look younger than 8.
During peak times (Easter, July and August), it will be difficult to avoid crowds regardless of when the route starts. So it is best to simply let people pass in front at certain times to give yourself a little more free space in front and behind. However, some queues and stops are inevitable.
Those who are afraid of heights should think carefully about whether they really want to go on the Caminito del Rey. Some sections are quite scary, although they are safe. If you have severe vertigo or a deep-rooted fear of heights, it is probably best to avoid it.

Caminito del Rey – personal experience, how to walk the Path of the Kings