World’s “most dangerous footpath” reopens for summer, but would you walk it?

The walkway has incredible views and makes for an excellent day out… provided you’re not afraid of heights!
Image credit: Reuters.

The Caminito del Rey footpath is perhaps unfairly derided as the world’s most dangerous footpath, but the five deaths at the trail prior to its closure in 2001 certainly lend that claim some credence…

Now, though, the pathway is set to reopen for its third summer season following a 14-year hiatus and €5.5 million makeover. Tickets are already on sale for thrillseekers eager to edge their way along the wooden footpath that hugs the sheer cliffs that comprise the Gaitanes Gorge and plunge 330 feet to the Gualdalhorce river below.

Located in El Chorro near Málaga, the route was closed after five people died there between 1999 and 2000. Spain has long taken an “enter at your own risk” approach to the rough and ready edges of its land, but in this case the added health and safety has most definitely been welcomed: since reopening in 2015 the route has attracted 600,000 visitors.

This year’s summer season begins on April 22, and the attraction’s organisers are limiting admissions to 1,100 people per day in order to keep crowds low and visitors safe. Tickets are available for just €10, and the four-mile pathway allows walkers to traipse all the way through the beautiful gorge – weather permitting, of course.

Southern Spain has an incredible array of natural attractions, but few have quite the white-knuckle reputation as El Caminito del Rey. So if you’re feeling daring then why not head for the hills above Málaga and tackle the pathway yourself?

Just remember: don’t look down!

Visit www.caminitodelrey.info/en/ for more information.