El Chorro
El Chorro is a small village in the municipality of Álora, set between reservoirs and the towering walls of the Gaitanes gorge, and best known as the end point of the Caminito del Rey and one of Europe's great rock-climbing destinations.
Why visit El Chorro
Arriving in El Chorro feels like reaching the edge of the mountains. The village, a cluster of houses, a railway station and a few bars, sits beside the dam on the Guadalhorce river, with the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes splitting the limestone above it.
It is the natural base for the Caminito del Rey, whose boardwalks finish here, and for the hundreds of climbing routes on the surrounding crags, which draw climbers from across Europe, especially in autumn, winter and spring.
What to see and do in El Chorro
Most visitors come for the Caminito del Rey, which starts on the Ardales side and ends in El Chorro after about 7.7 kilometres of path and boardwalk through the gorge, with a shuttle bus linking the two ends. Around the village, the Guadalhorce, Guadalteba and Conde de Guadalhorce reservoirs form a small lake district that is popular for swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding in summer.
Up the mountain road, the ruins of Bobastro, the 9th-century stronghold of the rebel Umar ibn Hafsun, include a remarkable church carved into the rock.
Food and local life
El Chorro has a handful of bars and restaurants, several attached to climbers' lodges and campsites, serving simple Andalusian food and hearty breakfasts. The town of Álora, about 12 kilometres away, has more choice, including its famous sopa perota, a local bread and vegetable soup.
Around El Chorro
The town of Álora, with its castle and white houses, is the centre of the municipality. Ardales, at the northern end of the Caminito, has the Cueva de Ardales with prehistoric cave art, and the reservoirs stretch towards Teba and Campillos.
More to see and do on the Álora page.
Getting there and around
El Chorro has its own railway station on the line from Málaga towards Córdoba and Seville, with a few regional trains a day, so it can be reached without a car. By road it is about an hour from Málaga via Álora. If you plan to walk the Caminito del Rey, book tickets in advance and check the shuttle times between the two ends.
El Chorro in pictures
Photo credits, via Wikimedia Commons: El Chorro 20 by Tyk (CC BY-SA 3.0); Desfiladero de los Gaitanes y los embalses de El Chorro al fondo by AdriMLG2021 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Tours that visit El Chorro
Caminito del Rey from Málaga and Costa del SolFrom €67Walk one of Spain's most talked-about trails, the Caminito del Rey, where narrow boardwalks cling to the walls of the Gaitanes gorge more than…View tour →
Walking in AndalucíaFrom €2,215An eight-day walking holiday through the rural heart of Andalucía, from the Sierra de Grazalema to the boardwalks of the Caminito del Rey and…View tour →