It was inaugurated by Alfonso XIII in 1921 with great fanfare. Hence its name, the Caminito del Rey, considered until then the most dangerous trail in Spain (and even the world) due to its colossal vertigo-inducing cliffs that made it impossible to traverse without risking one's life. Not in vain, the engineering work that had to be carried out in this natural setting located between the municipalities of Ardales, Álora, and Antequera, in the province of Malaga and about 60 kilometers from the capital, is considered among the most outstanding of its time.
It also ranked among the most perilous, as many workers died during the construction of these giants suspended over the Guadalhorce River at over 100 meters high. After decades of neglect and accidents, it opened to the public as a hiking route in 2015 thanks to the hanging walkways that were established. And now it has entered the international ranking of the most spectacular treks on the planet for the landscapes it offers along its 7.7 kilometers of linear and one-way route.
The top spot is held by the Calanques of Marseille in France, considered the most beautiful place in the world for hiking due to its 20 kilometers of limestone cliffs bathed by turquoise waters. The second place is occupied by the Plitvice Lakes located in the homonymous national park in Croatia, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the third is for the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland, famous for hosting over 70 waterfalls.
The report was prepared by the running company Sports Shoes, which used eye-tracking technology to analyze the movements of participants who were shown images of emblematic hiking routes from around the world. This analysis allowed them to assign a visual appeal score to each route and thus determine which ones are the most impressive.
The list continues with the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (Peru), the Bastei Formation in the Saxon Switzerland National Park (Germany). In fifth place would be The Narrows in Zion National Park in the United States, while the sixth is for The Loop in Kalbarri (Australia), an extraordinarily beautiful place with viewpoints and wildlife.
Panoramic view of Torres del Paine.
Next would be the British route along the Seven Sisters cliffs, the Irish Causeway Coast, the Kalalau trail on the Na Pali Coast (USA), the Torres del Paine (Chile), the Mist Trail in Yosemite Valley (USA), Trolltunga (Norway), the Italian Green Azzurro Trail, Schrecksee (Germany), and the Watzmann Traverse (also in Germany). This leads us to the 19th position, occupied by the Malaga Caminito del Rey alongside the Circuit of Lake Bled in Slovenia, as both have obtained the same score (74/100).