How long does the Caminito del Rey take? Three to four hours, and where they go

The approach, about twenty minutes. Tunnel, then gravel path through pines. Nothing happens and it is pleasant. Most people walk it faster than they expect because they are waiting for the gorge.

The boardwalk, about an hour. This is the part you came for and the part where the pace stops being yours: one-directional, a metre wide, with everybody stopping to photograph the same three things. On a busy Saturday this can stretch considerably.

The descent to El Chorro, about forty minutes. Out of the gorge, down through the valley, with the reservoir ahead. Easy walking and the point at which people start thinking about lunch.

The shuttle, fifteen to forty minutes. Here is the part nobody budgets. The bus from El Chorro back to the northern car park takes fifteen to twenty minutes, but it runs to a timetable and you may have half an hour to wait for it. If you have a train to catch or a table booked, build that in.

A two-hour listing is the guided walk, quoted tightly. It is accurate for the walking and it does not include the shuttle or any waiting.

A three-hour listing is the same walk at a more realistic pace, usually with a little more explanation on the way.

A six to eight hour listing is a day tour from Málaga: about an hour of coach each way, the walk, the shuttle, and usually a stop somewhere.

A ten-hour listing is from Seville, with two and a half hours of driving in each direction.

None of these is exaggerated. They measure different things, and comparing a two-hour price with a seven-hour price as though they were alternatives is the commonest mistake made in this niche.