After the Gorge: Eat, Sleep, Unwind.
After walking the Caminito del Rey, you’ve earned a reward. And the area around El Chorro, Ardales and Álora makes it easy to round off a long day on the trail in style. Rustic tapas bars right at the trailhead, fincas overlooking the Embalse del Chorro, and small boutique stays with gorge views – the options are more limited than in Málaga, but often surprisingly good.
In this section we recommend the best restaurants and bars in the area, suggest accommodation for every budget and show how to combine a visit to the Caminito del Rey with a short break in Andalusia. Stay one night and you’ll catch the gorge at sunrise – something no photograph can ever replace.
Restaurants & Bars in El Chorro – Eating After the Trail
Anyone who has walked 7.7 kilometres through the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes has earned a proper meal. The village of El Chorro – smaller, quieter and more authentic than many tourist centres in Andalusia – sits directly at the southern exit of the Caminito del Rey and offers exactly what is needed after a long trail: shade, a cold drink and good food.
Accommodation in El Chorro & Ardales
Most visitors to the Caminito del Rey arrive as day-trippers – from Málaga, Ronda, Marbella. They walk, they leave. And they miss the best of it. Staying one night in El Chorro or Ardales means experiencing the region in a different light. The reservoir at dusk. The silence after 8 p.m. The scent of pine and limestone. This is the real Andalusia – not the crowded tourist trail at 11 in the morning.