Public consultation period opens for Nerja's Río Chíllar

The reopening of the popular Río Chíllar river walk in Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol has taken a further administrative step, although there is still no clear timeline.

The Andalusian regional government published on Friday 22 May in the Official Bulletin of Andalucía (BOJA) the resolution opening the public consultation period for the application to authorise the occupation of public waterways with controlled access to the iconic natural site located between Nerja and Frigiliana.

The resolution officially confirms that two business proposals have been accepted for the future management model for the site: Iniciativas Turísticas Ardales S.L.U. (Travelnatura), linked to the Hermanos Campano group and another submitted by Construcciones Sánchez Domínguez-Sando S.A.U. Both companies are participating in the procedure reactivated by the regional government following the failure of the first attempt, which was rejected in March 2025 due to unfavourable technical reports.

According to the agreement signed by the regional spokesperson for agriculture, fisheries, water and rural development in Malaga, Fernando Fernández Tapia-Ruano, the process will now remain open for public consultation for one month to allow for comments. The projects may be consulted both online via the regional government’s website and in person at the administrative offices in Malaga.

This latest administrative development comes just a month after the regional government confirmed to SUR that both companies were pressing ahead with plans to introduce a regulated access system to the riverbed, modelled on the Caminito del Rey. The regional government’s aim is to reconcile the environmental conservation of the area with controlled tourist use through daily visitor quotas, surveillance and potential associated services.

However, deadlines are once again working against an immediate reopening. As SUR reported on 15 April, the pending sectoral reports on the environment, safety, access and parking remain crucial to finally unblocking the process. It was these technical reports that led to the rejection of the three bids submitted in the previous tender.

Travelnatura, which is linked to Hermanos Campano and Sando agree that overcrowding has made unrestricted use of the Chíllar River unsustainable, but they propose different models for regulating access. The former proposes a season running from 1 May to 31 October, with advance ticket sales, access control, staff stationed at strategic points and two distinct sections: a family-friendly section extending past the first Cahorro and a more challenging section up to the area known as Vado de los Patos.

The proposal includes an initial capacity of 500 people per day, a general admission fee of 10 euros including VAT, free entry for children under eight, parking in the northern section of Calle Mirto and the possibility of a shuttle minibus to the site.

Sando proposes a more compact model focused on operational control, running from 1 May to 1 November, from 9am to 6pm, with access concentrated at La Cantera. The route would be a single, return journey to the aforementioned Poza de los Patos, with ticket verification, capacity control, identification wristbands, a booking website, insurance included, real-time weather information and coordination with emergency services. The company proposes a ticket price of 4.90 euros including VAT, well below the rate proposed by Travelnatura. It reinforces its offer with cameras, meeting points and safety and protection plans.

The Río Chíllar has been closed since 8 August 2023 by order of Nerja town hall following years of extreme overcrowding and a steady rise in the number of rescues, safety issues and environmental pressure. On some summer weekends, up to 3,000 visitors a day were recorded on the river walk, considered one of the province’s main natural attractions.

Since then, the Local Police have been carrying out regular checks at the river’s access points, and the council continues to impose fines on those who breach the ban. Nerja town hall has repeatedly stated that the closure will remain in place until there is a regulated system in place that guarantees both the environmental protection of the area and the safety of visitors.

The resolution published on Friday in the BOJA specifies that the application is being processed as an authorisation for the occupation of the public waterway for tourist activities on the Chíllar riverbed with controlled access. The project affects the section between the municipalities of Nerja and Frigiliana.

The proposed model continues to cause social and political division. While the tourism and business sectors argue that visitor numbers must be regulated in order to reopen the site as soon as possible, environmental groups remain firmly opposed to any approach that involves the commercial exploitation of the natural area or charging for access. Organisations such as GENA-Ecologistas en Acción have even called for the site to be closed permanently to prevent environmental degradation.

For now, the immediate future of the Río Chíllar remains subject to complex administrative and environmental procedures. Although the publication in the BOJA represents a significant step forward in the process, there is still no set date for the site’s reopening and all signs suggest that the popular beauty spot will remain closed this summer.