The King’s Little Path called the Caminito del Rey is a cliff-side walk hanging 100m above the awe-inspiring El Chorro Gorge

It´s not for the faint of heart with rocks of several hundred meters towering above you.

 

It is a great experience and definitely worth the trip in spite of the many tourists, as well as all the trouble of getting entrance tickets without guide, as it is often sold out on the official site.

 

 
The Kings Little Path was originally built, because the El Chorro Hydroelectric Company needed access to facilitate the passage of maintenance workers in 1905.

The Caminito del Rey was restored in 2014 and has re-opened to the public after being closed for 15 years

It is now completely safe and unproblematic to walk, especially on the famous boardwalk section, where it is only one metre wide in some places.

The old walkway – the original King´s Little Path – can be seen just below.

It is a must see in Andalusia and a great natural experience.

The local municipalities sell 70% of the tickets through agencies because it provides more local jobs for the young people

If you want to walk the Kings Little Path during your stay in Andalusia you will have to buy tickets in advance.

You should buy tickets for the Caminito del Rey as early as possible, since they sell out far in advance on the official site.

Especially the tickets without guide sell out quickly.

When you buy your tickets at an agency, you secure local jobs in an area with a youth unemployment rate of 40.6%

The entrance ticket is between 10 or 30 euros per person and the shutle bus back to the entrance is 1,55 EUR per person.

On top comes the payment for parking.

 

Unfortunately, the entrance tickets sell out very early on the official site

Why does the official site sell out so quickly? Because only 30% of the tickets are put on sale there. The local municipalities prefer that the tickets are sold through agencies and thus ensure more local jobs for their young people.

 

When that happens there are 3 other ways of getting tickets for the King´s Little Path:

1) Book through an agency

It is generally a bit more expensive but then you get a hassle free ticket.
And then you contribute to fighting youth unemployment in Andalusia.

2) Buy unsold tickets

They are released for sale 4 days before on the official Caminito del Rey site.

3) Buy last-minute tickets by the entrance of the Kings Litte Path

Get there on a working day (Mondays closed) early in the morning and expect ½-1 hour of waiting time by the door.
This should be last resort! There are only 50 tickets for sale early in the morning.

Is it best to buy tickets on the official site? No, on the contrary. The local municipalities that run Caminito del Rey want to secure local jobs. Therefore, 70% of the tickets are reserved for agencies, where the tickets are sold with various extra services included – and thus contribute to the local economy. It is therefore better for the locals if you book through an agency. Preferably with parking, guide and bus included.

 

Get your tickets here and now – with or without guide – and without any hassle:

 

Why are there only limited tickets without a guide? Because the local municipalities that run the King´s Little Path want you to contribute to the local economy and to create jobs by buying tickets with guide, parking and bus. Therefore, they only offer very few tickets without a guide. Many young people get jobs as guides at the Caminito del Rey. So when you book tickets with guide, you contribute to reducing the high youth unemployment rate.

 

Give a job to a guide! Youth unemployment in Andalusia is an incredible 40.6% The job as a guide can be the way out of unemployment for many young people. Contribute to reducing youth unemployment by buying a guided tour. You get value for your money. And your money continues to work through the local economy. It’s win-win! Or in Spanish: “Ganamos todos”

 

 

How to get to Caminito del Rey from other places:

 

See here the frequently asked questions about the King´s Little Pathway Caminito del Rey:

The King´s Little Pathway – Caminito del Rey – story

When was Caminito del Rey built?

The Caminito del Rey was built to transport building materials until the construction of the old dam, which was completed in 1921.

King Alfonso XIII arrived by train and walked part of the footpath to the dam for the inauguration.

That is why it has been called The King’s Little Pathway – Caminito del Rey – since then.

 

Why was it called the world’s most dangerous walkway?

At the end of the last century, the concrete on the Caminito del Rey was so damaged that it had become dangerous.

in 1997 two people died by falling down – and then it was closed.

Until the new Caminito del Rey was inaugurated in 2014, many climbers recorded heart-pumping videos on the old concrete path – and on what remained of iron struts – and posted them on YouTube under the name The World’s Most Dangerous Walkway – or Walkway of Death.

 

When was the new Caminito del Rey opened?

The new Caminito del Rey is built in wood and suspended in steel. It was opened in 2014.

It is built just above the old concrete path, so you can still see the remains of the old Caminito del Rey along the way.

 

Tickets for Caminito del Rey

Unfortunately, it is not so easy to buy Tickets for Caminito del Rey. At least not on the official site.

They are often sold out or there are only tickets with a guide.

There is a good reason for that:

The local municipalities run the Caminito del Rey and they do not want to just sell the tickets without also ensuring local jobs and a financial contribution to the local economy.

 

Why are there no Tickets for sale? On the official Caminito del Rey website, only approx. 30% of the tickets are put up for sale. The rest is sold through other sales channels, especially agencies. Of the 30%, only a small proportion are sold as tickets without a guide. The majority are tickets with a guide. The reason is that they would rather not sell tickets without a guide, because they make too little of a contribution to the local economy.   Are the tickets really sold out? No. Just because there are no more tickets on the official Caminito del Rey website doesn’t mean it’s sold out. 70% of the tickets are put on sale through agencies such as GetYourGuide. It is usually possible to get tickets here. The price is a little higher, but then you are sure of getting tickets. And then you usually get extras included in the price, e.g. a guide, parking, shuttle bus or something else.

 

So how do you get tickets?

In order not to depend on the official Caminito del Rey website, which is often sold out, we recommend booking a ticket at an agency.

With an agency, you are sure to get tickets without them being sold out. And you usually get extra services included in the purchase. In addition, you contribute more to the local economy, e.g. by securing work for the guides, parking attendants, bus drivers etc.

See which tickets GetYourGuide has available here:

 

Can you buy tickets at the entrance?

A small proportion of the tickets (approx. 50) are sold at the entrance in the morning.

It requires queuing at the entrance as early as 8 o’clock in the morning to secure tickets.

We do not recommend betting on this solution. It is only suitable for situations where there are no more tickets to buy either on the Caminito del Rey website or at the agencies.

 

The Caminito del Rey tour itself:

Is it packed with tourists? Many people come through the Caminito del Rey every single day, except Mondays, when it is closed. At the entrance, there are always quite a lot of people waiting to get started. On the Caminito del Rey itself, the groups spread out over the 4 km, so it is not that crowded at all and you can often walk alone without being bothered by other visitors. How much time does it take to walk the Caminito del Rey? If you do the trip yourself, it can take anywhere from 45 minutes if you walk quickly to 3 hours if you take breaks along the way. With a guided group, it usually takes 1 – 1½ hours.

 

Is it hard to walk The King´s Little Pathway Caminito del Rey?

No. It it straight ahead most of the way – and a little downhill, as there is a drop from start to finish.

However, there are a few places where it goes upwards – and some places with stairs.

Caminito del Rey is 4 km long – and the total trip from parking to bus is 6 km.

 

Is it too hot in the middle of the day?

In summer it is very hot here – everywhere.

But fortunately there are many places with shade along the way – and part of the Caminito del Rey passes through the forest.

You should bring water – and stay in the shade during the summer months – but you can walk it even if it is very hot.

 

Is it safe to walk the Caminito del Rey?

The new Caminito del Rey, which was inaugurated in 2014, is built safely – according to all rules and checked continuously.

The World’s Most Dangerous Walkway is a nickname for the old Caminito del Rey – that is no longer the case.

Even if you should feel unwell along the way, there are fixed procedures for help and assistance, so no one is at risk on the Caminito del Rey.

 

What to bring along on the Caminito del Rey?

A small bottle of water per person and good footwear. Otherwise nothing.

If there is possibility of changing weather, it is a good idea to bring an extra sweater or jacket along.

Both water and extra clothes should be carried in a small bagpack.

However, make sure you don’t bring too much – you have to carry it all the way.

 

Does fear of heights prevent you from walking?

The King’s Little Pathway Caminito del Rey is a good one meter wide at the narrowest points. In some places 1½ meters wide.

You don’t have to walk along the railing and look down – you can choose to walk along the cliff side.

So fear of heights need not prevent you from walking the Caminito del Rey.

 

Can you walk the Caminito del Rey in rain and wind? If there is a very strong wind, Caminito del Rey will be closed and you will get the opportunity to rebook. Otherwise, there are no problems in walking. Remember to bring appropriate clothing for the weather.   When does the shuttle bus return? The shuttle buses drive continuously back and forth, so you rarely have to wait much. There are no fixed times – the bus drives when it is fairly full.

Access and parking:

Can you get to Caminito del Rey without a car?

There is a train to El Chorro, from where you can continue on the shuttle bus to the entrance.

Check the train tables on e.g. Renfe.com

 

How to get to Caminito del Rey by car?

Almost all rental cars are equipped with GPS systems.

Caminito del Rey can simply be keyed into the GPS system. Drive after e.g. Caminito del Rey centro de visitantes or Caminito del Rey acceso norte.

Read our article on how to avoid unfortunate car hire at Malaga airport here:

Avoid unfortunate car hire

 

Where can you park?

There is parking at the Caminito del Rey visitor center (centro de visitantes).

From here you have to take the shuttle bus 2 times; first to the entrance and after the trip back to the visitor center.

Alternatively, you can park closer to the entrance.

This way you can walk to the entrance and only have to take one trip with the shuttle bus when you have to return to the entrance after the walk on the Caminito del Rey.

Where can you eat?

There are restaurants both at the entrance and at the exit.

We can recommend La Garganta (at the exit) and El Mirador (at the entrance). It is recomendable to book a table in advance.

There are no restaurants at the visitor center.

 

Here are the 3 beautiful places to stay near the Kings Little Path:

	Hotel La Posada del Conde. You found it on Autentical.com! It can, however, only be booked on Booking.com:     See it Booking.com
	La Garganta. You found it on Autentical.com! It can, however, only be booked on Booking.com:     See it Booking.com
	Finca El Arpa. Book it here on     Autentical.com

This article is also available in French, German, Dutch, Italian and Danish.

 
 

Selected – and unique – farm stays from Booking.com:

Unique accommodation away from the crowds that might interest you:

 

Further accommodation

Sights (A)

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