Let’s start with the crucial Caminito del Rey ticket details. You have two options to choose from:
- Standard tickets (10 euros)
- Guided tour tickets (18 euros)
Add another 3 euros for administrative fees because bureaucracy needs feeding too. You can also purchase parking for 2 euros. Here’s the kicker – standard tickets sell out even during off-season! In our case, they were gone two months in advance, while guided tour tickets disappeared two weeks ahead. Spontaneous travelers, consider yourselves warned.
Organizing this journey demands meticulous preparation. I strongly recommend arriving at least an hour before your scheduled time to sort out all technical issues. Important note: there’s no direct car access to the starting point.
Caminito del Rey offers three official parking areas:
- Near the trail’s end – catch a shuttle bus to the town
- A large lot outside town – buses run every 30 minutes to the town
- A small lot by Restaurante El Kiosko – the path to the main entrance begins here
We bypassed the official parking and found a spot near the restaurant. Rebels without a cause, but with a car.
Once you’ve settled your vehicle situation and somehow made it to El Kiosko, locate the nearby tunnel and follow the path beyond it. Within 20 minutes, this trail will lead you to the Caminito del Rey entrance. We arrived on time, received our helmets, met our guide and we were finally ready to enjoy the gorge.
What was once considered the world’s most dangerous path has been fully adapted for tourist masses. It’s more suitable for those who don’t fear heights, because heights—windy heights—will be your constant companion. Assess your fears before stepping onto Caminito del Rey—the path is one-way, with no possibility of turning back.
Caminito del Rey’s construction began in 1905, not for tourism but for practical purposes. Originally, the path served workers traveling between two nearby hydroelectric plants (Chorro and Gaitanejo waterfalls), facilitating material transport and canal maintenance.
The initial path consisted of simple concrete slabs attached to rocks with steel supports. Over time, the path fell into disrepair and became extremely dangerous. You can still see fragments of the old path during your hike and appreciate the, ahem, “safety standards” of those times. Concrete slabs crumbled away, sometimes leaving only metal beams. Despite obvious dangers, adrenaline seekers and climbing enthusiasts still visited, proving that humans and mountain goats share more DNA than previously thought.
In 2001, after several accidents and fatal incidents, authorities closed the path to the public. Daredevils caught in the area faced fines up to 6,000 euros—an expensive way to risk your life. In 2015, the Andalusian government decided to restore the path, transforming it into a safe and attractive tourist destination.
This path allows you to marvel at impressive 400-meter-high cliffs while you hang somewhere around the 100-meter mark. Our guide shared fascinating details about the path’s construction, the challenges engineers faced, and solutions they implemented. He discussed the gorge’s fauna, explaining how local goats lick the stone for salt (this area was once a seabed), and how griffon vultures, “help” animals die. Apparently, they frighten animals so they fall off steep slopes.
We learned how fallen cows are used to feed vultures to maintain their population in the area. Then we discussed local flora. I even discovered which tree produces carob seeds and how to poison your spouse without leaving traces detectable in toxicology reports.
Despite all the fascinating information, the gorge’s views and the sound of the rushing Gaitanejo River below captivated us most. And naturally, an impressive hike deserves an impressive finale: the last section crossed a swaying monkey bridge that gave our leg muscles one final test of stability.
After finishing and returning our helmets, we caught the bus back to town (2.5 euros). From leaving our car to returning, the entire experience took about 4 hours. Plan this attraction accordingly—it’s not a quick selfie stop.
Fun fact: The “Von Ryan’s Express” starring Frank Sinatra was filmed here. Ol’ Blue Eyes apparently had no fear of heights.