El Caminito Del Rey

El Caminito del Rey is a hiking trail not far from Fuengirola which is supposed to be a great walk across suspended boardwalks high above the cliffs and that I knew that I had to do. In the planning stages, neither Suz, Xander or Eloise were to keen to come along however my mum stated that she was interested. When I found out that Denis was going to come and see us in Spain I suggested this to him and he was also keen, in the end however Mum had to stay behind due to other commitments and it ended up just being Denis and I.

The trail used to be one of the most dangerous hikes in the world as the deteriorating conditions of the trail, where several parts of the boardwalks and pathways had collapsed made this highly dangerous to attempt to complete and throughout the years, a number of deaths and accidents had taken place. However, it’s been completely renovated and today it’s a safe experience to undertake. 

When looking to book tickets I realised that I had waited too long and the single tickets were now sold out for the day we wanted to visit, however there were still guided tickets left (slightly more expensive) so I made sure I grabbed two of those. During your booking process you get to pick at time, and have to be there at that time. 

Denis and I left with plenty of time to spare and about 40 or so minutes from Fuengirola we reached the northern access where we parked and walked the 1.5km walk to the start of the trail. Here we sat down and had our packed lunch, waiting for our turn. As it happened, whilst waiting for our reserved time slot, a group set to commence about 30 minutes before our appointed time were inquiring if there was anyone else that going with a Spanish-speaking guide. Given our flexibility, we decided to join this tour and were swiftly given the mandatory safety helmets, radio gear, and joined the tour.

We soon were walking on the narrow boardwalks high above the Guadalhorce river surrounded by high cliffs offering breathtaking views and natural beauty. Our guide stopped at times and explained the history behind this area however he walked briskly ahead of the group and Denis and I stayed with him the whole time. As one point we were standing wth the guide waiting for the rest of the tour when he muted his radio and stated “they really are slow aren’t they” at which point Denis and I both chuckled. 

As we completed the first part of the trail and reached forested pathways we asked if we could continued without them and after handing back our radio equipment, we set off by ourselves. 

As we progressed, we again entered the narrow boardwalks and the trail became even better, we were now walking on these boardwalks attached to vertical cliffs and were at times at least 100m above the river below, all the time providing breathtaking views of the area. 

Towards the end, we crossed a narrow suspension bridge with before we returned to more stable ground with no more cliffs. At the end of the trail there are a number of portable little food and drink places at which point Denis and I enjoyed a well deserved beer before making our way to the bus that would take us back to where we parked our car. 

The views along the hike were absolutely breathtaking, and just when we believed we had seen the best the trail had to offer, it continued to deliver even more amazing views of the gorge and the surrounding nature. Despite the total trail distance being about 7-8 kilometers, the constant views along the waymade it feel like it all passed in the blink of an eye. The Caminito del Rey was a great day trip from Fuengirola and something that I would recommend to anyone that comes to visit the region.