Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Natural Site
Also known as ‘Garganta de El Chorro’, the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Natural Park is one of the most spectacular landscapes of the Sierra Malagueña.
Attached to its walls is the famous ‘Caminito del Rey’, which offers visitors spectacular panoramic views of the canyon. If you are interested in experiencing the ‘most dangerous path in the world’, here is more information. With a surface area of 2,016 hectares, the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Nature Reserve is the largest protected natural area in the province of Malaga. It was declared as such by Law 2/1989, of 18 July, approving the Inventory of Protected Natural Spaces of Andalusia and establishing additional measures for its protection (BOJA no. 60, of 27/07/1989); it is also a Special Protection Area for Birds [ZEPA (2002] and is proposed as a Site of Community Interest (SCI). It is located in the municipalities of Álora, Ardales and Bobadilla.
El Desfiladero de los Gaitanes: A rich geological heritage
The limestone of the Sierra de Huma massif, located between the municipalities of Ardales, which is very sensitive to water and wind erosion, gives the landscape a picturesque appearance. From an aesthetic point of view, the most spectacular feature is undoubtedly the verticality of these large rocky masses. The Natural Park takes its name from its most spectacular point: the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes. This is a narrow gorge carved by the Guadalhorce river over limestone and dolomite from the Jurassic and Miocene periods. The dimensions of this narrow canyon, more than three kilometres long, are striking. In some sections, the width between the sides is barely more than ten metres, which is all the more impressive considering that at some points the height of the summit above the river reaches 700 metres. There are also a number of caves in the walls of the gorge, some well above the course of the Guadalhorce. In addition, it is easy to see other caves within the natural site, such as those which until a few years ago were used as dwellings by the inhabitants of the area. These and other features make this one of the most unique natural sites in Andalusia.
The fauna of the Gaitanes Gorge
Mountain goats live in the higher areas. Smaller animals such as blackbirds and swifts live in the lower areas, next to the water. Other mammals that are more elusive to the eye are dormice and genets. In the middle parts of La Garganta the falcon, kestrel and goshawk as well as other medium-sized birds of prey. The summit is the nesting place and fiefdom of large birds of prey such as golden eagles and griffon vultures.
A Natural Park with a unique flora
Aleppo pines, stone pines, holm oaks and eucalyptus accompanied by scrubland with a predominance of junipers, junipers, palmettos, broom and rockrose. The riverside is made up of rushes, reeds, reeds, oleanders and tamarisks and some poplars and willows. And the most protected plant, the Rupicapnos Africana, which appears in the red book of protected species of Andalusia. It grows on vertical rocks and is in serious danger of extinction.
How to get to the Gaitanes Gorge
From Malaga Airport
The Desfiladero de los Gaitanes is 58 kilometres from Malaga Airport. If you are coming from another departure point click here to find out how to get to the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes.