Before becoming the attraction that sells out weeks ahead, the Caminito was an industrial service path, then a famous ruin the international press dubbed "the world's most dangerous walkway", and since 2015, a remarkable resurrection. This is the full story.
The original path was built between 1901 and 1905 out of pure necessity: the Sociedad Hidroeléctrica del Chorro, owner of the Gaitanejo and El Chorro waterfalls, needed a link between both hydroelectric sites for maintenance workers, materials and inspections. No tourism involved: it was power-grid infrastructure pinned to the Gaitanes Gorge — a canyon with walls over 300 metres high narrowing to less than 10 metres across in places.
In 1921, King Alfonso XIII attended the inauguration of the Conde del Guadalhorce dam and crossed the path built years earlier. That royal visit gave it the name we use today: Caminito del Rey — "the King's little path".
Over the decades the path crumbled into a holed concrete skeleton over the void. It became a magnet for climbers and thrill-seekers, and the international press dubbed it "the world's most dangerous walkway". After fatal accidents in 1999 and 2000 claimed the lives of several hikers, the regional government closed access in 2001 and demolished the initial section to keep people out.
Driven by the Diputación de Málaga, full restoration began in 2014: new timber-and-steel boardwalks, barely one metre wide, mounted about 100 metres above the river — in many stretches literally above the century-old original track, still visible beneath your feet. In late March 2015 the Caminito reopened… to instant success: Lonely Planet picked it among 2015's best and it passed 300,000 visitors in its first year.
The Caminito has hosted La Vuelta cycling stage finishes (2015 and 2018) and is currently pursuing a UNESCO World Heritage candidacy as hydroelectric industrial heritage (an ongoing bid, not yet inscribed). And yes: that workers' path is now one of Spain's most in-demand visits — to the point that getting a ticket is the real modern adventure.
Walk over the history yourself:
GET TICKETS →Facts cross-checked (August 2026) against the official Caminito del Rey website and Wikipedia. Continue with what the route is like today.