When people travel they often go seeking different things. Some seek the finest foods in the world, others want to experience new cultures, many want to party in the best spots, and more just want to get a nice picture for their social media. My partner usually just wants to laze on the beach and get a nice tan. There are others though who like to travel to the most daring and adrenaline-filled locations in the world. If you are one of those, we have found the perfect place for you.
Malaga, Spain is known for its beautiful coastline, its great weather, and its fantastic beaches. For anyone of the different reasons to travel that I have mentioned already Malaga can likely oblige. Yet for the thrill-seeker, it has something truly unique. That is because Malaga is home to the most dangerous path in the world.
The path is called “El Caminito Del Rey” which means the little King’s pathway. It is three feet wide and clings to the side of the mountain with a fall of nearly 100 meters on the opposing side on top of the Guadalhorce river. The path was built at the start of the 1900s to provide access for workers to a hydroelectric power plant and as it was opened and walked on by the King at the time, it earned its name.
In the following years, the path was not well looked after and faced considerable damage. Yet it became increasingly well known as a must hike location for the beauty and of course, the danger involved. Sadly the path was so dangerous that many people died trying to walk on it. The path was breaking in places and some fell to their death. The path was closed in 2001 because of the number of fatalities that had taken place.
However, this didn’t stop people from walking on it. If anything thrill-seekers started to flock to it in even higher numbers to face death head-on. While we can agree that walking on a three-foot path overlooking a river is fun, if the path is faulty then walking on it is just stupid. Four more people died on the path since 2001 and those that didn’t did earn a large fine. In 2013 the authorities had to do something, they decided to start renovating the path to make it safer.
The path has been reopened since 2015 and thanks to a large investment is now safe to walk on for the entire length. The same thrilling features have been kept so you can walk along the three feet path and look to the side for the clear drop. They have even installed some glass surfaces so that you can see everything right below your feet. Of course, this does mean it is now safer to walk on but trust me, that is a good thing. It is still thrilling to walk on but nice to know that you can at least trust your footing now.
The government has put some restrictions in place on the number of people allowed on the bridge. Only 400 people are allowed on it at any one time and only 600 in a day. We have seen some photos of mountain bikers taking to the track and it looks an epic adventure on two wheels as well.
If you are interested in the most thrilling path in the world it is recommended that you make a reservation, check the weather conditions (as it may close in poor conditions), and bring lots of water (as the hike takes between three to five hours).
