Caminito del Rey

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Caminito del Rey
The dilapidated path before restoration
Bridge and waterfall of the Caminito del Rey

The Caminito del Rey (freely translated as 'King's Path') is a three-kilometer-long via ferrata (since 2015: hiking trail ) near Álora in the province of Málaga in southern Spain . It leads at a height of about 100 meters along steep walls through two narrow gorges up to 200 meters deep. It was in ruins and banned for a long time, and during this time it was described in the press as the most dangerous route in the world. It has been officially usable again since 2015. The area is known among climbers as El Chorro as an excellent winter climbing area .

history

The reason for the construction was the project designed by the engineer Rafael Benjumea y Burín (1876–1952) to use the potential of winter rain and water power by means of dams, pipelines and hydroelectric power stations. This included a canal into which part of the water of the Guadalhorce is diverted through a gorge, the Garganta del Chorro , and which connects two dams of the Sociedad Hidroeléctrica del Chorro , namely the Salto del Gaitanejo and the Salto del Chorro . The Caminito was built in order to be able to transport the building material and maintain the facility in the extremely impassable terrain along the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes ( hollow path of the bearded vultures ).

Work began in 1901, initially for a path on planks. In 1905 it was finished. Gradually the path was paved with concrete and iron reinforcement. When the whole project was finished, King Alfonso XIII came. on May 21, 1921 for the inauguration and crossed the bridge over the Garganta del Chorro. Then the path got its name. Rafael Benjumea was in recognition of his unique performance to the "Count of Guadalhorce" ( Conde del Guadalhorce ) ennobled , and the new dam in his honor Conde del Guadalhorce named. From then on, the residents of the neighboring villages used the route every day: the children as a way to school, the men to work, the women to go shopping. At night the caminito was illuminated, remains of the lanterns can still be found today.

Due to the weather and the soft sandstone, the path fell into disrepair, in some places the concrete slabs were missing and only rusty steel girders remained. Absolute surefootedness, a head for heights and advanced via ferrata knowledge were necessary for the ascent. After a total of four people died in 1999 and 2000, three of them on a zip line through the gorge (not on the Caminito itself) in 2000 , the local government closed the path in 2001 and removed the beginning and end. Nevertheless, it was still possible to enter through an older path. This was still used to approach the climbing routes on the Caminito. The path was almost completely secured with steel cables and was easily accessible for secured and experienced hikers.

Parallel to the gorges there is a railway line that runs through tunnels through the massif. Climbers used these tunnels to get more comfortably and quickly into the valley behind and not to use the Caminito. Entering the RENFE tracks and tunnels has now been fined between € 6,000 and € 30,000.

Restoration and reopening

In 2006 the regional government approved a plan to restore a path through the gorge. For this, € 8.3 million was estimated. It was not until November 2011 that the necessary funds of € 4.5 million flowed to the comarca (district) of Guadalteba. Work started in spring 2014 and was completed in early 2015. The new, secured hiking trail runs about 2 meters above the old footbridge that was used for its construction. The opening took place on March 28, 2015.

This means that this path can now be safely used by anyone by prior arrangement (possible three months in advance and sometimes necessary), although it has largely lost its original character.

Web links

Commons : Caminito del Rey  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Die Welt Online: Caminito del Rey - The Most Dangerous Path in the World , April 3, 2009
  2. ↑ El Caminito del Rey reopened
  3. ↑ a b c Sebastian Schoepp: King's Way for the People . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. April 23, 205, p. 25.
  4. ↑ Use, damage and restoration of the Caminito del Reys. (embedded YouTube video, approx. 3:20 minutes) Original title: Restauración: un trabajo de titanes. In: caminitodelrey.info. February 24, 2015, accessed October 3, 2017 (Spanish).
  5. ↑ Mueren tres jóvenes al despeñarse en el desfiladero malagueño de Los Gaitanes. El País , August 12, 2000.
  6. ↑ El Caminito del Rey, Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, El Chorro, Alora, (Malaga). Panorama photo animation showing the state in spring 2011.
  7. ↑ Acceso a las zonas de escalada en El Chorro. Federación Andaluza de Montañismo, archived from the original on May 29, 2010 ; Retrieved June 16, 2010 (Spanish).
  8. ↑ Diputación invierte 5 million euros en turismo y medio ambiente en la comarca del Guadalteba. EuropaPress.es, November 4th 2011 (Spanish).
  9. ↑ La obra de rehabilitación del Caminito del Rey está ya al 35% de su ejecución. La Opinión de Málaga, August 9, 2014 (Spanish).
  10. ↑ Mirco Lomoth: Balance over the Abyss. The Andalusian canyon path Caminito del Rey became notorious as "the most dangerous way in the world". How the thrill was defused. In: The time. July 30, 2015, p. 55.

Coordinates: 36 ° 54'57 "  N , 4 ° 46'22"  W.