Caminito del Rey Ticket with Tour Leader and Shuttle Bus El Chorro

El Chorro: how to get to the Caminito del Rey

El Chorro is a small village at the southern end of the Caminito del Rey, set beneath towering limestone cliffs that are also famous among rock climbers. Your excursion begins at the meeting point here at 10:40, with time beforehand to have breakfast at a local café and hear the walkway rules from your tour leader.

Many travellers ask how to get to Caminito del Rey from Malaga without a tour bus. The easiest way is the regional train from Malaga María Zambrano station to El Chorro station, about 40–45 minutes, which stops a short walk from the meeting point; check the timetable the day before, as trains are limited. By car, the drive takes about an hour via the A-357, and there is parking in El Chorro. Arriving early keeps the morning relaxed.

The north entrance and the Sillón del Rey

From El Chorro, the shuttle bus included in your ticket climbs about 10 minutes to the north side of the route, near the turquoise reservoirs of the Guadalhorce, Guadalteba and Conde del Guadalhorce dams. These lakes, ringed by pine forest, supply water and power to the Malaga area and are a beautiful sight at the start of the day.

Your first stop is the Sillón del Rey, the King's Chair, a stone seat carved where King Alfonso XIII sat in 1921 after inaugurating the dam, the visit that gave the Caminito del Rey its name. After about 15 minutes there, a short walk of around 15 minutes on a forest track brings you to the official entrance, where staff hand out helmets and give a 30-minute safety briefing.

The Gaitanejo gorge and the first boardwalks

The walkway opens with the Gaitanejo gorge, a narrow cleft where the wooden boardwalk is bolted directly to the rock face above the rushing Guadalhorce river. Below your feet you can still see the crumbling concrete and iron rails of the original path, built between 1901 and 1905 for workers of the hydroelectric scheme, which became notorious before it was rebuilt and reopened in 2015.

This first section gives a real sense of height while remaining completely secure behind railings. Is the Caminito del Rey worth visiting if you are nervous of heights? Most visitors find the boardwalks wide and stable, and the views quickly take over. Take your time here for photos, as the light in the narrow gorge is best in the late morning.

The Hoyo valley and the hanging bridge over the Gaitanes gorge

Between the two gorges the route opens into the Hoyo valley, a wide, sunny basin of pine trees and rock formations where the path runs at ground level. Look across to the railway line, which runs through tunnels and over bridges on the opposite side, and up to the sky, where griffon vultures often glide on the thermals.

The final section enters the dramatic Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, the deepest part of the gorge, with vertical walls rising hundreds of metres. Here you reach the highlight of the day, the hanging bridge that crosses the gorge high above the river, followed by boardwalks clinging to the cliff. The full walk of about 7.7 kilometres, including access paths, takes around 2.5 hours at a steady pace.

Back in El Chorro: tasting, certificate and practical tips

The route ends at the southern exit near El Chorro, where a short track leads back towards the village and the meeting point. Here your excursion closes with a tasting of local extra virgin olive oil, a product the Malaga countryside has produced since Roman times, and your commemorative certificate for completing the walk.

Practical points matter on the Caminito del Rey: the walkway is normally closed on Mondays, closes in strong wind or heavy rain, and does not admit children under 8. The best time to visit Caminito del Rey is spring or autumn; summer afternoons are hot, so carry water. Lunch is not included, but there are simple restaurants in El Chorro for after the walk.