Walking the Camino de Santiago

Name: Walking the Camino de Santiago
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.3 (6 reviews)

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11 Days from

USD 3,549

incl. Taxes

4.3/5 from

Walking & Trekking

Ways to Travel :

Self-Guided Holidays

Activity :

Walking & Trekking

Activity Levels :

3 out of 7 - Moderate

Ages :

12+

Trip Code :

W10CS

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela is one of the world's oldest pilgrimage routes, and in 1987 was declared the first European Culture Route.

The Spanish Camino de Santiago is one of THE most ancient walking routes in the world. Ever since the 9th century, the French Way has led thousands of pilgrims on an 800km journey across northern Spain, winding from the Pyrenees across the wheat fields of old Castile to pass through Leon, the seat of Spanish Kings, full of soaring cathedrals and hushed convents, before entering Galicia. The route then builds to a spectacular finale at Santiago de Compostela's majestic Baroque cathedral, the last resting place of St James the apostle.

Your walk begins in Leon and, in keeping with the pilgrimage route, you walk daily along farm tracks, paths and country lanes, enjoying sociable lunches in restaurants en route. You'll stay in an astonishingly diverse range of properties including restored parish houses, converted water mills and stylish farmhouses, all packed with period features. We've included transfers after breakfast on the first three walking days, after which you'll walk all the way to Santiago. The sense of achievement on arrival is immense, and sharing in this tradition with your fellow pilgrims en route is incredibly rewarding.

Everyone on the Camino has a Pilgrim Passport that can be stamped in bars, hotels and churches along the way to qualify for a certificate from the official Pilgrim Office in Santiago. You'll notice a profound and heart-warming camaraderie with other walkers, as day by day you fall in and out of step with people from all over the world, some of whom have been walking for months, covering hundreds of miles! You'll also find complete strangers cheering you on and wishing you 'Buen Camino!' ('Enjoy your walk!').

Highlights

Follow one of the most ancient pilgrimage routes in the world!
Stay in converted water mills, hilltop monasteries and stylish farmhouses
Soaring cathedrals, Roman bridges, country chapels and thatched Galician villages
Poppy-sprinkled wheat fields, orchid-rich water meadows, pine-scented woodland

Key Information

10 nights in 2 to 4-star hotels
9 days point-to-point walking
Altitude max. 1300m, average 700m
Self-guided holiday. Min age 12 yrs

Countries visited: Spain

What's Included

All buffet breakfasts and 7 dinners
All accommodation (see accommodation section)
Route notes

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request - compulsory supplement)
Solo traveller supplement (where only one person is travelling on a departure date)
Visas or vaccinations
Travel to/from the start/end points
Standard Madrid to Leon rail ticket

9 Days of Walking & Trekking

Pace:

Approximately 5-6 hours walking per day

Terrain:

Low altitude; good paths with some steep ascents

Day 2

19 km / 11.8 miles

Day 3

15 km / 9.3 miles

Day 4

18 km / 11.2 miles

Day 5

23 km / 14.3 miles

Day 6

21 km / 13 miles

Day 7

14 km / 8.7 miles

Day 8

21 km / 13 miles

Day 9

19 km / 11.8 miles

Day 10

21 km / 13 miles

Responsible Travel

At Exodus we believe in the power of Responsible Travel.

Every time we travel, we are part of a global movement that creates jobs, builds more sustainable societies, encourages cultural understanding and safeguards common natural and cultural heritage. To learn more about what Responsible Travel means to Exodus click here…

Itinerary

Arrive at your historic hotel in the heart of Leon. There are masses of restaurants and tapas bars on your doorstep, so we've left the choice up to you for dinner tonight.
Comfortable Hotel

Your day starts with a guided tour of Leon's magnificent gothic Cathedral which is often called the 'House of Light' and a visit to the Basilica of San Isidoro, one of the most important Romanesque churches in Spain and resting place of Leon's mediaeval monarchs. You will then receive your pilgrims passport. We then provide a transfer (1hr) to Cruz de Ferro, the highest point on the Camino, marked by a pre-Roman cross. The Camino winds downhill through fragrant pines where once the Knights Templar protected pilgrims from bandit attack. A path lined with wild chestnuts, cherries, peppers and fennel leads to riverside Molinaseca, known to be one of the most beautiful villages on the Camino.

Two options: Distance 8km/5mi, approx. 2 hours walking or 19km/12mi, approx. 4 hours walking.
Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

After a short transfer (30 mins), you ascend the Rio Valcarce valley, climbing into moody oak woods strung with lichen and strewn with early purple orchid. O Cebreiro is a 11th Century village in the heart of the Cordillera Cantabrica. Walk to the viewpoint above the village for a perfect sunset and views over four ranges of hills then return along the narrow, cobbled streets, past traditional thatched houses known as pallozas.

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

After a short transfer we drop you off at Triacastela. As the Camino meanders between heather-clad villages overlooking the Monastery of Samos, you can hear the bells ringing. On reaching Sarria - the antiques capital of Galicia, you'll be whisked to Javier and Raquel's elegant country rectory (10 mins), complete with chapel and al fresco dining patio area.

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

A Roman bridge leads out of Sarria up the Celerio Valley, where you'll traverse the hamlets of the southern flank of the Sierra del Paramo. Descend into Portomarin - the original village was drowned by the Belesar Reservoir, and some remains still shimmer below the surface!

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Drop into Portomarin's church then follow the Torres stream, passing between cornfields lined with ox-eye daisies. Stamp your Pilgrim Passport in country churches dedicated to the Order of St James before arriving at your beautifully restored rectory.

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Country lanes lead past fortified farmhouses into the hillside town of Palas de Rei (Palace of the King) as you enter the province of A Coruna. You'll pass typical, raised Galician granaries, and chickens scamper across narrow streets as you enter vineyards, with views east to the Montes del Vacaloura.

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Today's first stop is Melide - a thriving country town where tavernas brim with locals enjoying Galician seafood in specialist pulperias (octopus restaurants). Drop into the Romanesque church to admire the frescoes, before lanes lined with bright yellow celandine bring you into the lively market town of Arzua. Continue on to your elegant manor house, surrounded by tranquil countryside, just outside the town.

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Arzua's colonnaded streets lead into open country where local farmers wear berets as they tend vines and build haystacks with pitch forks. Your route rises and falls through river valleys, crossing rushing streams. This evening you can marvel at Javier's breathtaking converted water mill, where original machinery has been turned into spectacular period features.

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Excitement mounts as you set off towards Monte do Gozo (Mount of Joy), where pilgrims of old caught their first glimpse of the spires of Santiago. On reaching Santiago's historic centre, congratulations are everywhere as a steady stream of pilgrims reach their journey's end below the cathedral's spectacular Baroque facade. Drop into the Pilgrim Office to collect your certificate if you wish, before checking into our historic hotel near the old marketplace - still a riot of colour!

Comfortable Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Enjoy Santiago and the cathedral before taking a taxi to the airport (pay locally approx 15 euro). Alternatively, stay on for extra nights to explore this beautiful historic city. Walking through the old streets of Santiago is a fantastic way to spend your time here, with Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings lining the old town's streets and plazas.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Essential Info

Visa

Spain

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Spain. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/spain
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/spain
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Spain.html

Vaccination

Spain

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus and rabies. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts and 7 dinners are included.

Dinners are either taken at the hotel, or left open, where there is a good choice of restaurants.

Weather

In April and October expect temperatures in the 40-60°F/5-15°C with high chance of rain showers though it could also be simply partly cloudy and more temperate. Temperatures in May, June and September tend to be about 10°F/5°C warmer than April and October. Expect a combination of sun, showers and clouds. July and August are typically sunny and warm (60-80°F/15-25°C). Occasionally in summer there can be hot days so it is always important to make sure you have enough water.

Weather Charts

Is this trip for you?

This is a moderate walking holiday because of the distance covered each day rather than the altitude change or the terrain. There is lots of classic Galician countryside to enjoy, rural paths and hamlets with cafes and restaurants for pilgrims along the route. Walks on this holiday are on village streets, country lanes, farm tracks and rural paths. Walking days are approximately 5-6 hours with ascents up to 700m (2400feet) and may involve some scrambling. You should be used to walking all day.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. You are provided with route notes for each day, which begin with an overview of the walk and advice on lunch, followed by detailed instructions. The route notes contain a 24 hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the hotels are normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving at hilltop O Cebreiro in snow and seeing the C11 chapel there. Arriving soaked at the hotel in Arzua, and getting a really warm welcome. Lining up in the office in Santiago for my certificate with walkers from numerous countries.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Not applicable

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure your footwear is suitable.

Suggestions

Though the route guide (indeed all the paperwork) is excellent, we did get briefly lost in a couple of towns.

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Covid-19 refund commitment

You will get a refund if you have to cancel your trip due to COVID-19.

Availability

This departure is guaranteed to go ahead and can be booked, although some components will need to be requested. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.

View Trip Notes

Availability