Saturday, October 5, 2024

Spotlight: El Caminito del Rey

 Spotlight: Once known as "one of the world's most dangerous hikes," the Caminito del Rey is now safe as well as adventurous. The 7.7 km hike is made via a wooden walkway 100 meters above the Guadalhorce River, along a sheer cliff face, offering magnificent views of the canyon and surrounding countryside. The walls of the canyon rise as much as 700 meters above the canyon floor. The canyon is home to various species of vultures, golden eagles, Spanish ibex and wild boar. The aerial walkway was built in the early 20th century, between the waterfalls of Gaitanejo and El Chorro, to allow access by maintenance workers for the local hydroelectric dam. The hike got its name due to a visit by King Alfonso XIII, who visited the site in 1921, officially opening the engineering project.

Hydroelectric dam

View of the canyon


View of the old path below the new one

    The path through the canyon is one-way (north to south) and encompasses a combination of mountain trails and suspended boardwalks. At one point, there is a glass balcony which juts out from the walkway, allowing unobstructed vertical views of the canyon below. Guided tours of El Caminito del Rey start at the Visitors' Reception Centre at Puerto de las Atalayas (57.7 km northwest of Malaga or 51 km west of Antequera). 

Suspended boardwalk

Suspended bridge
glass balcony
View of the boardwalk hugging the cliff

Location: El Caminito del Rey, 29550 Ardales

- VISITORS' Reception Centre coordinates: X: 36.914411 / Y: -4.806910

Cost: General admission: 10 euros; Guided tours: 18 euros

Time: Guided hikes of Caminito del Rey begin from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm. The hike takes between 3-4 hours.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Things You Should Know:

- You can reserve and purchase your ticket online (https://www.caminitodelrey.info/en/) or directly at the northern access of the Caminito, at the ticket office.

- Parking at the Visitors' Reception Centre is 2 euros/day. Plan on arriving one hour before your hike time to allow for pre-hike preparations, including shuttle time from the Visitors' Centre to the starting point of the hike.

- The shuttle that you take from the Visitors' Centre to the Caminito del Rey is not owned by the tour company, but the shuttle stop is next to the Visitors' Centre parking, and 300 meters from the ending point for the return trip. A single ticket is needed to travel back and forth on the shuttle. The ticket can be purchased ahead of time (online) or with cash (2.50 euros), but cannot be purchased by credit/debit card at the shuttle stop. The shuttle service runs from 7:40 am to 7:00 pm and is about 15-20 minutes.

- If you desire to do the hike on your own, there are parking lots in the town of Ardales where the hike begins. You can then take the shuttle bus from the trail's end back to Ardales.

Nearby: Ardales Cave (10 km SW of Caminito del Rey); Neocropolis de las Aguilillas (6.3 km NW of Caminito del Rey); The Rock Church of Bobastro (9.3 km south of Caminito del Rey); Malaga (60 km SE of Caminito del Rey).





Spotlight: Antequera, Spain

 Spotlight: Located in Andalusia, Antequera isn't usually found on most tourist company's lists of must-see places in Spain. However, we found it the perfect place to set up our base camp as we explored southern Spain. Antequera is located in between the four major cities in Andalusia: Cordoba, Sevilla, Malaga and Granada. We found an inexpensive, yet very comfortable and roomy Airbnb there and stayed there for a week, taking day trips to the nearby cities. Yet, even though it doesn't occupy much space in travel brochures, Antequera, with its white homes with red roofs, has some treasures of its own - including a castle and a nature reserve.


City of Antequera

A beautiful Antequeran church
Activities: 

La Alcazaba de Antequera: The Alcazaba de Antequera is a 14th century, rectangular fortress with three towers. It was built by the Moors over the ruins of a Roman fortress in an effort to check the advance of Christian forces into Andalusia. Nevertheless, in 1410 AD, the Castillian forces conquered the city following a six month seige. The moorish residents were exiled to Granada, where they settled in a neighborhood they named Antequeruela. The Christian forces reinforced the city's defenses and built a bell tower/chapel in the largest tower in 1582. This tower is among the largest in all of Andalusia.

La Alcazaba de Antequera

Castle interior

Castle Wall

- Location: Pl. de los Escribanos, s/n, 29200 Antequera

- Hours: 10 am to 6 pm daily (no entrance after 5:30)

- Cost: Adults: 6 euros, Groups: 5 euros each, Children 7-16: 3 euros

- Rating: 3 of 5 stars


El Torcal de Antequera: Located 16 km south of the city limits (about 5 mi. as the crow flies), is the beautiful Torcal de Antequera - a nature reserve. This park can be explored on your own or as part of a guided tour. Although certain areas of the reserve are only accessible through guided tours, there are many paths that are accessible to the general public. We decided to explore on our own, and it was spectacular. If you like unique rock formations, this park has plenty of fascinating formations - including the "Tornillo" (screw) and many similar formations. In fact, the Torcal is considered one of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe. If you like animals, this park has plenty of them as well. As we were hiking, we heard what sounded like someone banging a hammer. We turned the corner and saw a herd of Spanish ibex. A couple of males were trying to establish their dominance by banging their heads. We also saw a fox searching for its breakfast. Other common animals in the park include: the Montpellier snake, the ocellated lizard, the Griffon vulture, badgers, weasels and other rodents. There are also many caves in the park, including the Cueva del Toro - which has several neolithic artifacts.


El Torcal de Antequera

El Tornillo

Hungry fox

Ibex head-butters

Spanish ibex herd

- Location: Calle el Torcal de Antequera, 70, 75, 29200 Antequera

- Hours: Open 24 hours/day

- Cost: free; guided tours cost between 2 euros - 16 euros, depending on the tour

- Rating: 5 of 5 stars


Things you should know: 

- If you desire to visit the Torcal de Antequera with a group or as part of a guided tour, please communicate your plans at: reservas@torcaldeantequera.com. If you plan to tour the park on your own, no advance reservations are needed. 

- The best time to visit the Torcal is probably early morning when you are likely to have the park practically to yourselves and are more likely to discover wildlife on the prowl.

- The Torcal Visitors Center has several visitor services including: parking, a tourist information center, tour guide services, a gift shop, cafeteria, interpretive area, a multi-purpose room and an astronomical observatory.

Nearby: El Caminito del Rey - a fabulous hike (50 km west of Antequera); Malaga - a large city located on the Mediterranean Sea (52 km south of Antequera); Sevilla - Spain's most important city during its colonial days (158 km west of Antequera); Cordoba - the Islamic capital of Spain during the height of Al-Andalus (119 km north of Antequera); Granada - home to La Alhambra (101 km east of Antequera).