El Camino de Santiago: A Walking Tour in Northern Spain

For more than a millennium, pilgrims have walked the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James, to the Shrine of the Apostle at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. On this moderately-active program, follow the pilgrims' footsteps by hiking the most interesting sections of the Camino, enjoying exquisite cuisine, regional wines, breathtaking architecture, and splendid hotels en route. Daily walks average 3.5 miles, with plenty of opportunities to rest along the way. This journey on the classic Camino concludes with Mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the traditional incense-burning ceremony will be performed specially for our group.

Trip Highlights:

• Begin a series of walks along the Camino in Pamplona and end in Santiago de Compostela. This pilgrimage has been undertaken for centuries, and still draws hundreds of thousands of devotees annually.
• Admire awe-inspiring cathedrals and monasteries in Nájera, Burgos, León, and other pilgrimage cities along the way, and enjoy leisure time to explore Spain’s lovely Galicia region.
• Experience midday Mass at the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important religious structures in Spain, with the famous Botafumeiro ritual performed for the group.
• Watch the sunset over Cape Finisterre, a rock-bound peninsula once thought to be “the end of the Earth,” into the Atlantic Ocean.