When I had a free day from my studies in Málaga, Spain, I took a train up to Caminito del Rey and spent a day hiking. It was an easy day trip and a fun way to get out of Málaga and enjoy some beautiful nature. Below is everything you need to know about spending a beautiful day at Caminito del Rey.
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The History of Caminito del Rey
Caminito del Rey is an old hiking trail in Andalusia, Spain, near Sevilla and Málaga. In English, the path translates to The King’s Little Pathway.
The trail used to be a way to help workers transport goods through the gorge. The gorge is called El Churro, and the walls of the gorge are incredibly high. Without the path, it would be challenging to navigate.
It was renovated in 2015 to be safer for all hikers. During my hike, I felt extremely safe. We even had safety helmets and a tour guide to walk with us and tell us about the gorge’s history. The guide is optional and only costs an extra eight Euros or so.
You can make a day trip to Caminito del Rey and spend approximately two hours hiking the trail. You can also enjoy some restaurants, and beautiful nature before and after you walk the path.
Hiking Caminito del Rey
Although it is called a trail, Caminito del Rey is partially a wooden path that runs along the rocky walls of the gorge. Walking through the gorge is not a typical hike. Instead, it is a mix of a hike and a guided walk. You have to buy a ticket with a designated time to start the tour, and you can have a guide who will give you some facts and stories.
At the beginning of the tour, you will meet your guide if you have one and get your safety gear. You will need to wear a hard helmet for your hike. It will keep you safe if any rocks fall from high up in the gorge, although I never experienced anything falling.
Your tour guide will give you a little sound box with headphones so you can hear them during the tour. You are not required to use them at all, but the stories the guides have to tell are delightful.
In the middle of the hike, the path opens up to a dirt path with some areas to rest. The views in this area are amazing, and I even saw some mountain goats while I was there.
The hike ends with a walk over a suspension bridge. There are great photo opportunities, but it was also terrifying for me since I am afraid of heights. I took my pictures and ran across it. I was so scared!
After the Hike
The hike is a straight line, not a loop, so you will end in a different place than where you started. So if you arrange transportation or park a car somewhere, keep this in mind.
The tour takes about two hours, depending on the speed of your group. At the end of the hike, you will return your equipment, and you are free to explore the area or head home. There is a restaurant and a hotel at the end, so you can stay overnight and not have to worry about catching a train while you hike. When I went, I hired a car to take me back to Málaga since there were no late trains to return and I had to be in Málaga for something in the morning, but the hotel is probably easiest for most people and situations.
If you want to take the train to the hike and back on the same day, the website where you buy tickets will give you a time to start your tour to catch the return train to Málaga. Train times are changing as demand changes, so check schedules before you book.
How to get to Caminito del Rey
To get to Caminito del Rey, you will need to catch a train to El Churro from Málaga. There are only one or two trains per day, and you will need to take the earliest one to hike the trail on the same day.
Once you get off the train, a bus will transport you up the mountain to the entrance of the gorge. There is a beautiful lake next to the entrance, and a restaurant if you arrive early for your tour. From the restaurant where the bus drops you off, you will have another fifteen-minute walk to where you meet your tour guide. Plan ahead to have extra time to explore and eat before your tour time.
The other way to get to Caminito del Rey is to hire a car or tour from a larger city like Málaga or Sevilla. A tour should include your ticket to hike and round-trip transportation to and from El Churro.
Enjoy your hike!
Caminito del Rey is beautiful to walk through, and it is a simple place to go for a day trip from Málaga. You can buy your tickets and tour here. If you are spending time in Málaga, I have three posts below about the beautiful Mediterranean city you can read below!
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