Bar Allioli, Jimera de Libar

The famous mountain walkway is currently in a highly deteriorated and dangerous condition.

Cartama Town Council has joined an initiative, promoted by Malaga provincial government, to restore the ‘Caminito del Rey’. The mayor, Jose Garrido, said that the project is aimed at restoring the famous walkway which, just one meter wide and over 300 meters above the river, is pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro and was closed to the public some years ago due to deterioration.

“The objective of this initiative is to highlight the environmental and sightseeing value of this emblematic spot and we hope that it will soon be one of the main cultural heritage and tourist attractions of the province of Malaga,” said the mayor.

In 1901, it was deemed necessary to build a walkway between the falls to facilitate the transport of materials. Construction took four years and the walkway was finished in 1905.

In 1921, King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway en route to inaugurate the Conde del Guadalhorce dam and, in doing so, gave the walkway its present ‘Royal’ name.

The walkway has not been maintained for many years and is now in a highly deteriorated and dangerous condition. The handrail is missing for most of its length and some sections of the concrete base have completely collapsed.