Spain is sometimes perceived as a somewhat less than safe country to travel in. While certain parts like Barcelona may be prone to petty crime, the reality is walking the Camino is a very safe undertaking. Pilgrims are held in high esteem in Spain and are, for the most part, afforded nothing but the epitome of hospitality and safety. There are a few things to be aware of, however, to make sure there are no untoward occurrences. OPPORTUNISTIC THEFT Like any country, Spain has its fair share of petty thieves who will take advantage of a situation if it arises. If you leave your valuables unatten ..read more

One of the beauties of the Camino, and especially the Camino Frances, is the infrastructure. It’s rare that you are more than 4-6km from the nearest town and somewhere to buy food or fill up on water. There’s no need to be weighed down carrying all your supplies for the day, although it is a common thing for pilgrims to carry food for a picnic lunch somewhere scenic. But the cost of food in Spain is cheap so it’s not a big financial outlay to eat all your meals in restaurants. Here is a summary of the essentials. WATER One of the beauties of the Camino Frances in particular is the ubiquitous w ..read more

Once they arrive at Santiago Cathedral many pilgrims do not stop their journey  but continue to Finisterre on the coast and the so-called kilometre zero of the Camino de Santiago at the Finisterre Lighthouse. This small rugged headland with dramatic scenery has always been considered the ‘end of the world’, hence its name.   One of the traditions is that to celebrate the end of their journey, pilgrims leave their hiking clothes behind or burn their shoes and scatter the ashes into the sea from the cliff at the lighthouse. Others just leave their stuff there. However, the municip ..read more

After the hiatus of the Pandemic and 2022 being announced as a Holy Year it seems more Pilgrims than ever before decided to walk the Camino last year. In total 430,000 Pilgrims were able to receive the Compostela in Santiago. That is the accreditation they receive after a journey of more than 100 kilometres (usually starting before Sarria) Historic year  The figure surpasses the 272,135 pilgrims of the 2010 Xacobeo and the 347,578 of 2019, the year before the pandemic struck. 2023 may be a quieter year in terms of numbers  as it is not a Holy Year and perhaps the pent up travel ..read more

In  2022 the Camino De Santiago has broken records with a whopping 21,000 walkers seen already this year. There have been over 20,700 walkers so far this year, the highest figure ever seen in the history of the Camino de Santiago, according to Alfonso Rueda, the First Vice President and Councillor of Presidency, Justice and Tourism of Galicia. On Wednesday 13, April, 1,600 Compostelas were stamped at the Pilgrim’s Welcome Office, which is the highest daily number of 2022. “The numbers indicate that we already have more pilgrims than in 2019, the last normal year, and also m ..read more

This past month the Camino routes have sprung back into Life with upto 10,000 people a week now arriving in Santiago de Compostela, embracing the healing effects of the Camino after the trials of the pandemic period. Santiago is once again seeing throngs of walkers and visitors in its streets, helping revive the local economy. The hope is that they will soon be joined in 2022 by Australians and New Zealanders as international travel restrictiosn lift in the coming months.  The following news report is from the associated press: ‘The numbers of pilgrims arriving in Santiago over the next y ..read more

It has been announced that the 1st of July is the date set by the Cathedral of Santiago, the Pilgrim’s Office and a good part of the public hostels to open their doors, favoring the restart of the Camino pilgrimage. The Minister of Culture has said.”We all want pilgrims to return to the Camino de Santiago soon, but the absolute priority is to guarantee safety for those who travel the route, and for the professionals or volunteers who are present on a daily basis,” The decision was made yesterday at the meeting of the organizing committee of Xacobeo 2021, in which the Xunta de Galicia ..read more

While overseas travel look to be off the cards for this year and possibly most of next, a good alternative is to walk an Australian based Camino instead. The ‘Aussie Camino’ is a  route that draws pilgrims together in recognition of the life of Saint Mary of the Cross, Mary MacKillop, Australia’s only saint. The 230km trail begins in Portland, Victoria where Mary taught between 1862 – 1866. Then finishes in Penola, South Australia, the birthplace of Mary’s congregation, the Sisters of St Joseph. This unique Pilgrimage was created in 2013 by sch ..read more

One of the reasons attributed to the exponential growth in numbers of people walking the Camino over the past 10 years is the heart warming movie “The Way”, starring Martin Sheen. If you are considering walking the Camino and haven’t seen it yet we highly recommend you do. While the subject of much debate among Camino purists, the movie is a good introduction to life on the Camino. Like any Hollywood movie, there are anomalies throughout ( eg no one wears jeans walking the Camino, they are often seen walking in the wrong direction etc), but it does manage to capture the spirit of the ..read more