El Caminito del Rey (English: The King's pathway) is a walkway, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in Málaga, Spain. The name is often shortened to El Camino del Rey.

History

In 1901 it was obvious that the workers of the Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls needed a walkway to cross between the falls, to provide transport of materials, vigilance and maintenance of the channel. Construction of the walkway lasted four years. It was finished in 1905.

In 1921 the king Alfonso XIII had to cross the walkway for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce, and it became known by its present name.

The walkway has now gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. It is one meter in width, and has over a 700 feet fall. Nearly all of the path has no handrail. Some parts of the walkway have completely collapsed and have been replaced by a beam and a metallic wire on the wall. Many people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years. After four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, adventurous tourists still find their way into the walkway.

The regional government of Andalusia budgeted for 2006 a restoration plan estimated at € 7 million.

Wow, that s**t's crazy! I wonder if the restoration is completed?

I also put this into the travel category. It was just in plime.com, so if you want to change it to somewhere else....

That's some walk - the person taking the video didn't seem to be clipped in to the cable either!

After seeing the first giant hole of crumbled pathway I would either
1. turn around( most likely)
or
2. Clip the hell into the cable.

I would actually love to do that. I would probably be scared the whole time but the adrenaline coupled with the scenery would be worth it.

Neat vid 2many.

no. f*cking. way.

I almost peed my pants just watching this.

I think building it would have been the big thrill.

Oh! My heart was in my throat! Those spots where there were holes in the concrete, and you could see all the way down, eeeeek!

This person was just walking along so quickly, I couldn't believe how well he navigated this terrifying trail!

I always thought game designers where using some kind off herbals to make those mountain passages, apparently not. This must one of those life imitates art thingys :)

I could not even look at that from the ground if I were there. It was all I could do to just watch the video.

Holy fuggin crap! No way. That gets my pulse up just watching the video! I only like heights on roller coasters when I get to go by them REALLY fast!

Edit to add: Hope the little wheely thing at the top was worth all that!