El Chorro
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El Chorro ("The Spurt") is a small village located in Málaga (Andalusia) in southern Spain, near to the town of Álora. It is one of the most popular rock climbing centers in Spain due to it being located next to Desfiladero de los Gaitanes ("Gorge of the Gaitanes"),[1] but is commonly frequented by mountain bikers, hikers, and campers.
The gorge is famous for the very dangerous path called Caminito del Rey (King's little pathway). The path gave access to a hydro-electric plant and took its name after an official visit by Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1921. Official access to the path was removed in 2000 on safety grounds. At present the walkway is accessible by climbers but it is dangerous. The local government agreed to share costs of restoration of the "Caminito".[2]
The gorge runs from the end of the "Embalse del Gaitanejo" to "El Chorro". There are two extremely narrow sections at each end of the gorge with a wider bowl in between. In addition to the currently defunct walkway, the old Málaga-Cordoba railway line runs through the gorge in a set of several tunnels, bridges and dams cutting through the gorge.
The railway and sections of the Caminito were used in location shots in the 1965 adventure film Von Ryan's Express.
References[edit]
- ^ Alan James (2009-01). "El Chorro and other crags around Málaga". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ "La Junta pagará la mitad de la rehabilitación del Caminito del Rey" (in Spanish). Diario Sur. June 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
External links[edit]
- Video of walking the decrepit pathway in the pass a test for acrophobia
- El Makinodromo and El Chorro on planetmountain.com
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