As our group got off the bus to go on the El Caminito Del Rey walk, the sun beat down hard on me. It wasn’t a good idea to start a hike in the middle of the day.
A worker gives everyone a safety talk and a helmet at the start of the trail. They also check your shoes to make sure you’re wearing the right gear.
“El Caminito del Rey” (also written as “el caminito”) is the name of the trail. It means “the king’s little path” because the king walked on it.
At the beginning of the trail, there is a meeting place with a restaurant and a number of parking spots. You can also find the last shuttle bus stop here. The shuttle bus makes stops all along the trail.
You can enjoy the beauty of the Sierra Parda cave once you get to the Gaitanejo dam. This cave used to be home to the people who worked at the hydropower plant.
For people who work at the hydroelectric power plants, this path was built so they could get to Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls. This let them move things between the two and keep up with upkeep.