Tour of the Caminito del Rey, El Chorro
The Caminito del Rey is an elevated walkway suspended off the sides of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, a picturesque canyon in southern Andalusia, Spain. The canyon and the Caminito del Rey are located in El Chorro, a small town within Spain’s Malaga province.
Tourists and locals can travel to and from El Chorro by train from the city of Malaga. And several groups also offer tours of the Caminito del Rey that include transportation from towns within the Malaga province. My friends and I decided to take one of these tours to the Caminito del Rey. We booked this tour through Get Your Guide.
In this article, you can read about my day-trip tour of the Caminito del Rey.
Transportation to El Chorro
We boarded the tour bus at 7:55 AM at the Fuengirola main bus station. Over the next two hours, the bus took us from Fuengirola to Malaga, stopping at towns along the way to pick up more tourists.
Breakfast in Ardales
Around 9:55 AM, the bus arrived in Ardales, a small town just outside of El Chorro. In Ardales, the tour guide announced that we could spend the next half hour having a quick breakfast and coffee at one of the local restaurants. For breakfast, I grabbed some pan con tomate and a cafe solo. Then I picked up a water bottle at a convenience store before making my way back to the bus.
Arriving at El Chorro
As the bus made its way to El Chorro, our tour guide explained in English and Spanish the safety guidelines for the tour, as well as a brief history of the Caminito del Rey. As we pulled up to El Chorro, the views of the rocky gorge and green-blue water were awe-inspiring.
When we arrived in El Chorro, our tour guide led us to the park entrance and got us fitted with helmets—a requirement for hiking the Caminito del Rey. After that, we split into two groups: one that wanted a tour in English and the other that wanted a tour in Spanish. My friends and I decided to follow the Spanish-speaking tour guide in order to get some more language immersion and practice our Spanish.
Hiking the Caminito del Rey
Led by our tour guide, we hiked up a short hill to the beginning of the Caminito del Rey. To be honest, that’s really the only part of what we did that could be called a hike, because the rest of the journey consisted of walking at a pleasant pace on flat ground while admiring the views. Although perhaps there’s usually more of a hike—part of the trail was closed due to landslides so our tour group didn’t get to walk the complete trail.
The height of the Caminito del Rey walkway, the gaps in the wood planks, and the lack of consistent banisters to hold on to made the beginning of the walk a bit intimidating. Also, close to the beginning of the walk, travelers must cross a swaying bridge suspended by cables. In general, I didn’t take my phone out often for pictures for fear of dropping it, as it definitely could have slipped through the gaps in the boardwalk-style path.
Not too far after the bridge, the Caminito del Rey turns into a pathway on solid ground. And on the way back, we walked a bit through a cave carved into the mountain.
As we walked, our tour guide gave us historical, geological, and environmental descriptions of El Chorro and the Caminito del Rey.
Waiting for the Bus in El Chorro
After the hike through the Caminito del Rey concluded, we returned our helmets and ate some food while we waited for our bus. I packed a lunch, but I was surprised to see several kiosks that sold food and drinks—with multiple vegan and vegetarian options—right outside of the entrance to the park.
Bus Back to the Costa del Sol
After the Camino del Rey, the bus took us back to all of the drop-off spots along the route. We arrived back in Fuengirola around 4:00 PM.
Hiking the Caminito del Rey was one of the most unique day trips I’ve gone on in Spain. The El Chorro gorge is unbelievably stunning, and the experience of walking above the canyon is unlike anything else I’ve done before. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to visit El Chorro and the Caminito del Rey.
