The walk
The Caminito del Rey walk: 7.7 kilometres, north to south
The photographs show about a third of it. Here is the whole route in order, what each part is actually like underfoot, where the famous sections are, and the twenty minutes at the start that surprise everybody who came for the boardwalk.
Quick answer
The full route is about 7.7 kilometres and takes three to four hours, of which the boardwalk bolted to the cliff is about 2.9 kilometres. It runs one way only, north to south, from the access near Ardales to the exit at El Chorro. It is almost level, the surface is good, and the difficulty is entirely about heights and heat rather than fitness.
The route, at a glance
- Total distance
- About 7.7 kmincluding the access paths
- The boardwalk
- About 2.9 kmthe part in the photographs
- Time
- 3–4 hoursat a normal pace, with stops
- Direction
- North to south onlyand no walking back
- Height above the river
- About 100 mon the cliff sections
- Gorge width
- Down to about 10 mat the narrowest point
- Suspension bridges
- Onewith a glass panel underfoot
- Ascent
- Very littlethe walkway is almost level
- Surface
- Wood, metal grille, gravelall of it good underfoot
- Helmet
- Compulsoryissued at the northern access
The route in order
Four parts, and only one of them is on a cliff
Twenty minutes of forest, then the cliff, then the bridge, then out.
The tunnel and the forest path, about 1.5 km. From the northern access you walk through a short lit tunnel and out onto an ordinary gravel path through pine woods. It is pleasant, it is completely unremarkable, and it takes about twenty minutes. This is the part that surprises people who have only seen the photographs, and it is worth knowing it is coming.
The first boardwalk section. The path turns a corner and the walkway begins: a metre-wide wooden deck bolted into the rock, with a handrail, about a hundred metres above the Guadalhorce. This is the moment the walk becomes what you came for.
The middle, and the old path. In several places the crumbling 1905 concrete walkway is visible directly below the modern one — in some stretches reduced to bare steel rods with nothing on them. Nothing else on the route explains the reputation so efficiently.
The bridge and the exit. A suspension bridge crosses the narrowest section of the gorge, with a glass panel in the middle of the deck. After it the walkway ends, the valley opens out, and the path drops down to El Chorro.
What it is actually like underfoot
Easier than it looks, and the difficulty is not physical
Solid, level, and about an hour of exposure you cannot leave early.
The walkway is solid. It is anchored into the rock, it has a continuous handrail on the drop side, and it does not move. Sections of the deck are metal grille rather than wood, which means you can see straight down through them, and that is a deliberate design choice rather than an oversight.
There is almost no ascent. The route is close to level for its whole length, with a gentle descent at the end. Nobody is going to find this hard on the legs.
What it does ask is a tolerance for exposure. You are a hundred metres above the river with a metre of walkway and a handrail, for about an hour. Most people who think they have vertigo find it entirely manageable; a few genuinely do not, and there is no way out once you are on it. That is the honest limitation.
And the pace is not yours. The walkway is one-directional and a metre wide, so you move at the speed of the group in front. On a busy weekend that can mean stopping for photographs you did not want to take.
Every trip, current fare
Every ticket for the same walk
Eighteen listings, one route. What differs is what surrounds the walk and whether the return from the exit is handled.
| Tour | Length | Price | Return from the exit | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caminito del Rey: Entry Ticket and Guided TourEntry and a guide, the lowest price here | 2 h | $32 | Not included | $16.00 | 4.6 · 10,325 |
| Caminito del Rey: Guided Tour and Entry TicketThe most-reviewed listing in this niche | 2 h | $33 | Not included | $16.50 | 4.6 · 15,431 |
| Caminito del Rey: Guided Visit with AdmissionA three-hour guided visit | 3 h | $34 | Not included | $11.33 | 4.6 · 921 |
| Caminito del Rey: Entry Ticket & Guided TourEntry and a guide, taken slower | 3 h | $35 | Not included | $11.67 | 4.6 · 904 |
| Caminito del Rey: Tickets, Guided Tour, Shuttle & WaterEntry with the shuttle back included | 4–7 h | $43 | Included | $7.82 | 4.7 · 9,107 |
| From Málaga: Caminito del Rey Guided Day TripThe cheapest full day from Málaga | 6.5–7 h | $64 | Included | $9.48 | 4.8 · 1,057 |
| Caminito del Rey Guided Tour & Welcome Pack from MálagaThe best-rated day tour here, 18,658 reviews | 6.5–7 h | $69 | Included | $10.22 | 4.9 · 18,658 |
| Caminito del Rey Guided Day Trip from Málaga & White VillageThe walk plus a white village | 7 h | $71 | Included | $10.14 | 4.8 · 100 |
| From Málaga: Caminito del Rey Day Trip & Guided TourA full day with everything included | 7.5 h | $72 | Included | $9.60 | 4.8 · 5,824 |
| From Málaga & Costa del Sol: Caminito del Rey Guided TourA full day from Málaga, our top pick | 6–8 h | $75 | Included | $10.71 | 4.8 · 9,605 |
| From Malaga: Caminito del Rey all includedTransport, entry, guide and helmet | 7.5 h | $80 | Included | $10.67 | 4.8 · 3,908 |
| From Málaga: Caminito del Rey Full-Day TourA seven-hour day at a slower pace | 7 h | $86 | Included | $12.29 | 4.8 · 1,585 |
| From Costa del Sol: Caminito del Rey Day TripPickup along the Costa del Sol | 6–9 h | $93 | Included | $12.40 | 4.5 · 901 |
| From Málaga: Caminito del Rey Small-Group Tour with PicnicA small group with a picnic | 6 h | $97 | Included | $16.17 | 4.9 · 200 |
| From Seville: Caminito del Rey Hike Day TripTen hours out of Seville | 10 h | $108 | Included | $10.80 | 4.5 · 1,533 |
| Caminito del Rey from Málaga, small group up to 7 peopleA capped group of seven | 7 h | $139 | Included | $19.86 | 4.7 · 25 |
| From Malaga: Caminito del Rey Guided Tour with TicketsA guided day with everything bundled | 7 h | $164 | Included | $23.43 | 4.7 · 32 |
| From Seville: Caminito del Rey Guided Day TripA guided day from Seville, dearest here | 7 h | $191 | Included | $27.29 | 4.8 · 35 |
The boardwalk is under three kilometres of a seven-and-a-half kilometre route. Knowing that in advance is most of what makes the day good.
How long it takes→Common questions
The Caminito del Rey walk, answered
How long does it take to walk the Caminito del Rey?
Three to four hours for the full 7.7 kilometres, including the access paths. The boardwalk itself is about 2.9 kilometres of that.
How long is the Caminito del Rey?
About 7.7 kilometres in total, of which roughly 2.9 kilometres is the walkway bolted to the cliff. The rest is gravel path through pine woods at either end.
Is the Caminito del Rey scary?
For most people, less than expected: the walkway is solid, railed and almost level. For anyone with genuine vertigo it is a real consideration, because there is no way off the route once you have started.
How high is the Caminito del Rey?
About a hundred metres above the Guadalhorce river on the cliff sections, in a gorge that narrows to roughly ten metres across.
Is there a glass floor on the Caminito del Rey?
There is a glass panel in the middle of the suspension bridge, and several sections of the walkway are metal grille you can see through.
Can you walk the Caminito del Rey in both directions?
No. The route is one-directional, north to south, and there is no path back. A shuttle bus connects the two ends.
Go deeper
More on walking the Caminito del Rey
Caminito del Rey tickets
Eighteen listings priced per person, from $32 to $191, and what each includes.
From MalagaThe Caminito del Rey from Malaga
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VerdictThe best Caminito del Rey tour
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Last minuteLast-minute tickets
What to do when the official site is sold out, and what will not work.
North or southNorth or south access?
The route runs one way, and only one of these is a start.
Guide or notWith or without a guide
Both exist. What the guide adds, and what the ticket type changes.
