El Chorro Lakes and Gorge

hese hidden lakes have for many years been a well kept secret by local Spanish families. Three turquoise artificial lakes bordered by sandy beaches and shaded by scented pine forests, is a sight more commonly associated with Switzerland than Andalucia. 

Situated west of the pueblo of Álora, these man-made lakes were created by the dam built across the Guadalhorce river gorge, the Garganta del Chorro, an immense fissure, five kilometres along and 300 metres deep, running between two towering limestone cliffs.

The area’s most characteristic botanical species are: the Aleppo pine, umbrella pine, holm oak, eucalyptus, hawthorn, gorse, white rockrose, cistus and black juniper.

The higher zones are inhabited by the mountain goat. Smaller animals such as the blackbird and the swift live in the lower areas, near the water. The middle section of the gorge is home to the falcon, kestrel and goshawk, as well as other medium-sized birds of prey. The peaks are nesting areas for large birds of prey such as the golden eagle and tawny vulture. Other inhabitants of this Beauty Spot are the wild cat, the genet, the dormouse and the mongoose, which can be seen by the more daring from a hanging walkway known as “The King’s Path” (”Caminito del Rey”), which crosses the gorge at an altitude of 100 metres

This great feat of engineering was built between 1901 and 1905 and the name it bears stems from being crossed in 1921 by Alfonso the 13th when he came to inaugurate the Dam of the Conde del Guadalhorce in 1921.

A village situated beside the dam of El Conde de Guadalhorce Reservoir which was founded to provide accommodation for the people who built the dam, who gained access to it via the Caminito del Rey way. Its scenic beauty and its excellent rural holiday facilities, including camping sites, restaurants and accommodation, have turned it into a tourist attraction.

This small iron path hangs from the cliffs of the Sierra Huma over the “Desfiladero de los Gaitanes”. At present it is not recommended to walk along it owing to the deterioration in its condition.

The walkway known as the "King’s Path” was built to connect the “Salto del Chorro” and the “Salto del Gaitanejo” both belonging to the Hydroelectric Society of El Chorro thereby allowing for the transportation of materials, ease of surveillance and the maintenance of the channel, in other words, to enable workers to move easily from one to the other.

The 2,016 hectares protected by Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Beauty Spot are located in the interior of the Subbetica mountain range, and create a spectacular landscape. They include an impressive gorge through which the River Guadalhorce flows, between enormous slabs of stratified limestone.
It is considered to be of immense ecological importance. Its walls, which are up to 400 metres high, are home to a variety of plant and animal life, a clear example of adaptation to a vertical way of living.

This structure is clearly visible from the railway and every visitor leaves full of admiration for the risks involved in building it and the picturesque scenery that can be viewed from there. Continuing along the walkway you cross an extremely pretty bridge that can be made out from as far away as the road to Alora al Chorro. From the bridge you can follow the footpath built into the sheer rock face, which stops at the Córdoba-Málaga railway line. The photograph shows how at times Man manages to impose his will on the grandeur of nature.

There are around twenty hollows in the area of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes some of which are many metres above the flow of the river. The Desfiladero has been gradually deepened by the river in successive stages

The Junta de Andalucía and the Diputación de Malaga are pushing for the privatization of the King’s path by taking on a private partner who would look to profit from visits by charging for access to it. This same partner would also have to contribute by jointly financing repairs to the path.