All indications are that starting next summer visitors will have to pay to enter Río Chíllar in Nerja.
This has long been the case for the Junta de Los Ríos above Otívar, although circumstances are different.
Whereas access to the Otivar waterfalls is obtained crossing private land; hence the toll, in the case of Río Chíllar and, for example, the Caminito del Rey in Álora and Ardales, it’s the Junta de Andalucía who is behind the pay-to-enter scheme.
Río Chíllar begins its descent from 1,200 metres up just under the Piedra Sillada and flow out into the sea via El Playazo in Nerja. Along the way are waterfalls and rockpools, making it a very popular tourist attraction. However many users leave litter and generally don’t look after this place of natural beauty; hence the measure to control access through leasing entry control to a private company.
It looks like the same company that used to manage the Caminito del Rey, (Hermanos Campano SL de Ardales) will land the contract for Río Chíllar for next summer, and if all goes well, the lease can be extended another year.
The toll will be in place from the 1st of May to the 1st of November. The Junta recommends that entrance tickets are obtained online, which is the case for Caminito del Rey.
It’s estimated that around 500 people a day will visit the river walk with an entrace fee of between six and twelve euros. This price includes an insurance policy in case of accident.
The toll booth will be operative seven days a week from 09.00h to 16.00h with visitors having to leave by 18.00h and the gates being locked at 20.00h
All this has come about as the result of years of complaints and massification (over 3,000 entered during just one day), so much so that last year the Town Hall issued a decree banning access during the summer, full stop. The river, after all, is part of the Natural Park of Sierras Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama and so much human intrusion was playing havoc with flora and fauna.
According to the information, officially made public through its publication in the Regional Andalusian Gazette (BOJA), there will also be a strict control over parking, which will include an debussing area for coach passengers, near the old quarry near the entrance.
Cars will have to park on Calle Mirto and Calle Mercadillo, although there is the possibility of providing a shuttle service to the old quarry.
However, ecologist groups reject an entrance price of up to twelve euros. For example the Gabinete de Estudios de la Naturaleza (GENA)-Ecologistas en Acción, is completely against it. In fact, what they want is access to be permanently denied to everybody owing to the natural importance of the area and accuse the Junta of just wanting to make money out of it to the detriment of the environment.
(News/Noticias: Nerja, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)