Arrive in Oia and settle into your hotel. Relax on your first night in the beautiful coastal village, which is also home to the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Oya.
Accommodation: Hotel or guesthouse
Dating back to the 9th century, Camino de Santiago is usually a month-long pilgrimage—which is too long for lots of folks. That’s why a self-guided, 8-day slice of the Camino Portugues (one of Camino de Santiago’s routes) is the preferred alternative for many—you get to walk at your own pace with reserved accommodation and transferred luggage ready for you at the end of every day. The trails snake their way through the Spanish & Portuguese bucolic setting, quaint fishing villages, historical landmarks, and pristine nature, always ending in the famed Santiago de Compostela. Follow the yellow scallops, uncover the secrets of the Camino, and find out why Spanish cuisine makes every best-of list in the world!
Included
Add-ons (pricing shown at checkout):
Not included:
*Please note that refrigerators are not guaranteed in the accommodations.
The most important thing about walking the Camino Santiago is that you enjoy the journey at your own pace. Whether you’re a very fast or a slow walker, we encourage you to enjoy the trail. Having said that, a good fitness level is still required. The trails have plenty of opportunities to rest and recover!
You’ll be doing between 11 and 27.7 km a day (7 to 17 miles), carrying a daypack of things you might need on the trail, for 6 consecutive days. Don’t worry about the baggage, though, as the support vehicle will carry everything for you! Most days involve gentle climbs, with the biggest elevation gain being around 250 m (820 ft)—and often even less.
Hiking consecutive full days can be quite strenuous. In preparation for your hike, your guides recommend doing some 5-10 mile (8-16 km) walks—including some uphills and downhills with a loaded backpack.
Self-guided tours are perfect for those who enjoy exploring on their own terms—at their own pace, and with the company they choose. By joining this Camino tour, we take care of…
Rather than joining a guided group, you’ll navigate the tour yourself, using resources provided by the tour operator. For a hassle-free journey with everything arranged for you in advance, there’s no better option!
As a self-guided tour is built around your preferred travel dates, your guide will take care of arranging accommodations and details after you book. Note that exact accommodations and dates might shift slightly, so don’t make any travel arrangements until the details of your adventure are confirmed.
Here’s a list of clothing we recommend bringing:
Here’s a list of other equipment we suggest you bring:
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Your guides will send you a pre-departure pack by post. The pack contains your pilgrim passport, luggage tag, route notes or guidebook if you’ve requested a hard copy. In case there are certain complications with receiving the pre-departure pack, it will wait for you at your first accommodation.
You’ll have to download the walking notes and vouches yourself. The walking notes are here to assist you. Although the Camino is pretty well-marked and you only need to follow the yellow arrows, there are sometimes variations on the routes or some of them are more difficult to follow than the others. We recommend that you always familiarize yourself with the daily journey ahead. You’ll also download the vouchers yourself. These vouchers contain all the information about your confirmed accommodation—there will be an address, their phone number, any special instructions on how to get there, and a small map.
You will find a 24/7 support phone number on the bottom of each voucher. Keep in mind that there’s no need to print out the vouchers, as your reservations will be confirmed.
Accommodation for the duration of your tour is based on a number of criteria, including location, comfort, services, price, and character. Though accommodation on the Camino is limited, your guides will always try to book something that is near the Camino as well as the historical center of the city. Expect hotels of a 3* standard in larger cities, while for the smaller villages and towns, your guide choose hotels or guesthouses of a 2* standard. Exceptions may be made.
In case your accommodation is located outside the town, you’ll need to check your vouchers for specific instructions on how to get to your accommodation. Most likely the accommodation will organize a taxi transfer or they will pick you up themselves. All the necessary information will be on the vouchers, which is why it’s important to check them every morning so you can plan ahead.
Pricing is based on double occupancy. Still, a solo traveler can certainly sign up, but please note there will be an additional single supplement fee.
The luggage transfer is limited to 1 bag per person with a maximum weight of 15 kg per bag, it does not matter the size of the bag. Additional bags can be transferred for an extra €10 per bag per transfer. Please note that boots or smaller bags attached to the main bag count as an extra bag and will be charged accordingly.
If you’re moving onto different accommodation, we ask you to have the luggage ready by 8 am at the reception. Make sure to use your luggage tags—ideally, write your trip reference and your mobile phone number if you wish. Your luggage should be at the next hotel by 6 pm max. Note that if you’re not walking to your following destination (for example on days when you take public transport), you have to carry it yourself.
Group sizes and prices:
Min. age requirements:
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The price for this tou is based on twin-share rooms, but a single occupancy room can be arranged at an additional fee. You can add it to your booking at checkout.
Solo travelers are welcome to join, but a single occupancy room surcharge is mandatory—you’ll be able tell us if you’re signing up solo at checkout.
Yes! Dogs are allowed on the trail, just consider your dog’s fitness and whether they’re willing to go with you on tour. Keep in mind that extra fees might occur in accommodations, especially depending on your dog’s size.
Regardless of which pilgrimage you’re doing (coastal portion of Camino Portuguese or final 100 km of Camino Portuguese), it’s easiest to reach any of them by flying into Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ). From there, your guides can either arrange airport transfers to the meeting point for an additional fee or you can reach them by yourselves.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
To secure your spot, a deposit in the amount of 30% is required at the time of booking. The remaining amount must be paid 90 calendar days prior to the trip departure.
Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies.
Client can transfer their booking to a person who satisfies all the requirements, having first given the Guide reasonable notice in writing to do so before the departure date (such notice must be given more than 21 days prior to the date of departure). Client who transfers the Booking shall be jointly and severally liable with the transferee to the Guide for the payment of any balance due in respect of the holiday and for a substitution fee of €30.00 per person substituted, subject to a maximum of €120.00 per booking (or such other greater sum as may be authorized).
Please note that booking fees are non-refundable in all cases and will be deducted from the refund amount.