Discovering the Caminito del Rey as a family was a truly wonderful experience during our trip to Andalusia with the children. A few years ago, I had already wanted to venture onto this famous Andalusian path, but it was extremely dangerous at the time as it had no safety measures. It was probably the most dangerous via ferrata in the world! But after many years of closure and extensive renovation work, the Caminito del Rey reopened to the public in 2015, now fully secured. There’s no longer any reason to worry. The path is very well laid out and feels solid! We even found it easier and safer than we had imagined! Easier than other via ferratas we’ve done in the Alps.
The “King’s Path” gets its name because King Alfonso XIII of Spain walked it in 1921 during the inauguration of the dam. During the construction of the dam and the El Chorro hydroelectric power station, workers tragically fell using this makeshift and unsafe route. In the years that followed, bold hikers occasionally ventured onto this abandoned caminito, leading to some unfortunate accidents. In short, that chapter in the history of the Caminito del Rey is well and truly closed. You can now walk this path with your eyes closed — well, almost! From the new route, you can still glimpse the old one: you’ll see it’s a world of difference!
To plan your family trip to the Caminito del Rey, a bit of forward planning and organisation is definitely needed, so I hope this article provides you with all the useful information for your visit.
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Caminito del Rey with kids: be aware of the age restrictions!
This is a very important point! Before including the Caminito del Rey in your Andalusia holiday plans, you should know that children under 8 are not allowed on the trail. Children’s ID is checked at the entrance. The rule is strict. In fact, even if your children are over 8, make sure you have their ID with you. It would be a shame to be turned away when your children are the right age. When we visited, Titpuce was 10 and Ticoeur was 12. 
Book well in advance:
I’d say you need to book two to three weeks in advance to be sure of getting tickets. To check availability and buy your tickets, head to the official Caminito del Rey website. You’ll see there are two types of tickets: €10 for self-guided entry and €18 for a guided tour.
Now, I must admit that I hadn’t planned ahead at all — but we were lucky. So don’t give up hope if you’re in the same boat. Here’s what I did: from the moment we arrived in Andalusia, I checked the Caminito del Rey site every day because I had read that last-minute tickets sometimes go on sale. The first two days, I found nothing and began to lose hope, but on the third day — miracle! I found tickets! Fortunately, they fit well with our itinerary. If we had been in another part of Andalusia at the time, we wouldn’t have been able to go. In any case, it’s better to plan ahead! Also, last-minute tickets are only available with a guide. We didn’t mind — the price was very reasonable for the experience, and our guide was really friendly! See below.
The guided tour:
In our case, we had no choice but to join a guided tour, since last-minute tickets are always guided. That said, it worked out really well. I guess it depends on the guide. We saw some groups where people left the guide after a few minutes to continue on their own. Our guide was particularly engaging and shared information without being boring. Our whole group stayed with him to the end. We were about 30 people. As for language, during our visit, the options were Spanish or English. We chose the English tour. Everyone had an earpiece to hear the guide clearly. 
How long is the visit?
Inside the gorges, the Caminito del Rey takes around 2 hours. On top of that, there’s a 20-minute walk from the car park to the entrance and about 30 minutes at the end to reach the bus back to the car park. So in total, plan for three hours. And don’t forget to use the toilets beforehand — there are none along the way!
Where does the hike start and end?
We parked near the El Kiosko restaurant. Then we walked through a tunnel (lit and wide) and continued a few hundred metres to the Caminito entrance. From the tunnel entrance to the Caminito ticket office, it’s 1.5 km. 
The Caminito del Rey is not a loop but a one-way trail from north to south. At the end, you reach the dam with a more open view. Then you walk to the bus stop that brings you back to the El Kiosko area where you parked (there’s an official car park and also free roadside parking). You can choose to park at the southern car park, near the finish in El Chorro, and take the bus to the start. We preferred the opposite because we didn’t want to risk being late for our entry time. Since the buses run roughly every 30 minutes, it’s harder to manage your timing if you park at the end of the trail rather than the beginning. The bus ticket costs €2.50.
As for parking, we found a free spot, but even if you have to use the paid car park, it’s inexpensive (€2).
How difficult is the hike?
It’s actually very easy. The wooden walkways are wide and comfortable. There’s almost no elevation gain, as you’re walking along the cliff face. In total, you’ll cover nearly 8 km in about three hours, so you need to be reasonably fit, but it’s more of a long stroll than a proper hike. It’s a walk through stunning scenery, across the Gaitanejo and Gaitanes gorges. We were even accompanied by griffon vultures flying overhead. Of course, you need trainers or other closed, comfy shoes, even though the terrain is simple. If you’re used to via ferrata, you might find this one a bit tame. But the setting is worth it!
We did the Caminito del Rey in April, so the temperature was ideal. I wouldn’t recommend doing it in summer (nor visiting Andalusia in general at that time). It would be far too hot! Either way, be sure to take enough water to last the three-hour walk.
Safety at the Caminito del Rey:
I think the photos speak for themselves. You can see that the structures are sturdy and reassuring. I had no concerns throughout the trail. However, small rocks might fall from above. That’s why everyone must wear a helmet. Most of the path runs along a cliffside balcony trail: 
What about vertigo?
I should mention that I’m not afraid of heights, so I don’t want to mislead anyone who is very sensitive. But I can say that there are far more vertiginous places than the Caminito del Rey, and having your feet on a stable walkway the whole time seemed enough for the people in our group who said they were afraid of heights. 
You don’t have to look down at the Guadalhorce river, which is 300m below in some places. If you do look down, this is what you’ll see:
Halfway through the walk there’s a small platform with a glass floor so you can easily look down and take photos. This might be an uncomfortable spot for those with vertigo, but you can stay on the main walkway and skip the platform:
Near the end of the trail, there’s a suspension bridge, parallel to the old rusted one (see photo below). If you’re afraid of heights, it might be best not to stop in the middle to look down — it’s 100m high!
That said, the bridge is very stable. It’s not a wobbly rope bridge:
Where to stay near the Caminito del Rey?
The Caminito del Rey is in the province of Malaga. During our visit, we were staying in Ronda. For reference, it’s a 1-hour drive from Ronda, 1 hour from Malaga, and 2 hours from Seville.
In Ronda, we really liked our accommodation (a charming, traditional Andalusian duplex apartment): Ronda Romantica Loft.
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So? Tempted by the Caminito del Rey?