The Portuguese Coastal Route (Caminho Portuguese da Costa) is one of the most beautiful pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.   It is a quieter more introspective route than the busy Camino Frances, allowing for a deeper inner journey.  Our arrival in Santiago is from the South and avoids the busyness of the main Camino route from Sarria.   It is a lovely combination of the cultures of both Portugal and Spain. We begin in Porto with an arrival day and a jet lag day offering a chance to explore this beautiful city.   Our starting walking point is from Matosinhos where we walk along the ocean often on a boardwalk.   We continue up the coast crossing over into Spain by ferry at Caminha.   A short ferry ride and we end up  in the Spanish coastal city of A Guarda.   From there we continue up the coast to Vigo where we cross over the the main Portuguese route heading North to Santiago.   A highlight in Padron just before our final day walking into Santiago is the church where the stone (pedron)  from the the boat carrying St. James is kept.   There is an option at the end of the day to walk up to the Convent of Carmen where St. James did some of his ministry.   On arrival in Santiago we are staying in an amazing hotel with the following day to explore the city.   We are walking approximately 270 KM on this route in a small group (max eight).   Even though this is a group each participant is encouraged to walk in silence on their own pilgrimage as much as possible.

The journey is designed to give you the freedom to walk at your own pace knowing there is bed at the end of the day. We leave each morning as a group, meeting optionally for lunch and gathering at the end of the day. Your trip leader will be available during the walk for whatever support you need.

Join us May 31-June 16 for this chance to explore with us.  This trip requires a minimum of 4 and will have a maximum of 8 participants.

Included in the trip:

• Clean, comfortable accommodation and simple continental breakfasts each morning. A lot of the trip is through small towns in rural Portugal and Spain where accommodation is limited. For the most part, you will be staying in the centre of town and close to the Camino trail.   We have selected quality accommodation that is highly rated by fellow travelers.
• In some cases, in order to supply you with a quality accommodation, there will be transportation provided to transport you to a hotel following your walk and return you to the trail the next morning to continue the journey.
• No single supplement – you will be matched with a roommate. Generally, we are in double occupancy; on occasions where accommodation is limited, you may be in triple occupancy.
• One-on-one and group pre-Camino support coaching calls for participants. These calls will focus on the mental, spiritual, and physical aspects of walking a long pilgrimage. This walk is a powerful journey that will test your stamina in many realms. The pre-Camino calls are designed to help you prepare in a way that will powerfully enhance the journey. Some calls will be private and some will be group calls. The group calls will serve to solidify the group and give you a sense of your walking partners before we go. There will be a private Facebook page for you to connect before and during the trip.
• Emails and texts within 9 am – 8 pm for the pre-Camino training period (in accordance with leaders’ time zones – MST and GMT).
• A trip leader to support you during the Camino journey. Your trip leader will have a cell phone to deal with unforeseen circumstances. If necessary, transport can be arranged during the day to deal with unexpected issues.
• Celebration and preparation for re-integration circle before departure.
• Post Camino review & integration call.
• A welcome package including a pilgrim passport.

Not included in the trip:

• Transportation from home to the Camino route and back.  The trip begins at the hotel for Day 1 and ends at the hotel for Day 17.
• Lunches and dinners on the Camino, incidentals such as water, snacks, toiletries, any medicinal needs and first aid.  Plan on spending between $30 and $50 CAD per day on food and incidentals.  Prices in Portugal are slightly higher than in Spain.
• Any taxis or transport chosen by participants to shorten the walking period per day.

Itinerary – these distances are approximated using a guidebook and online resources. There will be some days when the hotel is not exactly on the route. Once booking is confirmed you will receive a detailed itinerary with hotels and information along the way. 

Date	Day	From	To	Distance
Fri May 31,  19	1	Arrive Porto – Meet at Hotel
Sat Jun 01,  19	2	Porto jet lag day
Sun Jun 02,  19	3	Matosinhos	Póvoa de Varzim	26
Mon Jun 03,  19	4	Póvoa de Varzim	Esposende	23
Tue Jun 04,  19	5	Esposende	Viana do Costela	24
Wed Jun 05,  19	6	Viana do Costela	Vila Praia de Ancora	21
Thu Jun 06,  19	7	Vila Praia de Ancora	A Guarda	14
Fri Jun 07,  19	8	A Guarda	Mougas	19
Sat Jun 08,  19	9	Mougas	Nigran	23
Sun Jun 09,  19	10	Nigran	Vigo	18
Mon Jun 10,  19	11	Vigo	Redondela	16
Tue Jun 11,  19	12	Redondela	Pontevedra	20
Wed Jun 12,  19	13	Pontevedra	Caldas de Reis	22
Thu Jun 13,  19	14	Caldas de Reis	Padron	18
Fri Jun 14,  19	15	Padron Scala	Santiago	25
Sat Jun 15,  19	16	Santiago Bonus Day
Sun Jun 16,  19	17	Departure Day
			Total	269

Pricing information

Please read the Terms and Conditions  for this trip. 

Pack Transfer option is available for $160.

Pricing in CAD	Cheque or eTransfer	Credit Card via Paypal
Per person double occupancy*	3,950	4,148*
Deposit – in order to reserve your space – non-refundable and held until the minimum of 4 are confirmed.  If the trip is cancelled due to the minimum number of participants the deposit will be returned.	1,200	1,260
2nd payment due Jan 31, 2019	1,400	1,470
Final Payment due Mar 31, 2019	1,350	1,418
Friend/Family rate per person  in same room *	3,800	3,990*
Deposit – in order to reserve your space – non-refundable and held until the minimum of 4 are confirmed.  If the trip is cancelled due to the minimum number of participants the deposit will be returned.	1,200	1,260
2nd payment due Jan 31, 2019	1,400	1,470
Final Payment due Mar 31, 2019	1,200	1,260

*Credit card fees will be waived for payment in full at time of booking.  For Friend and Family rate both must be booked at the same time. 

*See the note about double occupancy above under items included.