English and the World · Spain · 22 · Málaga province · A1–C2 · Free
A workers’ path built on the walls of a gorge, walked by a king, called “the most dangerous path in the world”, closed, and reopened as one of the most famous walks in Spain. Choose your level.
El Chorro, near Málaga
El Caminito del Rey is a path in the mountains, about an hour from Málaga. It is on the walls of a very deep gorge, high above a river.
There are wooden walkways, a long bridge and beautiful views. There is a river far below you, and there are birds in the sky.
The path is old. In 1905 it was a path for workers. In 1921 the king, Alfonso XIII, was there, and so its name is “the King’s Little Path”.
Later, the old path was very dangerous, and it was closed for many years. Today there is a new path, and it is safe.
Before you go
You can walk the Caminito from Tuesday to Sunday. You can’t go on Mondays.
You can take photos, but you can’t take a selfie stick or an umbrella. Dogs can’t go, and children under 8 can’t go.
You need a helmet: there are helmets for everyone at the start. At the end, there is a bus back to the start.
Language: there is / there are, can / can’t, was / were
| What | How | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One thing | there is + a / an | There is a river. |
| More than one thing | there are + plural | There are wooden walkways. |
| It’s OK / it’s permitted | can + verb | You can take photos. |
| It’s not OK / it’s prohibited | can’t + verb | Dogs can’t go. |
| In the past | was / were | The old path was dangerous. |
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. Where is the Caminito del Rey?
2. Who was on the path in 1921?
3. When can’t you go?
4. What do you need?
Write is or are.
5. There a river far below you.
6. There wooden walkways.
7. There a bus at the end.
8. There helmets for everyone.
Write can or can’t.
9. You take photos.
10. Dogs go on the path.
11. Children under 8 go.
12. You walk the Caminito on a Saturday.
Go there!
How: take the train from Málaga to El Chorro, and buy your ticket on the official website before you go.
Your task: write four rules for your classroom or your home with can and can’t. For example: You can … . You can’t … .
The Desfiladero de los Gaitanes
About an hour north-west of Málaga, the river Guadalhorce has cut a deep, narrow gorge through the mountains: the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes. In places its walls are hundreds of metres high, and the river runs far below.
At the start of the twentieth century, engineers saw something else in the gorge: falling water that could make electricity for the growing city of Málaga.
Read the text, then do the practice.
El Chorro, 1901 to today
Between 1901 and 1905, a company called the Sociedad Hidroeléctrica del Chorro built a narrow path along the walls of the gorge. Workers had to carry tools and materials between two hydroelectric plants, at the Chorro and Gaitanejo falls, and there was no other way through. In places the path was about a hundred metres above the river.
On 21 May 1921, King Alfonso XIII came to open the new Conde del Guadalhorce dam. He sat in a stone chair, now called the Sillón del Rey, to sign the official papers, and then he walked along part of the path. From that day, people called it El Caminito del Rey, the King’s Little Path. (The reports don’t agree on how far he walked.)
Nobody repaired the path for many decades. Its concrete broke, and in some places only the metal supports were left. But climbers and adventurers kept coming, and it became known around the world as “the most dangerous path in the world”. After five people died in 1999 and 2000, the entrances were closed in 2001. Even then, some people climbed in illegally, and videos of their walks became popular online.
In 2014, the province of Málaga began to rebuild it. Helicopters carried the materials into the gorge, and a new wooden walkway, with handrails and some glass platforms, was built just above the old one, which visitors can still see below their feet. The new Caminito del Rey opened in spring 2015, and today it is one of the most visited places in Andalucía.
Near the north entrance is the village of Ardales, with its famous prehistoric cave. In the nineteenth century the cave was opened to visitors by a remarkable woman from Málaga, Trinidad Grund.
From a workers’ path to a king’s walk, a forbidden adventure, and one of Spain’s favourite days out.
What visitors must and mustn’t do
To protect visitors and the gorge, the Caminito del Rey has strict rules. You have to buy a ticket for a time slot in advance, and you must wear the official helmet, which is provided, for the whole route. Children under 8 aren’t allowed on the path, and older children need a document that shows their age.
You mustn’t smoke, and you can’t bring pets, selfie sticks, umbrellas, walking sticks or drones. Flip-flops aren’t allowed either: you need comfortable, closed shoes. You don’t have to be an expert hiker, but you shouldn’t go if you are very afraid of heights.
The route goes in one direction only, from the north entrance near Ardales to El Chorro. The whole walk is about 7.7 kilometres, with about 3 kilometres of walkway in the gorge, and a shuttle bus takes you back to the start. It is closed on Mondays.
Rules can change: always check the official website before you go.
Language: rules and permission
| Meaning | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| It is necessary (a rule, or my own decision) | must / have to | You must wear a helmet. You have to book in advance. |
| It is not necessary (but you can if you want) | don’t have to | You don’t have to be an expert hiker. |
| It is prohibited | mustn’t / can’t / aren’t allowed to | You mustn’t smoke. Dogs aren’t allowed. |
| It is permitted | can / be allowed to | You can take photos. You’re allowed to bring water. |
| In the past | had to / was(n’t) allowed to | The workers had to carry heavy tools. After 2001, people weren’t allowed to enter. |
⚠️ mustn’t and don’t have to are very different: “You mustn’t bring a dog” = it’s prohibited. “You don’t have to bring water” = it’s your choice.
Fact or not sure?
| Statement | Status | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The path was built between 1901 and 1905 | Fact | All the sources agree. |
| King Alfonso XIII walked the whole path | Not sure | He walked part of it; reports of how far are contradictory. |
| It was “the most dangerous path in the world” | Not sure | A famous nickname, not something that can be measured. |
| 27 people died on the old path | Not sure | Some reports give this number, but it has never been confirmed. |
| The path was closed in 2001 | Not sure | Most sources say 2001, after the deaths of 1999–2000; one says it was officially closed in the 1980s. |
| The new path opened in 2015 | Fact | All the sources agree, although they give different days in March. |
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
Choose the best answer.
1. Why was the path built?
2. Why is it called the Caminito del Rey?
3. Why were the entrances closed in 2001?
4. How were the materials for the new path carried into the gorge?
5. What can visitors still see below the new walkway?
6. Which direction does the route go?
Write the missing word or words.
7. You wear the official helmet for the whole route.
8. Children under 8 aren’t on the path.
9. You be an expert hiker, but you need closed shoes.
10. You smoke on the Caminito del Rey.
11. In 1905, workers carry heavy tools along the path.
12. Between 2001 and 2015, people to enter the path.
Choose the best answer.
13. “You don’t have to bring water.” What does it mean?
14. Which sentence means it is prohibited?
15. Which sentence is correct?
16. Which sentence is correct?
Where do these words come from?
17. Gorge, a deep narrow valley, comes from an Old French word that meant…
18. Vertigo, the fear of heights, comes from Latin vertere. What did it mean?
19. Hydroelectric joins Greek hydōr and ēlektron. What do they mean?
Getting there and what to bring
Getting there: trains run from Málaga to El Chorro. From there, or from the car parks near the north entrance, a shuttle bus links the two ends of the route. Book your ticket on the official website, choose a time slot, and arrive early.
Bring: closed shoes, water, sun cream and a hat in summer, and ID for any children. Leave at home: the dog, the selfie stick and the umbrella.
Your task: a friend from England wants to walk the Caminito del Rey next weekend with their 6-year-old daughter and their dog. Write a message (80–100 words) explaining the rules, using must, mustn’t, have to, don’t have to and be allowed to. Suggest another plan for them, too!
The Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, 1901–2015
The Caminito del Rey was never meant for visitors. Between 1901 and 1905 the Sociedad Hidroeléctrica del Chorro pinned a narrow walkway of concrete on steel rails to the walls of the Gaitanes gorge, in places a hundred metres above the river, so that workers could carry tools and materials between the power plants at the Chorro and Gaitanejo falls. It was infrastructure, not scenery.
Its fame began on 21 May 1921, when Alfonso XIII came to inaugurate the Conde del Guadalhorce dam, signed the papers from a stone seat still called the Sillón del Rey, and walked part of the path, though accounts disagree on how far. The name stuck; the maintenance did not. Over the following decades the concrete crumbled until, in some stretches, only the bare rails remained, and the walkway acquired a second reputation as “the most dangerous path in the world”. After five people fell to their deaths in 1999 and 2000, the entrances were sealed in 2001. Far from deterring everyone, the closure arguably added to the legend: climbers kept coming, and helmet-camera videos of illegal crossings circulated widely online.
In 2014 the provincial authorities began a restoration costing around 2.5 million euros, with helicopters ferrying materials into the gorge. A new wooden walkway, with handrails and glass viewing platforms, was laid just above the old one, which was left in place below visitors’ feet. The official opening, planned for late March 2015, was cancelled out of respect for the victims of the Germanwings crash two days earlier; the path opened quietly instead, and has since become one of the most visited sites in Andalucía.
An official notice, in the formal style
Admission is permitted only to holders of a valid ticket for the corresponding time slot. Visitors are required to wear the helmet provided by the site at all times; helmets brought from home are not accepted. Under no circumstances may children under the age of eight be admitted, and minors must carry an official document showing their age.
The following are strictly prohibited: animals, smoking, bicycles, drones, tripods, umbrellas, walking sticks and selfie sticks, large backpacks, and eating along the walkway. Flip-flops are not permitted; visitors are advised to wear closed, flat shoes. The route may be walked in one direction only, from the northern access near Ardales to El Chorro. No more than 400 people are allowed on the path at any one time. The site is closed on Mondays.
Rules change from time to time: always check the official website.
Language: the formal language of rules
| Meaning | Formal | Everyday |
|---|---|---|
| Obligation | Visitors are required to wear a helmet. Helmets must be worn at all times. | You have to wear a helmet. |
| Prohibition | Smoking is strictly prohibited. Flip-flops are not permitted. | You can’t smoke. |
| Absolute prohibition, with emphasis | Under no circumstances may children under eight be admitted. | Children under eight can never go in. |
| Permission | Admission is permitted only to ticket holders. Visitors may take photographs. | You can go in if you have a ticket. |
| Advice | Visitors are advised to wear closed shoes. | You should wear closed shoes. |
| Limits | No more than 400 people are allowed at any one time. | 400 people, maximum. |
Notice the passive (are not permitted, must be worn) and the impersonal subjects (visitors, admission): formal rules speak to everyone and to no one in particular.
Debate
| For the restoration and the rules | Against, or with reservations |
|---|---|
| Nobody has to risk death to see one of Spain’s great landscapes; families can now go. | Something wild has been turned into a ticketed product with time slots and queues. |
| Limits of 400 people protect the gorge and its wildlife. | Limits mean that tickets sell out, and favour tour operators. |
| The old walkway was preserved below the new one, as a monument. | Part of the attraction was the danger: “the most dangerous path” is now a gentle walk. |
Read both texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. “It was infrastructure, not scenery.” What does the writer mean?
2. “The name stuck; the maintenance did not.” What is the effect of this sentence?
3. Why does the writer say the closure “arguably added to the legend”?
4. What can visitors still see below the new walkway?
5. Why did the path open “quietly” in 2015?
6. In Text 2, who is “speaking”?
Write the missing word or words.
7. Visitors are to wear the helmet provided at all times.
8. Smoking is strictly along the route.
9. Under no circumstances children under eight be admitted.
10. Helmets must (wear) at all times.
11. Visitors are to wear closed, flat shoes.
12. No than 400 people are allowed on the path at any one time.
Choose the best answer.
13. Which sentence belongs in an official notice?
14. Which sentence is correct?
15. “Admission is permitted only to holders of a valid ticket.” What does it mean?
16. Which is the most diplomatic way to complain about the rules in a formal letter?
Where do these words come from?
17. Regulation comes from Latin regula. What was a regula?
18. Itinerary, a planned route, comes from Latin iter. What did it mean?
19. A catwalk was first…
A formal letter
Visit: train from Málaga to El Chorro, or drive to the northern access near Ardales; book a time slot on the official website. Look down at the old walkway as you cross, and decide for yourself whether it was the most dangerous path in the world.
Write (220–260 words): a formal letter to the managers of the Caminito, either asking them to change one rule or defending the rules against a critic. Use at least four formal structures from the lesson, and stay polite.