El Caminito del Rey, a vertigo route along a pedestrian walkway attached to a gorge
ESIn 1901, construction began on a maintenance route for two dams in the Gaitanes Gorge, in El Chorro (Málaga).
The path was a pedestrian walkway that began next to a railway line in Ardales and ran through that gorge, whose walls reach 300 meters high, until ending in El Chorro, in the town of Álora. The walkway was attached to the wall of the gorge at a height of about 100 meters and with a maximum width of one meter, which made it a route not suitable for those who suffer from vertigo.
This 3 kilometer walkway was completed in 1905 and was used for the construction of the Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir, whose construction began in 1914. In 1921, when the dam was inaugurated, the then King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, walked part of this walkway, which began to be known as the Camino del Rey (The King's Path) or the Caminito del Rey (The King's Little Path).
Over the years, this walkway suffered the effects of abandonment, becoming a very dangerous route, but at the same time very frequented by lovers of urban exploration and extreme sports. It became internationally known as one of the most dangerous roads in the world. In 2009 I dedicated an article showing its poor condition and pointing out that a restoration plan was already underway.
That restoration plan was finally launched in 2014. The road was restored a year later. Currently, the Caminito del Rey is operated and maintained by a private company through an administrative concession. You have to pay an entrance fee to visit it. On the official website of the Caminito del Rey you can find more information about ticket prices and about this route.
If you want to get an idea of how dangerous the Caminito del Rey was before its restoration, this video from Thrillseekers Anonymous, published in April 2014, shows what some of its sections were like:
Currently, the Caminito del Rey shows a very different appearance, with a new walkway and all the safety measures (in addition, the walkers who go along it are equipped with helmets), as shown this video posted byHand Towers three months ago:
---
Main photo: MichiNerja. A photo of the Caminito del Rey in 2015, after its restoration process.
|
Don't miss the news and content that interest you. Receive the free daily newsletter in your email: Click here to subscribe |
- Lo más leído
- A large collection of Volkswagen cars hidden in an abandoned mine in Switzerland
- Sabbione: a beautiful Swiss town that looks like something out of 'The Lord of the Rings'
- The supermassive black hole of Phoenix A, the biggest known light-devouring monster
- An old Soviet military plane abandoned from 1971 on a Russian island near Alaska
- The Maid of Harlech: the P-38 fighter that was buried on a beach for 65 years
- The MRU, a mysterious underground city of nazi Germany with 80 km of tunnels
- The story of the 'Chewing Gum Girl' and her small grave in a cemetery in Chester, England
Opina sobre esta entrada: