Pantano de El Chorro: where turquoise water meets the rock walls

Before the Caminito del Rey became famous, the Pantano de El Chorro was the real reason people came to this area. A threefold lake system with an almost alpine feel, set within a rocky landscape that seems to sit somewhere between Provence and Patagonia. Turquoise water, ochre rock, dark green pines in between – in summer the reservoirs look like a visual promise: it must be cool here, there must be shade.

Three reservoirs sit close together here. The Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce is the oldest, completed in 1921, and gave the valley its first hydroelectric power station. The Embalse de Guadalteba followed in 1971, to supply the growing city of Málaga with drinking water. The Embalse de Guadalhorce, finally, completed in 1973, today absorbs floodwater together with the Guadalteba and is linked to it by a double dam. Then there is the small Embalse de Gaitanejo at the edge of the gorge – water management as an Andalusian industrial monument.

Anyone with a spare day beyond the Caminito itself should spend it here. The Pantano is the ideal place to get to know the region before stepping onto the walkways the next day – viewpoints over the gorge, easy walks by the water, picnic spots beneath pine trees, and one of Europe’s most important climbing areas right on the rock walls.

Three reservoirs, one story: how the valley got its water

From the 1921 power station to today’s drinking-water reservoir

The reservoir history of El Chorro begins around 1900. The Spanish engineer Rafael Benjumea, later Conde de Guadalhorce, planned a hydroelectric power station in the Gaitanes gorge to supply the region with electricity. Building it required not just a dam but a supply path along the sheer rock walls – the future Caminito del Rey. The reservoirs and the walkway are thus siblings, of the same origin and the same era.

The first lake, the Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce, was completed in 1921. King Alfonso XIII inaugurated it – the same king who also walked the narrow maintenance path on the rock walls and gave it its name. The power station supplied the valley with energy, and the reservoir irrigated the fields of the Guadalhorce valley. The region changed fundamentally: an inaccessible gorge area became a modern industrial site.

The construction of the later reservoirs from 1971 onwards forced entire villages to be abandoned. The residents of Peñarrubia and the railway station of Gobantes were resettled – many moved to Santa Rosalía in Málaga or as far as Catalonia. Every year, a pilgrimage in honour of the Virgen del Rosario commemorates the abandoned homeland. The railway line also had to be rerouted: 12.6 kilometres of new track, of which 8.3 kilometres run through four tunnels, plus 28 kilometres of new roads. A mammoth undertaking whose traces still shape how people get around the valley today.

What you can experience at the reservoir: views, hiking, climbing

From the Mirador del Conde to the rocky edge

The best-known viewpoint is the Mirador del Conde – a platform directly above the Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce, from which the whole lake system can be seen. Anyone hiking the Caminito del Rey the next day should stop here briefly: from above you can see what the walk along the walkways only reveals from below. The rock walls, which later sink away beneath your feet, tower up massively here. The gorge starts to make sense.

Around the lakes there are easy walks that work well as an ideal warm-up day. Your legs get moving and your eyes get used to the rocky landscape, without yet needing the full concentration required on the Caminito’s walkways. Three routes are especially worthwhile:

El Chorro as a climbing area: one of Europe’s most important spots

A thousand routes on the gorge’s rock walls

What many day-trippers don’t know: the rock walls around the Pantano de El Chorro are among Europe’s most important climbing areas. Over a thousand routes have been established here, from beginner walls to routes of the ninth grade. The limestone offers solid rock, good protection points, and a climate that allows climbing from October to May – in summer it is usually too hot.

The climbing area is divided into several sectors: Las Encantadas, Los Cotos, Frontales – names that sound like brands among European climbers. The most famous line is „Poema de Roca” in the Los Cotos sector, a multi-pitch route that climbs over 200 vertical metres. Climbers usually stay at the La Garganta campsite right by El Chorro station, or in one of the small guesthouses in the village – the whole local economy runs more on climbing than on Caminito tourism.

Even those who don’t climb themselves see the sport constantly here: from the viewpoint above the gorge you can spot the ropes, the helmets, the small coloured dots on the walls. Anyone wanting to watch should head to the Frontales sector – the wall is clearly visible from the car park and is usually well attended.

Frequently asked questions about the Pantano de El Chorro