Day trip details
Prices
- Day trip with transport: €69 per person. Children aged 8 to 17 pay the same as adults.
- Without transport (entrance, guided walk and shuttle): €42 per person with the walk in English and Spanish, €55 per person in German, French or Italian.
- Children under 8 are not allowed on the Caminito del Rey, and children aged 8 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Choose your date in the booking calendar to see the current price of each rate. The price shown in the calendar is always the final price.
Availability & times
It runs from Tuesday to Sunday all year, and on some Mondays. Check your date and your departure time in the booking calendar, which updates in real time.
Bookings close 10 hours before the departure time.
To see your exact pickup time, choose your date and your pickup point in the booking calendar.
Approximate return time
With the 10:00 entry slot
- Ardales · 14:30
- Málaga · 15:00
- Torremolinos · 15:30
- Benalmádena · 16:00
- Fuengirola · 16:30
With the 13:30 entry slot
- Ardales · 17:30
- Málaga · 18:00
- Torremolinos · 18:30
- Benalmádena · 19:00
- Fuengirola · 19:30
Which one applies depends on your date: the booking calendar shows it.
Approximate times, which can change with traffic on the day.
Pickup points by town
Málaga
- City centre, Av. de Andalucía 10 Rotonda de la Av. de Andalucía open in Maps
Torremolinos
- Torremolinos centre open in Maps
- Bajondillo area Restaurante El Cordobés open in Maps
Benalmádena
- Puerto Marina & Plaza Solymar area open in Maps
- Los Maites & Bil Bil beach area open in Maps
Fuengirola
- Fuengirola centre open in Maps
Ardales
- Ardales village Restaurante Hostal El Cruce open in Maps
The booking calendar confirms your point and the time you need to be there once you pick your date. The coach waits approximately five minutes at each stop.
What's included
- Entrance to the Caminito del Rey
- Return transport from your chosen pickup point in Málaga or on the Costa del Sol
- English and Spanish-speaking guide, on the coach and on the walk
- Safety helmet
Other options available:
- Without transport (entrance, guided walk and shuttle): the entrance ticket, the guided walk in the language you choose, the one-way shuttle bus to the north entrance, a safety helmet and a bottle of water
Not included: food and drink, and any ticket not listed above.
Recommendations
- Comfortable clothing and closed shoes, such as trainers.
- Some water and a snack. There is nowhere to buy anything along the route, so take what you'll need with you.
- Sun protection and a hat in summer, and a warm layer in winter: the gorge is exposed.
- The walk is not recommended if you suffer from vertigo.
- The minimum age is 8, and it has to be proved with an official document at the entrance: bring an identity card or passport for every child.
Not allowed on the path: selfie sticks and drones, umbrellas, walking sticks, pets, bulky bags or suitcases, and motorbike or bicycle helmets. Smoking, bathing in the river, picking plants and leaving the path are also forbidden.
Weather
Forecast for Caminito del Rey, next 7 days
- Wed 28☀️22° 10°
- Thu 29🌤️21° 14°
- Fri 30⛅21° 13°
- Sat 31🌤️20° 12°0.7 mm
- Sun 1🌤️19° 14°1.2 mm
- Mon 2☀️20° 13°
- Tue 3🌤️19° 14°
Forecast from MET Norway (yr.no), updated every few hours.
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, with a full refund. If you cancel later, arrive late or don't show up, there is no refund.
If the Caminito del Rey closes and the trip is cancelled, you get the full amount back.
Choose how you visit
Day trip with transport
Return transport from Málaga, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola or Ardales, guide and entrance ticket. This is the trip described on this page.
You're on this option — check dates and bookEntrance, guided walk & shuttle, without transport
You meet your guide at the Complejo Turístico Rural de la Garganta, in El Chorro (Álora) — open in Maps. Includes the entrance ticket, the one-way shuttle bus to the north entrance, a safety helmet and a bottle of water. Choose the language of the guided walk:
Each option opens its own booking calendar, where you'll see its current prices.
Boardwalks above the Gaitanes Gorge, with the journey sorted
The Caminito del Rey runs along the walls of the Gaitanes Gorge, in a setting that measures about 7.7 kilometres in all. Nearly 3 of those kilometres are boardwalks barely a metre wide, fixed to the rock up to 105 metres above the river. This day trip takes care of the entrance ticket, the guide and the journey from the coast, which is the part that makes visiting it awkward on your own.
From the coast to the gorge
After pickup, the coach heads inland, away from the Costa del Sol and towards the Guadalhorce valley. There is a short stop of approximately half an hour for breakfast on the way, before reaching the northern access to the path. Breakfast is not included.
The Caminito del Rey, from north to south
The walk starts at the northern access and runs in one direction only. With your guide you'll hear how the path came to exist: it was built between 1901 and 1905 so that workers could move between two hydroelectric plants, and King Alfonso XIII crossed it in 1925 to open the Conde del Guadalhorce dam, which is where the name comes from.
From there the route takes you through tunnels, along the boardwalks over the gorge, down the stretch known as the chocolate stairway and across the glass-floored viewpoint, with the Guadalhorce below. You walk about 4.8 kilometres from the north access, and it takes approximately three to four hours depending on the pace of the group.
El Chorro and the way back
The route ends at the southern access, in El Chorro, by the reservoir. There you hand back your helmet and board the coach back to your pickup area. There is no stop for lunch afterwards, although you can buy a snack or a drink at the exit.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I'm late to the pickup point?
The coach waits approximately five minutes at each stop and then carries on, so that the remaining pickups and the entrance time aren't affected. If you miss it, the booking isn't refunded, so it's worth arriving a few minutes early.
Can children do the Caminito del Rey?
From the age of 8. Children under 8 are not allowed in, and those between 8 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult. They pay the same rate as adults.
Do I need to bring ID?
For children, yes. The minimum age is 8, and it has to be proved with an official document at the entrance, so bring each child's identity card or passport.
Is there anywhere to eat or buy water along the way?
No. There is nothing to buy once the walk starts, so bring some water and a snack with you. The coach makes a short breakfast stop on the way there, and at the exit of the Caminito you can buy a drink or something to eat. There is no stop for a sit-down lunch.
How big is the group?
It depends on the bookings for each date. On the walk you are always with an official guide.
Is there a stop on the way?
Yes. The coach makes a stop of approximately 30 minutes in Ardales for breakfast before the walk. It is not included in the price, but it is the chance to get a coffee and something to eat before you start, and it is why Ardales is also a pickup point on this trip.
What am I not allowed to take onto the walkway?
The Caminito del Rey has its own rules, and they are strict: no selfie sticks or drones, no umbrellas, no walking sticks, no bulky bags or suitcases and no motorbike or bicycle helmets (you are given a safety helmet). Animals are not allowed either. On the path itself: no smoking, no loud noise, no picking plants, no swimming in the river and no stepping off the boardwalk.
Wear closed shoes. It is the one piece of kit you are asked for without exception.
What happens if it rains?
The walk usually goes ahead in light rain. If the weather is bad enough for the trip to be cancelled, you'll be contacted by phone or email and the full amount is refunded.
Is it suitable if I have reduced mobility?
The route includes stairs and narrow passages, so it isn't adapted. If you have reduced mobility or any special need, write to us before booking and we'll go through what the day actually involves.
Can I bring my dog?
No. Pets are not allowed on this trip.
How far in advance should I book?
As far ahead as you can. Entry to the Caminito del Rey is by timed slot and places sell out, especially in spring and at weekends. Bookings close 10 hours before departure.
Can I cancel?
Yes, free of charge up to 24 hours before departure, with a full refund. After that, or if you don't show up, there is no refund.
More questions about the Caminito del Rey
How long is the Caminito del Rey, and how long does the walk take?
The setting measures about 7.7 kilometres in all, and from the north access you walk roughly 4.8 of them. Nearly 3 kilometres are the boardwalks attached to the gorge walls, which are around a metre wide. It takes approximately three to four hours depending on the pace of the group, and the highest point is about 105 metres above the river.
Can I get to the Caminito del Rey without a car?
El Chorro has a train station on the line from Málaga, but there are only a few services a day and they don't always match the entrance time on your ticket. The other catch is that the path is one-way, from the north entrance to the south: you don't finish where you started, so you need the shuttle bus or a second journey to get back. That is the part a day trip with transport solves.
Why is it called “the King's Little Path”?
The walkways were built between 1901 and 1905 so that workers could move between two hydroelectric plants on the Guadalhorce. In 1925 King Alfonso XIII crossed them to open the Conde del Guadalhorce dam, and the name stuck.
Is the Caminito del Rey dangerous?
It earned that reputation honestly: the original walkways crumbled and for years people crossed them on the bare steel beams. The path you walk today was rebuilt above the old one and reopened in 2015, with handrails, fencing and a compulsory helmet. It is a walk at height, not a climb, and the floor is solid the whole way.
Do I need a head for heights?
It helps. The boardwalks are fenced and safe, but they hang on the rock face with a long drop to the river, and there is a glass-floored viewpoint near the end. If vertigo is a real problem for you, this isn't the trip to test it on.
What else is there to see nearby?
The path crosses the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, a protected natural area, and the route passes the Guadalhorce reservoirs: that turquoise water you see from the boardwalks. Ardales, the village where the coach stops on the way, has a hilltop castle and, a few kilometres away, the ruins of Bobastro.
