Camino de Santiago Trek

We walked the final 127 kms of the Camino from Samos to Santiago de Compostela.

From start to finish, the trip was organised very well by our friendly expert guide Javier Ramirez. Each day, we'd have a short briefing where he explained what the terrain would be like, what stops we were making and notable highlights you'd encounter on the walk. He also kept us right when it came to collecting our pilgrim stamps en route - as you need a certain amount to receive your pilgrim certificate at the end in Santiago. Every stage in the route was enchanting, we'd make pitstops at rustic farmhouses for traditional Galician homemade fare and fluffy Santiago cake - the perfect treat after a couple of hours walking. We also got the opportunity to taste the famous Galician tapas including fresh octopus and scallops with caramelised onions - they were especially delicious. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, walking through sleepy villages, hushed oak forests and past babbling brooks. Even though this region is famous for its rain - it didn't rain on us once, so I'd recommend booking to go in May! It was wonderful to see this part of Spain and walk sections of one of the oldest pilgrimages in the world. Although I'm not religious, it was a really moving experience, especially seeing the Botafumeiro swinging at the Pilgrim Mass in Santiago's famous cathedral. I'd love to go back and do a different route with Exodus in the future. Thank you, Javier, for being such a wonderful guide, and for showing us Modus Vivendi, the oldest bar in Galicia!

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!

sdf

This was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. I was invited by a best friend and whilst i wasn't sure I could do the whole walk, coming from couch potato status, I made it with the help of our wonderful guide Jose, the support of my friend and everyone in the group. The Galician countryside is just beautiful and we were blessed with some lovely weather in May, mostly blue skies and sunshine but not too hot. Most of the walk is through beautiful woods and the scents of the countryside even from farmyard to Eucalyptus trees was wonderful.

Exodus makes your experience virtually worry free. You don’t need to wonder about schedules, meals, hotels, baggage transport, and flights. You get to concentrate on a beautiful walk through farmland and beautiful countryside. You get a paper “passport” to get stamped alone the way. It shows you did the hike and gets you a certificate at the end. A fun souvenir to own.

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!

A brilliant trip, well organised and most enjoyable

The walk was quite an achievement for me and, as I am close to 70 years old, I'm glad I have experienced it. The travel arrangements by Exodus were good, though I would have preferred to arrive at the start in Samos much earlier than 2.30am! All the hotels were modest and clean and comfortable for our overnight stays. As a group we ate dinner together which was nice, with our guide often suggesting suitable venues. So all in all a wonderful 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.