Caminito del Rey and the White Villages in Andalusia

July 2024 [To all the posts in Spain]

Photo album What else to see Caminito del Ray

White Villages in Andalusia - Introduction

We’ve heard a lot about the “White Villages” in Andalusia, and while planning our trip to the area, I included some of these villages, along with Caminito del Rey, which I understood to be a must-see hike. The dilemma was deciding from where to visit them. Since we planned to stay in both Seville and Málaga, we ended up visiting two of them in one day from Seville, and from Málaga, we took a day trip to Ronda and another day to Caminito del Rey.

By the way, most villages in Andalusia are painted white, so nearly all of them are “White Villages".

Andalusia is huge, so it’s recommended to choose which villages to visit based on their proximity to your route, which likely runs between the major cities of Andalusia and the long coastline in the south of the country.

Below, you can see the villages we visited:

I recommend staying for at least two to three nights in the area of the villages and using it as a base for day trips.

You can stay in Ronda or another town, instead of traveling to the villages from the larger cities (it’s not advisable to keep a car in the cities due to parking costs and the time it takes to enter and exit).

In this area, there are many nature reserves and hiking trails, as well as opportunities for kayaking in lakes, rafting, cycling trips, rock climbing, and more.

The White Villages are often mentioned as a "must-see" when visiting Andalusia. I wouldn’t strictly classify them as musts, as I’m not sure that any specific list of villages can suit every traveler’s taste.

The village of Setenil de las Bodegas (the village inside the rock) is very unique because of the way the houses are built as part of the natural rock (the houses are essentially cave homes with regular facades).

Caminito del Rey is a must-do hike (not for those afraid of heights).

Ronda is special, and its main attraction is the bridges connecting the two parts of the village above a deep canyon.

Zahara de la Sierra is a charming village with beautiful viewpoints of the area, a fortress, and stunning landscapes.

The area where all these villages (or rather, towns) are located is wonderful. It's essentially a rural area, largely agricultural, with many sunflower fields and olive groves. A lovely region in its own right.

What we didn’t have time for but is still worth checking out - Parks and Villages in Andalusia

There were places we planned to visit but didn’t have time for or canceled due to the heat. Feel free to explore and visit them:

National Park - Parque Nacional Sierra de las Nieves

Nature Reserves - Parc naturel de la Sierra de GrazalemaParaje Natural Torcal de Antequera

Villages - Grazalema, Casares, Mijas, Frigiliana, Guadix

Hiking Trails - Randonnée La Garganta Verde (registration required)

Caves - Fundación Cueva de Nerja (near Málaga), Gruta de las Maravillas (near Seville)

Beaches - Cala del Cañuelo (20 minutes' drive from Málaga)

Playa Peñon del Cuervo (1 hour drive from Málaga)

For more posts

Two days in Madrid

Five days in the Sierra Nevada

Four days in the French Alps

Caminito del Rey - Hiking Trail

About Caminito del Rey

Caminito del Rey (The King’s Path) trail begins quite close to the town of Ardales and ends in the town of El Chorro.

The path was named after King Alfonso, who walked along it in 1921.

The trail was once known as one of the most dangerous in the world until it was renovated and reopened as a safe trail in 2015.

How to book tickets

Visit the official Caminito del Rey website at this link (https://www.caminitodelrey.info/en/). To book tickets, you need to register with a username and password.

The trail is very popular, so it’s recommended to book several months in advance. If there are no available slots on the date/time you wanted, check back daily, as slots may become available in the meantime.

You can consider booking an Official guided visit if general tickets are not available, it is more expensive but offers greater availability.

Important Tips for Hiking Caminito del Rey

In summer, it’s best to book the earliest slot possible in the morning, as it gets very hot, and it’s more comfortable to start when the weather is still pleasant.
Plan your arrival time according to your parking location and the time it will take you to reach the starting point (the start time on your ticket is the time when you receive your helmet after walking through the tunnel).
It’s recommended to arrive early, so you can park near the restaurant, allowing you to start the hike right away from there.
If you park in the parking lots or the village of El Chorro (the end point), you need to take the shuttle that runs approximately every 30 minutes and takes you to the starting point (it’s about a 20-minute ride from El Chorro to the restaurant - the shuttle costs €2.5 per person).
After booking the tickets, you cannot change your time slot, and cancellations are not allowed.
Large backpacks and/or hiking poles are not allowed on the trail.
Children under the age of 8 are not permitted to hike.
Due to heat, wind, or safety reasons, you might receive a notification requiring you to change your arrival date or time (in this case, if you cannot make it, you will receive a refund).

How to Get to Caminito del Rey

By car: Use Google Maps to navigate here (https://maps.app.goo.gl/HfoaJ1kPPmFV7iUy7)

By train: From Málaga to the station in the village of El Chorro (the endpoint of the hike, from where you take a shuttle to the restaurant).

Here is a map of the area, showing the route that starts at the El Kiosko restaurant and ends in the village of El Chorro.

This is the restaurant called El Kiosko, where you can park your car (if you arrive early).

Caminito del Rey is a 7 km hiking trail divided into three sections:

The first part is about 2 km - from the restaurant, retrace the road you came on for about 200 meters, then you'll reach a sign and a tunnel where the hike begins (there's also a sign for additional parking 2.3 km away, but don’t pay attention to that).

After exiting the tunnel, walk further until you reach the starting point where you show your tickets, receive a helmet, and begin the hike (wearing the helmet is mandatory throughout the entire trail).

You can join a group with a guide, but we opted out.

The second part - Walk along the trail for about 3 km, partly on the ground and partly on the cliff (a bit scary for those with a fear of heights).

Towards the end of the trail, you cross the canyon on a suspended bridge (the most frightening part of the trail).

You can see here the old wooden bridge (you don't cross the ravine on it, but rather on a suspended bridge right next to it).

This is the suspended bridge that crosses the canyon. The view from the bridge and along the trail is spectacular. Park rangers patrol the trail regularly to check the safety of the bridges and paths. The number of people allowed to enter each day is limited, so it's not overly crowded on the path (especially if you arrive early).

The third part - After crossing the bridge over the abyss, walk for another 2 km to the end point where you return the helmet.

Then walk about 300 meters to the bus station that takes you back to one of the parking lots or to the restaurant.

Zahara de la Sierra

The town gained significant fame, partly due to the isolation it imposed on itself during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which, according to the town’s leaders, there wasn’t a single case of infection. All five entrances to the town were blocked, and disinfection was carried out both on the streets and on the cars allowed to enter.

The town of Zahara de la Sierra is located at the edge of a vast nature reserve called Sierra de la Grazalema.

On the road leading to the town, there are several beautiful viewpoints worth stopping at – you can see the town’s white buildings, the town itself, and the lovely turquoise lake (Zahara-El Gastor Reservoir).

It is recommended to visit the castle located at the highest point in the town, but note that the site is closed between 2PM and 5PM (siesta time). We arrived when the entrance was closed and couldn’t go up to the castle, where the viewpoint is said to be very impressive, offering a panoramic view of the entire area.

Setenil de las Bodegas

We had to visit this town – just seeing these houses growing out of the rock in the pictures made it feel like a place we couldn't miss. We arrived after about an hour’s drive from Seville.

The scenery on the way from Seville is lovely, changing from relatively flat hills with many sunflower and olive fields to charming mountainous terrain.

Sunflower fields, some of which are already drying out and others still fresh and green – the flowers, of course, turn their "gaze" towards the sun.

The town has several streets that stretch along the stream flowing at its base, with some of them built directly onto the rock.

The name “Bodegas” in Spanish means “wine cellars.” Indeed, many wine bars in Spain are called Bodega.

Today, the town is a vibrant tourist destination and also produces meat products and baked goods.

It’s worth wandering around the entire town to avoid missing any unique views of the houses and rocks.

Ronda

We reached Ronda after about an hour's drive from Málaga. We arrived on a very hot day in the afternoon, so it was quite challenging to walk around in the heat.

Ronda has three bridges over the Guadalevín River: Puente Viejo (the Old Bridge), Puente San Miguel (San Miguel Bridge), and Puente Nuevo (the New Bridge).

We found the descent to the viewpoint of the famous Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) in Ronda, where you are required to pay €5 to wear a helmet and take a short path down to the bottom of the ravine to view the bridge from below (you're not actually allowed to reach the base of the bridge).

The bridge is pretty ancient; it was opened in 1783.

Afterwards, on the way back up, there is another viewpoint of the bridge. Those staying in the town can enjoy a nighttime view of the bridge when it’s illuminated.

The town itself is charming, with many restaurants and bars. It stretches along both sides of a canyon about 100 meters above the river (Guadalevín), with the famous bridge connecting the two halves of the town.