Internationale groepsreis Camino de Santiago Trek

Camino de Santiago

I have always heard people talking about the Camino de Santiago as something very special and spiritual. After doing it myself I can only confirm that everything they say about it is absolutely true. It was very nice to walk and chat with the group and get to know other walkers along the way. Such a great experience!! Buen Camino!

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Reaching Santiago de Compostela was the highlight of the week for me and sharing the moment with the rest of the group was amazing!

What did you think of your group leader?

José was a great trip companion and leader. He was fun and professional at the same time,and always ready to help us throughout the Camino.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Superb!!

We went with a group of friends from Church and the experience was absolutely brilliant!The trekking every day is not for the faint hearted and even the best prepared among us received blisters. However, the whole adventure from start to finish was so well organised and a great tribute to the package that Exodus has put together for us. It felt really personalised and the group leader Josea was fantastic. His attention to detail and his kindness and thoughtfulness throughout the trip was truly inspiring. He genuinely cared about every person in the group. I'm 60 years old and can say genuinely say that this was an experience of a life time on many different levels. The food and drink in Galicia was also fantastic!

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

When the group were becoming very tired walking we sang all sorts of songs ranging from modern pop, musicals and hymns-absolutely magical. For me it was also seeing seriously disabled people walking the Camino at their own pace but with such determination. I found this very moving and humbling. Also completing the trek as a group in the beautiful old city of Santiago which is a very special place.

What did you think of your group leader?

Josea was absolutely superb. He was very protective of the group, was the first up in the morning and the last one to go to bed. He would provide fruit and sometimes cake for the journey and had intimate knowledge of the Camino and surrounding area. He was constantly planning ahead and arranged many fantastic meals at local pensions/restaurants at unbelievably low prices. He quickly assessed the ability of the group members and developed a bespoke approach to every person. Fantastic man management and thoroughly decent and likeable person. We couldn't have wished for a better guide. In fact we were all very sad as he left the group at the end as it was like being parted from a really good friend. He burned with the desire for every person to enjoy their Camino and this desire shone from him.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Really do your home work on walking shoes/walking sticks and other gear. Make sure you have plenty of appropriate plasters for blisters and make sure that you have broken in fully any walking boots. It is worth investing in really good walking socks too. Watch the film "The Way" with Martin Sheen which is set around walking the Camino.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

People walk the Camino for many different reasons. Religious, work related, relationship difficulties etc or just for the challenge. I would advise anybody who is up for a real challenge and a unique experience to "do the Camino". We couldn't have wished to have travelled with a better firm. Exodus is fantastic as far as I am concerned and wouldn't hesitate to book with them again. We stayed at eight different pensions/hotels over the trek and they were great. Thank you Exodus and well done!

TSO170916 Camino de Santiago de Compostella

This is a walk mainly along roads and tracks. It is well signed and walking is good. You meet many people en route of all nationalities and abilities, young and older. We enjoyed the experience. Lots of places to eat and drink along the way. Lovely countryside, villages and small churches. Santiago is a wonderful end to the walk. Mass in the Cathedral was amazing.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

An old lady walking very slowly, using sticks, with so much determination. I do hope she made it. Also we saw a group of people on our next to last day paddling in a stream. That was a vision of bliss!!! Unfortunately we had more walking to do.

What did you think of your group leader?

Jose Bartolome was a gentleman, he was very attentive to the group. We were of very differing abilities but he was brilliant with everyone. He looked after our food, wounds and kept up morale when necessary which wasn't often. He even tended other pilgrims blisters etc.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

The walk doesn't need mountain boots. Strong trainers would have been more comfortable on this trip. I took boots as advised but my feet got far too hot and I got blisters. Some people walked in sandals but I don't think that is the answer as there are loose stones on the tracks.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Don't think about it any longer. Go and do the Camino.

Great trip

This trek is very well organised and straight forward for experienced walkers. The countryside is similar to the Cotswolds and there are few hills and no difficult sections. Our guide was brilliant and the walk was well paced - if you can walk 10 miles a day you can do this trek.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Arriving in the old town in Santiago and the service in the Cathedral with the "swinging" incense - even if you are not Catholic you will find this a very special ending to the trek.

What did you think of your group leader?

Hose was the perfect guide - he made sure everyone enjoyed the trek and managed the pace very well. He looked after those with blisters and dealt with any other problems with great professionalism. You won't find a better guide anywhere in the world!

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

You don't need heavy walking boots as much of this trek is on lanes or hard surfaces - good walking shoes are more than adequate. Everyone in our group was an experienced walker but the hard surfaces caused the blisters - some walked in strong sandals which worked quite well.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

This is a lovely trek in a very nice part of Spain. Food and drink are cheap and the distance is not difficult - Santiago is a great place to finish and make sure you go to the Cathedral at the end. As always this is a very good value trip with Exodus and is strongly recommended.

A great walking experience

Starting the Camino in Samos makes a lot of sense, it is itself a lovely setting with a great hotel for the first night, a pause before the walking starts. The walking programme was well planned building up slowly, after a couple of days it was easy to walk 25k, particularly as we were blessed with sunny weather and our group was honestly full of really friendly walkers. Even the hotels, although modest, were at least of Premier Inn standard.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Arriving in Santiago at the Cathedral was brilliant, lots of high spirits against the backdrop of the Cathedral and then later that evening, Pilgrims Mass in the Cathedral, anyone would be taken aback, I have never imagined the atmosphere of so many people together in a church!

What did you think of your group leader?

Our group leader was great, a natural, very easy to talk to and he organised the trip really well, even down to making sure we all dealt properly with any blisters on our feet!!

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

I think you have to keep your fingers crossed that the weather goes your way, a couple of rainy days at the end of the week took the edge off our two days in Santiago.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

A well organised and well lead walk along the Spanish end of The Camino

Despite rain for the first three days we enjoyed it immensely.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

The arrival at Santiago after 90 miles of walking

What did you think of your group leader?

He was excellent. Concerned for our welfare and great fun.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

The walking is easy in that the trail is well maintained and although there are some ups and downs and one long day of 29 kilometres it will be well within the ability of a regular walker.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

The hotels and pensions where we stayed were excellent. Clean and quiet with hot water and a goos general atmosphere.

Camino De Santiago

We had a great trip, our guide Jose was very helpful and patient. The timing was well planned between am and pm walks for the most part. We found that an hour lunch was too long as my joints would become a little stiff, 30 minutes was more appropriate for me. Our walking group was not well matched, we could have reached our destination much earlier in the day and would have had time to explore the local area but most days we arrived between 4 and 5 and it did not provide enough time to have a look around.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

It was reaching Santiago for sure. Seeing all the other pilgrims celebrating their achievement as well as our group was awesome. It was humbling to see people with disabilities struggle through the walk. It was a little disappointing walking through a built up area to reach the cathedral. I missed the pilgrim blessing as I didn't know that we could just show our passports and gain entrance to the cathedral. We were behind a large line up and just gave up our spot.

What did you think of your group leader?

Jose was very helpful and very patient. He made sure that he spent time with all of the people in our group. He encouraged us to walk together as a group. He had a good sense of humor.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Please have your group leader arrange for your pilgrim's passports to be handed in as a group to avoid 16 people waiting in line for their certificate. I was at the pilgrim's office for 7.30 am in the morning for the 8 opening and it still took me an hour for my certificate, later we found that our guide could have had us sign a document and hand in our passports as a group and then one person could have simply picked them up without waiting. The process described is very seamless and time efficient.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We loved travelling with Exodus and will do so in the future, we met many great people. I would like to suggest a little more detail on physical requirements for the walk in order to assist people reviewing the trek to be able to understand the expectations and be able to match their physical ability to the walk requirements.

Camino de Santiago Trek

What a lovely walking holiday! I enjoyed the beautiful gentle scenery, abundance of wild flowers, the history, the food, wine, meeting people from other countries, the peace of the countryside, the little places we passed through. We were lucky with the weather. Hot but manageable with well planned breaks in little cafes and restaurants so we didn't have to carry too much. Accommodation was better than I thought it would be. Mainly modern even if simple hotels. We were well looked after by our friendly and conscientious guide Jose who had to deal with a group with mixed walking experience and ability. As we neared S de C ,the trek got busier but not as much as I thought it would and it wasn't at all commercialised.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Being struck by the fact that we were treading in the footsteps of pilgrims through the ages. That these were ancient routes.

What did you think of your group leader?

Jose Manuel was determined that we would ALL finish the trek and enter Santiago together and enjoy the whole experience because it WAS meant to be a holiday. He was very conscientious, friendly and diplomatically dealt with our various problems such as blisters, pace and stamina. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the region. Organised our snack, lunch and evening breaks. Kept checking that we were coping with the distances walked.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Make sure that you spent time getting used to regular long walks before you go. You will spent a lot of time on your feet in between breaks and the pace is reasonably fast. Take a couple of pairs of light walking boots ,walking shoes or good trainers to change into so that you don't wear the same footwear everyday. Tackle any discomfort STRAIGHT AWAY. One of our group lost a small toenail by the 2nd day and had 12 blisters by the 3rd! Changing socks at lunch-time was also a good idea.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

It may be the low-level end of The Camino but I it was still an achievement to walk the last 125 km. I think most of felt quite emotional when we arrived in front of the Cathedral and realised that we had reached our destination and would soon be saying goodbye to one another. I would recommend it as a lovely trek to do with a group of friends.

A Great Way to Walk the Way

An excellent opportunity to walk the Camiño de Santiago in relative comfort, enjoying the surprisingly varied and striking scenery of one of Spain's less visited (by the English) areas.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Arriving in to Santiago with the group, surrounded by other fellow pilgrims.

What did you think of your group leader?

Saint José, who kept us in wine from Samos to Santiago made the trip that much more enjoyable.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

30km is as far, if not further, than it sounds and depending on your experience of walking in hot weather a light walking shoe or robust sandal might be preferable to full boots.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK

A very well-organised trip with an excellent guide.  Good company and plenty of laughs!

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Seeing people of all ages doing this pilgrimage, some not for the first time and some not very able. Finding volunteers in little old churches willingly sitting stamping Pilgrim Passports for hours. The peace of Samos Monastery. Seeing storks nesting on a pole in someone's garden! Seeing the famous Botafumeiro (censer) in action at Santiago Cathedral at the Pilgrim's Mass.

What did you think of your group leader?

Jose Manuel Garcia was brilliant - I cannot improve on the accolades given by a previous reviewer. We missed him once he left us but he left everything in order for the rest of our stay. When he knew I was learning Spanish he made a point of asking me the time etc to help me practise.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Do be very sure of your ability to walk some very long days back to back and be sure of your footwear (including socks).  The walking is not difficult but the long days make it hard on the feet. Pack blister kits etc just in case. Don't panic once your leader has gone - Jose gave us all the contact numbers we might need on a slip of paper. If you don't speak Spanish learn some basics before you go - they will be useful and much appreciated.  This is not the Costa del anywhere!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

My sister and I are both vegetarians and this is a sea-food region!  The salads and vegetables are fantastic and there's never any problem if you eat omelettes.  Be prepared to avert your eyes in the "pulperias" (octopus restaurants!) and don't ask for a "mixed salad" as it will contain tuna. Get into the spirit of collecting your passport stamps - it's great fun seeing the spaces fill up.  When you go to the Pilgrim Office in Santiago to get your certificate try lunchtime - it's much less busy. Don't expect to see anything inspiring from Monte de Gozo - there's a whole modern town to trek though these days before you get anywhere near the cathedral.  This was the only disappointment of the trip.

Camino de Santiago Trek

This was a very well-organized trek led by Jose, a lively, knowledgeable, and attentive guide. The accommodations were simple, but certainly adequate; the food was superb; and the trek itself beautiful in a quiet way.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

I doubt I'd describe any moment as "inspirational;" it was overall just a pleasant experience. I did like meeting other pilgrims, some of whom were walking the Camino alone. It is obvious that the experiences they were having were much richer and perhaps more inspirational than can be had trekking with a group.

What did you think of your group leader?

I can only give Jose the highest praise. He was fun, informed, sociable, and very concerned about the welfare of his group. I fell (in a cafe, not on the Camino !!!) and broke my pelvis four days into the walk, and although there was nothing to be done but to drop out and rest, he did his best to see to my comfort for the rest of the tour.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

This walk is not particularly difficult, but the pace is quite fast, and there really isn't time to stop for short periods to savor the gorgeous views or to take photographs. The tour is rated "moderate" and asks for a"reasonable degree of fitness". Such wording is a bit too vague. I am over 70 and am very fit for my age, but as I said, I was a slower walker than most people in the group and always felt a little pushed to increase my pace.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK

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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

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What did you think of your group leader?

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Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

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Is there anything else you would like to add?

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CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK

The walking was a pleasant surprise, because it was more challenging than I thought it would be. Long walks through lovely countryside with a group of very friendly people. What more could you ask for .The food was a little disappointing in taste but we never went hungry. Definately recommend it as a walk with a difference

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Collecting the stamps for the pilgramage passport at the various bars, cafes and churches added an unusual aspect to the walking trip. A great keep sake at the end of a very pleasant week.

What did you think of your group leader?

Our group leader was very entertaining and loved to talk about a wide range of topics.  Very attentive and his tales of walking through the hills and mountains were a pleasure to listen too. Top marks

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Keep an open mind about the food. It is geared for pilrims and so is cheap but plentyful.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK

An inspiring walk through rolling countryside with a great group and an excellent leader.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

The achievement of reaching Satiago de Compostela and receiving my certificate in Latin!!  Also, we attended high mass and saw the Botafumeiro being swung in the Cathedral trancept.  Quite something.

What did you think of your group leader?

Jose Garcia was an excellent tour leader.  Always smiling, always helpful, he took all our group photos for us, ordered all our food and drink and sometimes served it in the many restaurants and cafes along the way.  Dealt efficiently and promptly with an injury one of our number received and spoke very good English.  I have had some good leaders on previous Exodus tours, but nobody better than Jose.  In many ways he made the holiday.  Ten out of ten.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

The weather can be changeable so bring a range of clothing.  Energy bars and snacks can be difficult to come by so make sure you take some with you and bring at least one pair of well worn in walking boots.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Make the most of the time in Santiago de Compostela.  It is a beautiful olld city with loads of street artists and performers.  Look out for Tuna de Derecho in the Cathedral square most nights.

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK

Five and a half days walking across a rather uninspiring part of northwest Spain, better walks in the Brecon Beacons.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Nothing really.

What did you think of your group leader?

Our group leader was Spanish, excellent and spoke very good English. The advantage of having a native speaker leading the trail is obvious, he was able to advise on places to eat, menus and places to visit (not that there were many) and communicated well with locals and the various restauranteurs and hoteliers that we dealt with. He was always friendly and willing to please. Highly recommended. Jose (our leader) had to leave us on the Friday evening in order to lead another party (of cyclists) along "The Way", this left all day Saturday and Sunday until 1200 hours without a representative. Now, this wasn't really a problem but had anything gone astray, someone had an accident or one of the party had problems with, perhaps, the police, for example, then it could have been. I thought that we had paid for the whole package and that we should have received it!

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

The walk is along farm lanes, forestry type tracks and pavements which are hard surfaces and are hard on the feet. One day was just over 20 miles and the next about 20 miles. All the walkers were experienced and most had trouble with feet, joints or muscles. One person had such trouble with his feet that he had to take a taxi 20 miles to see a doctor who, because of the state of his feet, banned him from continuing. I think that the week should be "stretched" by one day to reduce these distances to a more acceptable level and one which would be more comfortable and enjoyable. Whilst "The Way" is a pilgrimage of sorts it should still be enjoyable and fairly relaxed.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I have used Exodus on a number of occasions and they have been very good, the response from staff has always been quick and informative and honest. Any problems were easily sorted out, my impression of the Exodus represenatives has been very positive and I wouldn't hesitate to use the company in the future. All the arrangements such as flights and transfers have worked well and I would be happy to leave all this to them again. The cost of trips appears to me to be reasonable considering that I am generally paying for a "different" holiday with a dedicated leader and prearranged transport. In my mind the trouble with this "holiday" is that it was understated (or should it be overstated?), the terrain was neither intesting nor inspiring in the same way as the Inca Trail or South Africa. Before leaving I plonked the "The Way" onto Google Earth and reallised that I had made a mistake! I think that I contributed to my own demise! But finally, I have the highest regard for the many pilgrims that I met who had walked all the way from France, some young, some elderly, some with injuries, some hobbling, some being helped - but all cheerful. Would I do it again - definitely NOT!

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK

A lovely week's walking in the very green scenery of Northern Spain.  There was a different feeling about this trip as you know you are following in the footsteps of the thousands of people that have walked that route as a pilgrimage since medieval times.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

The moment when you are standing in front of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostella at the end of the walk.  Also presenting your Pilgrim's passport complete with all it's stamps to get your certificate.

What did you think of your group leader?

Jose was a brilliant leader who was always cheerful and made sure that every member of the group was happy and comfortable.  He dealt with any situation efficiently and speedily.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Anyone going on this trip should ensure that they have very comfortable walking boots as some of the days are quite long.  Also take some warm clothing as it was chillier than expected when I went (May).  Keep an open mind about eating Octopus - it may be better than you think!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

All in all, an amazing trip that I thoroughly enjoyed.  From the walking and collecting as many different stamps along the way as possible (which made a lovely souvenir at the end) to the time spent in Santiago where we enjoyed some great meals and watched an outdoor concert in front of the cathedral in the evening.

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK

Superb holiday largely due to the hard work and care from the guide Jose.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Arrival in the Cathedral at Santiago was very moving, particularly the pilgrims service after the reflection of 8 days walking

What did you think of your group leader?

Excellent, would have been hard to beat

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Go if you get the chance but read the pilgrimage book by paulo coelho before you travel

Is there anything else you would like to add?

No