The Most Dangerous Pathway in the World?
by R J Evans on 04/08/09 at 2:27 am
Could this be the most dangerous pathway in the world? These stunning (and possibly scary) photographs, this will dare you venture along the Caminito del Rey.
There are some places in this world to which the locals say you would be mad to venture. Sometimes this can be dismissed as exaggeration or hyperbole designed to encourage the traveler to go and take a look. In this case they are absolutely, one hundred percent correct. Travel along the Caminito del Rey and you really would put your life in peril. Don’t look down now!
Look to the far left of the pathway and you will see the tiny shapes of people, which gives you an idea of the heights involved. The Guadalhorce River in Adalusia, Spain is home to El Chorro. This is a limestone gorge which, in 1921, was damned to form three reservoirs. The pass through is known as Desfiladero de los Gaitanes which climbs to seven hundred meters in height. To cross it – if one is foolhardy enough, the Caminito del Rey – or in English the King’s Little Pathway may offer a route. Unless of course, you plummet to your death as one unfortunate tourist did in 2000 prompting the local authorities to close the walkway. A further four died in the two years preceding that. Its reputation has not hindered the more adventurous – or foolhardy – visitor, however.
There are, however, always those more adventurous tourists to whom Caminito del Rey is a challenge to be relished rather than their own worst nightmare. With some knowledge of climbing it is still possible to access the Caminito del Rey and many do each year. The Ardale council is trying to secure government funding to recreate the path to its original 1921 form but there is no work expected till at least 2010. Until then the pathway remains difficult to get to but still accessible. How, though, did it get to be built, as high and remote as it is, in the first place?
It all goes back to the beginning of the last century. There were hydroelectric power plants built at the nearby Gaitanejo and Chorro Falls. Much like the bridge over the Hoover Dam in the USA a way had to be found to connect the two in order to ensure that the carriage of materials would not take days. It was also deemed necessary for the regular inspection of the channel and so the decision was made to construct a walkway. It took a while – four years – to build and it was completed to much acclaim and celebration in 1905.
It got its present name in 1921. The then King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, traversed the walkway to open the Conde del Guadalhorve Dam. In an ancient European tradition the walkway was thereafter named after the monarch and became the King’s Little Pathway. When technology and transport improved years later, the pathway became redundant and fell in to disrepair. That may have been the end of the story had it not been the replacement of workers with tourists, eager to experience for themselves the dizzying narrowness of the pathway, not to mention to superb views it offers.
Until it is restored then the walkway continues to deteriorate and it is now considered highly dangerous. It is only a single meter in width and is over three hundred meters above the river below at its highest. There is virtually no handrail remaining and parts of the walkway have collapsed. What still remains, though, between the parts still extant, are the original steel connectors. These it seems are a particular challenge to climbers who choose to go to the Caminito del Rey.
A climbing latch may be used to use the safety rope which has been placed there. This, if the climber slips, would hopefully avoid a rapid descent to the river below but it can obviously not hold too much weight. You have to be a very adventurous kind of tourist (or one suspects, simply completely bonkers) to venture along the Caminito del Rey nowadays.
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31 Comments
Louie Jerome
Aug 4th, 2009
Great photos and interesting article. I would imagine it could be a bit tricky if you don’t like heights and get vertigo! I can’t stand on the top step of a pair of stepladders without shaking, so maybe I’ll give this one a miss.
Lauren Axelrod
Aug 4th, 2009
Wow, that would be a bit scary to climb.
Glynis Smy
Aug 4th, 2009
3 steps and I am dizzy, this would not do for me! Great pics and article.
Mr Ghaz
Aug 4th, 2009
Excellent post!.. The Most Dangerous Pathway in the World?
..Thats really scary places..Well done! I LIKED it..Thanx for sharing
papaleng
Aug 4th, 2009
such a very interesting article complimented with great pictures, but I will never dare to cross such pathways.
cebuanaeyez
Aug 4th, 2009
Beautiful pictures. Yeap, you won’t see me climbing either
Juancav
Aug 4th, 2009
Not suitable for heart patients.
writing4angels
Aug 5th, 2009
Wow! I never knew this. It is really dangerous to go out there.
Stephen J. Ardent
Aug 7th, 2009
Some people are crazy. I couldn’t crawl around up there.
Eliza Brown
Aug 9th, 2009
This isn’t suitable for those scared of heights, either. WOW. What a drop–you better hope your rope holds you and saves your life!
lucy67
Aug 9th, 2009
They are really exciting pictures. I can feel sweat in the palms of my hands.
Jeremy James Noye
Aug 9th, 2009
Wow. Really gets your heart beating. Seems like one of those things like sky diving or bungee jumping where you’d like to think you could handle it, but really you know you’d cry like a baby…
Sonora
Aug 10th, 2009
Wow, oh my goodness- I’d be simply to terrified to even bother crossing: to me it is the most dangerous pathway!
Juan
Aug 11th, 2009
It\’s \”Caminito del Rey\” exactly.
I\’m from that city.
These pictures are scary… but I can tell you that being there is much more scary.
Now the pathway is closed because It\’s old and some parts of it are missing.
But the views are really beautiful.
Carlos J.
Aug 12th, 2009
El Caminito del Rey está situado en el pantano del Chorro, Málaga (España) fue construido para que el Rey Alfonso XIII pudiera visitar toda la obra de dicho pantano, que se inauguró en el mes de abril de 1922.
Ignacio
Aug 13th, 2009
He pasado 4 veces este camino en toda su longitud pero en aquella época no tenía cuerdas en las paredes.
Creo que ahora está prohibido pasar
CutestPrincess
Aug 13th, 2009
dangerous indeed… one wrong foot step, you’ll be dead…
Mary J Dressel
Aug 13th, 2009
My Goodness! My son rock climbs and I hope he never finds this! Nice job.
Ron
Aug 15th, 2009
i just love to visit this site from time to time because i spend my annual vacation close to this exciting walk. I shall be visiting again in September 2009 and i will probably visit the location of this walk.
No, I will not attempt the walk but I praise those adventurous persons who will take that dangerous walk.
Eileen
Aug 17th, 2009
Spain has always been on my wish to visit list. I will NOT do the walk, but appreciate the opportunity to visit it vicariously through the pictures!
ElGringoDiablo
Aug 18th, 2009
I often have nightmares about places like this, so I won’t be visiting anytime soon. This is an excellent article; and you illustrated it perfectly.
JCHume
Aug 19th, 2009
Man, I thought bungee jumping was bad. My knees are knocking together just looking at the photographs. I don’t think I’ll be attempting to cross that path in this lifetime.
Bob
Sep 2nd, 2009
There are a few videos…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRmlBOBq9v8
dan
Sep 2nd, 2009
What a bunch of wimps. I would love to go walk that path. Since some of you are to blind to notice there is a way to attach a safety rope that slides along with you. One wrong step you are not dead, You just smell of either urine or feces.
droL
Sep 4th, 2009
If you like to walk along the face of a gorge similar to this, but is much safer and frequented by many tourists, then i guess you may want to visit hua shan in china.
it’s a place on top of a high, rugged mountain where Taoism was born. you can check for videos in youtube by people who’ve been there, or check this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72rN5zO2T7A&feature=related
K. Redhead
Sep 15th, 2009
Having watched a video of the entire route, I wonder who’ll be the first to ride a mountain bike along it?!!!
Yngve
Sep 23rd, 2009
To all of you thinking of hopping on a plane to Malaga right now; unless you’re an experienced climber, don’t. I was there three weeks ago, and it’s not exactly WYSIWYG anymore, if you think the pictures and youtube-vids are accurate. We weren’t prepared for the climb out to the pathway, so we only brought rope, harnesses and carabines. Don’t even consider going without proper climber’s gear, since climbing is the only way of getting onto the pathway. (I dawdle in climbing myself, but would never consider doing this without the proper gear.) The safety wire shown in the youtube-vids has been removed, so it’s no longer possible to just hook up and start walking.
Anyway, if you still enjoy a spectacular view, take the trip. Just don’t aspire to get onto the pathway, the view itself is worth it. We also went through the first railroad tunnel next to the beginning of the pathway, sweet spot for pictures on the other side. Also, take the drive past El Chorro, continue some miles up the valley to the west of the gorge. When reaching the intersection at the end of that road, take a right, and continue for a few more miles. On the right hand side you’ll see a gravel road. Drive up this for a few hundred yards, park your car, and start walking. After about 20 minutes, you’re at the hydroplant, past this is the not so well known other end of El Caminito del Rey. Worth the visit.
Also, try lunch at the terrasse of La Garganta del Chorro, the local hotel. Nice food, excellent vistas.
-Yngve, Norway
steve roper
Sep 28th, 2009
This looks a little more dangerous than this plank walk 3000′ up in the HuaShan mountain area of central China.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nq0vtU-LVc
BackpackingTravelGuide
Dec 10th, 2009
HOLY-MOLLLY, AMAZING! What is it with us people who look at this type of stuff and instantly wish we were there vs. those who are scared out of there wits of it?
bob
Jan 8th, 2010
I am trying to find out so info on this as I am going to be doing it.
I noticed on one picture you have that the path just ends, Is this the beginning ?
R J Evans
Jan 8th, 2010
I am unsure but 90% of mke says no it is part of it. Be aware too that by climbing the pathway you are breaking Spanish law!
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