8 day Camino de Santiago walk Spain

• 6kms. 3 hours

Flights to Spain: Guests will need to organise their own flights into Santiago de Compostela to meet the group. Direct flights operate from Madrid (1 hour 15 min flight) or Barcelona (1 hours 40 mins) to Santiago de Compostela.

Walk & distance:
Afternoon walk: Sarria to Sabenche – 6kms
Option to skip walk and travel with the guide/driver.

Track notes:
Morning walk: Steep descent of 500m over 8kms
Afternoon walk: Undulating well-formed paths, trending upwards

Overview: Meet your transfer company at 11.45am in the foyer of the Parador de Santiago Hotel or alternatively we can pick you up from Santiago de Compostela airport at 12.30pm. We transfer to Sarria (1.5 hours drive) where we enjoy a restaurant lunch before heading off. Today’s walk takes us from the town of Sarria to the village of Sabenche. Sarria was a major medieval centre for pilgrims with several churches, chapels, monasteries and 7 pilgrim hospitals, these days it is a bustling modern city. We head out of town and on an uphill stretch to the countryside. We walk along peaceful country roads, past tiny villages and through charming woodlands to the tiny village of Sabenche. We arrive at our accommodation in the afternoon, the charming Casa Caxiguero a 12th century typical traditional Spanish farmhouse. Enjoy the warm hospitality and quaint atmosphere with wonderful home-cooked meals featuring organic food produced in the garden all accompanied with local wines.

Note this walk can be added to our 5 day Camino walk to create a longer journey across Spain and our French Camino walk.

Walk and distances:
Total walk Portomarin to Palas De Rei: 24kms 6 hours. 

Shorter walking options:
The day will be broken down into the following walks and you can take our transfers to do any of these.
Option 1: Portomarin to Morning tea stop (7.7kms)
Option 2: Morning tea to lunch stop (5kms)
Option 3: Lunch to afternoon tea stop(6 kms)
Option 4: Afternoon tea stop to the finish (5kms)
The flattest sections are  from morning tea to lunch and then afternoon tea to the finish.

Track Notes:
The walk this morning is challenging with an undulating ascent of 400m until Ventas de Naron (12.6kms)
After lunch there will be 8kms of undulating descent to our afternoon tea stop, with the last 5kms relatively easy going.

Overview: After breakfast we farewell Portomarin and head towards the town of Palas de Rei. Our day starts with a steady uphill climb taking in views of pretty Portomarin. The route takes us through the brooms, with their magnificent fragrance. Our path then follows the road to Gonzar and past Castromaior, known for its Romanesque church.  Along the path you will pass charming hamlets and calvaries. Over this stage, we will pass through Ventas de Naron, over the gentle Sierra de Ligonde, then downhill through Ligonde to see the church dedicated to the apostle St James. Emperor Charles V stayed here in the modest village of Ligonde in 1520. Our guide will meet us today towards the end of the walk for our short transfer (15 mins) to our accommodation for the next 2 nights at Pazo de Orban & Sangro. Tonight enjoy dinner in a local restaurant with local wines.

• 14kms. 4 hours

Walk and Distances:
Melide to Arzua total walk – 14.5kms

Shorter walking options: 
Melide to Morning tea stop – 5kms.
Morning tea to lunch stop – 7.5kms

Track notes: Easy, relatively flat walking up until morning tea through rural farmland and a nice forest. Short downhill section after morning tea and then undulating to the Arzua. Varied path of dirt tracks, forest path,cement footpath and roadside.

After breakfast, we farewell our hosts and transfer back to the trail at Melide. Today’s walk takes us from the town of Melide to Arzúa. The terrain becomes much easier today as we walk through the villages of Carballal, San Xuilan do Camino with its cute 12th Century church and the village of Lebereiro. We wind our walk through woodlands of oaks, pine and Eucalyptus trees. We will stop at one of the local villages along the way for lunch. Crossing over the River Seco on the Magdalena Bridge we will reach Furelos and continue on to Arzúa, in the province of La Coruña, famous for its local cheese. From here we are transferred to our accommodation for the next two nights at Arzua at Pazo De Brandesco. Tonight dine in the grand dining room enjoying a three-course meal served with local wine.

Walks and distances:
We transfer an extra 3 minutes down the road from San Anton to start our walk today in Amenal.
Amenal to Santiago De Compostela – 16kms

Shorter walking options:
Option 1: Amenal to Morning tea stop – 4.5kms
Option 2: Morning Tea stop to lunch stop: 7.5kms
Option 3: Lunch stop to Santiago de Compostela. 4kms

Track notes: Mixture of rural and urban settings. We climb a large hill through a forest. 309m – 330m gains and losses in elevation during the day.

Overview: Today is the final leg of our Camino walk as we make our way to our destination at Santiago de Compostela. After breakfast we transfer back to the trail (20 mins) to start our walk. Today you will pass many ancient sites including monuments, chapels and bridges, all have a story to tell. Follow country lanes and forest paths through increasingly populated countryside. We walk through Lavacolla village, a place where pilgrims traditionally stopped to wash in the river and purify themselves before entering the city of Santiago. We reach Monte del Gozo (Mount of Joy) where we will see impressive views of the impressive Cathedral of Santiago. We walk into Santiago though the cobbled streets of the Old Quarter and feel the elation as we reach the Plaza del Obradoiro, one of the most beautiful and renowned squares in Spain and the end of our walk. Enjoy the views in front of you of the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago. To the left of the cathedral in the square is our impressive accommodation for the night at the Parador (also known as the Hostal dos Reis Catolicos.) Considered the oldest hotel in the world, in 1499 this building was a Royal hospital to house the walkers who were on the camino pilgrimage to Santiago. These days this accommodation is now an elegant hotel with the best location in the city offering a truly unique and exclusive place to stay. Tonight we join the pilgrims service at 7.30pm before enjoying a celebratory dinner in the historic restaurant at the Parador Hotel.