When will the final phase of Ronda's suspended walkway at foot of the famous gorge open?

The major tourist attraction that the mountain town of Ronda continues to work on, the second phase of the Camino del Desfiladero del Tajo (the Tajo gorge trail), is progressing at breakneck speed. Last Thursday, the historic Puente Nuevo bridge that spans the famous gorge was closed to traffic so that a crane could be deployed to get materials in and out from the bottom of the gorge. And now, this week, we learnt of the expected date for completion of this new installation.

According to Ronda town hall, if all the stages continue to be completed as per the project schedule, it is expected that this new stretch of walkway will be a reality from mid-October. In fact, Ronda's mayor, Mari Paz Fernandez, has highlighted that work on this second phase has already passed the halfway point and is now at 65% completion.

It's worth remembering that the budget for this second project exceeds one million euros. The innovative infrastructure, which hopes to become the next, new, major tourist attraction for the Serranía de Ronda area, consists of a walkway that starts at the base of Puente Nuevo. This point is accessed from the first phase of the project, another walkway that was launched a year ago. To date this first part of the Tajo gorge trail has welcomed some 160,000 visitors, according to town hall data.

From this location, where the former Casa Malonillo is located, a building that was adapted as the starting point of this itinerary and which is accessed from the square, Plaza del Campillo, you can reach the spot where the second leg of the walkway begins. This trail continues towards Padre Jesús, leading to the area where the Arab baths are located, next to the old Hermitage of San Miguel. It is estimated that the total length of the new walkway will be around 500 metres, running beside the Guadalevín river. This distance will be added to the 200 metres that can already be walked on the first stretch, making a total of 700 metres.

This project, designed by Luis Machuca's team of architects, is financed 50/50 by Malaga's provincial authority (Diputación de Málaga) and Ronda council. The walkway will be removable (for heavy rains), with wooden elements incorporated. It is 1.2 metres wide and is set at a height of approximately three metres above the riverbed. The overall aim is to have virtually no impact on this natural environment.

Likewise, the town hall firmly states that the footbridge and the entire trail known as the Camino del Desfiladero del Tajo will boost Ronda's tourist offering, providing a leap in quality given that this attraction, which is not yet even finished, has already become "a benchmark feature in the sector at all regional levels."