Visitors to popular Axarquía beauty spot may have to pay to enjoy it, and these are some of the other main proposals

The Andalusian regional government has published an invitation for companies interested in managing Nerja’s popular Río Chíllar to submit their proposals. One of the recommendations made by Hermanos Campano S.L., the Ardales-based company that managed El Caminito del Rey from its inauguration in April 2015 until 2021, that has submitted a proposal, is that visitors will have to pay between six and 12 euros to enter the site.

The Río Chíllar starts at an altitude of more than 1,200 metres above sea level at the foot of Piedra Sillada and flows down to the river mouth on the town’s El Playazo beach, passing through dramatic scenery including the enormous limestone gorges, known as ‘Los Cahorros’.

The information was published in the Junta’s official bulletin (BOJA) on Thursday 14 December and the company's proposal also sets out plans to control the access to the river from 1 May to 1 November 2024, with the possibility of extending it for another year.

The proposal includes "a system of ticket sales and access and route control, establishing control points with specialised personnel, allowing for controlled activity, with emergency response". The Junta's proposal is for a system of ticket sales via a Río Chíllar website similar to that of El Caminito del Rey.

The proposal allows for 500 people per day, with an estimated price of between six and 12 euros, including visitor insurance. The entrance times would be from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm, with a controlled closing procedure starting at 6pm, so that the area is completely cleared by 8pm. The proposal also includes a shuttle bus system from nearby car parks.

Management of the river comes after years of complaints, overcrowding, incidents and unfulfilled promises, to the point that the town hall issued a decree in August closing it altogether. Up to 3,000 people were reported to access the river on a single day, putting at risk the sustainability of a protected area which is located in the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama natural park.

The proposal by Hermanos Campano also includes a website and corporate image of the Río Chíllar, as well as a social media page. It also includes the cleaning and adaptation of open spaces as a fire protection measure. The firm also proposes a rest area and open areas along the route and the area would be staffed by professionals.

There is now a period of one month for the company to present technical documents and other interested parties to submit proposals.

Environmentalists have rejected the plan and the Gabinete de Estudios de la Naturaleza (GENA)-Ecologistas en Acción have called for the site to remain closed to the public due to the uniqueness of the protected natural enclave. They also accuse Nerja town hall and the Junta de Andalucía of "commercialising" the area.