Desfiladero de los Gaitanes

The natural park of the 'Desfiladero de los Gaitanes' Gorge is in the province of Malaga and it is a perfect place for climbing, hiking trails and nature lovers. Spectacular landscape with rock walls up to 300 meters and a width which rarely exceeds 10 meters make of this natural canyon exavated over centuries by the river Guadalhorce a reference point for those who want to enjoy the mountains of Malaga, one of the most beautiful natural parks in Andalucia.

This natural area include the municipalities of Alora, Antequera and Ardales, there it is El Chorro train station; A mandatory stop for those looking for the King's Path (Caminito del Rey), Guadalhorce Reservoir and Guadalteba Dam.

This Gorge 'Desfiladero de los Gaitanes' is related to the history of Malaga province and its economic growth, an area situated between Malaga port and Cordoba used during the construction of the train and aiming to the improvement of the economy.

Activities

You should not miss visiting the King's Path (Caminito del Rey), it is actually rebuilt and more secure than past century, this path was used by workers of the near electric power plant.

There are different activities like climbing, hiking, speleology, horse riding, mountain bike, base jump and others.

We recommend the following trails for nature lovers and those looking for active tourism:

- Huma Mountain Chain

- The dams

- Haza del Río

- Gaitanejo

We also recommend the following points of interest:

- Dam's viewpoints

- El Chorro Reservoir

- King's Path (Caminito del Rey)

There are some archaeological places you might want to visit:

- Bobastro

In Ardales there are some archaeological remains from ancient buildings built over the 9th Century.

- Villaverde's tables

On Almorchon Mountain Chain you will find several archaeological places built in the rock, some walls and towers remains which were used to defend the area from attacks.

- Pedreras Path

This path starting at the Chorro train station connects the south area of the Huma Mountain Chain with Las Escalerillas, detailed below.

- Las Escalerillas

Of Arab origin these stairs are used by climbers as they are an easier access to the Campedrero villa.

- Tajo del Molino

- Castillo de la Estrella

Environment wildlife

Natural environment in Los Gaitanes features a wide variety of birds, up to 148 known species: vultures, eagles, hawks, owls, herons, shoveler ...

Among mammals you can find hedgehog, rabbit, Iberian hare, bats, fox, bobcat, wild boars, ibex...up to 30 mammal species.

In the park there are also 9 different kinds of fish, 7 different species of amphibians and 13 species of reptiles.

How to get to the Gaitanes Gorge

For getting to 'Desfiladero de los Gaitanes' gorge the most comfortable transport means is your own vehicle, if you do not own one you can hire a car at Malaga airport on your arrival. You can also take a train from Malaga train station to El Chorro (medium distance train to Seville), or the commuter train but you will have to transfer by bus, check our commuter trains guide, it is the line C-2.

When driving you must head to Alora through Cartama and Pizarra Station, the drive will take you 1 hour and a half approximately with a very scenic road once you are near your destination.

Driving distance: 73 km.

Duration: 1.30 hours

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