Day No. 154 - Caminito del Rey - The King's Path

So today is the day, we set off early along the Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir, heading north. Our destination is Sillón del Rey, the dam wall of the lake. From here, the access road leads to the northern entrance of the Caminito del Rey. Torgit accompanies me for the first few meters and then turns back. I follow the path. On the way, I am repeatedly overtaken by hikers hurrying past, who seem to have overlooked the fact that there are 2.8 kilometers of access path to the entrance to the gorge. As the number of visitors is regulated, tickets must be booked in advance. These are not only issued for fixed times, but also state that you have to be at the entrance ½ hour in advance. - After just a few meters, I come across a couple who had overtaken me in advance. The spurt went badly for them. She has already twisted her ankle. - So here's a tip to start in good time, because the path is worth taking it easy.

At the entrance to the via ferrata, I am given a helmet and hairnet. It makes sense to wear a helmet here, as there are always fallen rocks on the path - now the time has finally come. The Caminito del Rey, also known as the King's Path, welcomes me. The history of this path goes back to the beginning of the 20th century. - The plan was to build a canal from the reservoirs in the north to El Chorro. The gradient was to be used for a hydroelectric power station. A road was needed to ensure the maintenance of this canal. King Alfonso XIII inaugurated the path, which was named "Caminito del Rey" or King's Path in his honor.

From then on, the inhabitants of the neighboring villages used the path day in, day out. Children went to school, men went to work and women went shopping. At night, the Caminito was lit by lanterns, the remains of which can still be seen today. But then the path fell into disrepair. - In the end, the path, which is almost 8 kilometers long including access routes, was considered one of the most dangerous via ferratas in the world.

Since the route was completely repaired in 2015, the danger seems to have been averted. But one thing has not changed: Walking over footbridges built over a gorge more than 100 meters high is still a spectacular experience. I feel completely safe as the route is perfectly secured.

My old buddies, the griffon vultures, are also back and circling the sky. A few Iberian ibexes also run in front of my camera. Nevertheless, I am almost a little disappointed when the suspension bridge appears in front of me. I realize that the trail will soon be over. The valley is great, but somehow I had expected even more excitement. - As if the path senses my thoughts, the wind picks up again over the last few meters. As I step onto the bridge, I have to hold on to my helmet so that it doesn't blow away. And so I do get a bit of an adventure feeling at the end. In my opinion, the Caminito del Rey is an absolute must if you are in the area. And yes, the impressions are tremendous. But it's not a Grand Canyon. (Note from Torgit: We didn't want to compare. But that's difficult. When you've already seen as much of the world as we have, the bar is set high. We flew through the Grand Canyon by helicopter in 2013 and had a picnic there. What canyon can still inspire us after that? Nevertheless, this canyon here is great :)

When I arrive back in the valley, Torgit is already waiting for me - from here we drive further up the reservoirs. Park4Night shows us a number of wild pitches, which we look at in turn. Almost all of them are really, really nice and some are right on the water. But the wind has picked up again. So we look for a more sheltered spot. We drive to the end of the reservoir and then have to turn back. In the end, we find a spot in the middle of the forest. We quickly make friends with our new neighbors, a couple of beehives. It was a good day.