June 12 - 23, 2023 (12 days) - $3, 795

Includes Round-trip Air from Minneapolis
Transfers
Hotel Accomodations (Double Room)
Daily Mass
Daily Breakfast and Dinner
Luggage Service (requiring only need for daypack)
See Details to the left or below.

UPDATE: We are LOCKED in with our Pilgrim List!

IF you are interested at this point to join us, we cannot guarantee your spot. Please call Sarah at 932-3294 ASAP

For over a thousand years – since the Middle ages, the faithful have hiked the Camino de Santiago trail across northern Spain. Whether you're on a spiritual journey or just want to enjoy the thrill of walking this famous pilgrimage path, we will embark on a wonderful journey together. 

We depart from the Galician town of Sarria, which is located about 100 km (62 miles) away from Santiago. The distance of the Camino Frances from Sarria to Santiago is the minimum distance required for pilgrims to receive the traditional “Compostela” certificate, verifying they have completed the Camino de Santiago.

On this section, we will walk through beautiful forests, farmlands and rustic villages following trails and paths that are surrounded by stone walls. We will be able to admire the beautiful green landscape that is so characteristic of Galicia. We will celebrate Mass every morning followed by breakfast (all included) and journey various distances to the next location.

For our pilgrimage, we are going to be staying in Hotels.  While Hostel's are very popular, this will be the first time most of us have traveled this pilgrimage and will be a better option for this "taste" of the Camino.  At the end of this stage we will reach our destination: Santiago de Compostela.

In Santiago de Compostela we can receive our “Compostela” certificate and visit the city’s beautiful old town, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Upon completion of the Camino portion, we will travel by motorcoach to Fatima and literally be steps away from where our Lady of Fatima appeared just over 100 years ago.
 

See a brief explantion of our Pilgrimage,
including cost and other details HERE

ALSO - Check out a TEASER Video to the Left
(Best View NOT from a Cell phone).

All in all, this will be a beautiful opportunity for various reasons - as people go on Pilgrimage for a myriad of ways. 

5 Reasons to Walk the Camino Camino

Spiritual Reasons
The Camino was historically a religious pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James and today many people still walk for a religious or spiritual reason. While not necessarily Catholic, many pilgrims walk to connect and discover a deeper meaning in life, to spiritually connect with nature or themselves, or walk to find answers to deep questions.

Exercise and Well-being
Another popular reason to walk the Camino is for the physical effort and challenge the Camino provides. Even though experienced hikers and backpackers walk the Camino every year, the majority of people have little to no experience in walking long distances over many days. One of the exciting parts of the Camino is getting ready to take on this challenge and instantly becoming part of a community.

A popular saying is “Your Camino begins when you sign up”. So even if you’re not walking until this Summer, your Camino has already begun. You begin to research what shoes to bring, how to train, learning about what you should pack and practicing walking with a backpack. You are already doing research on Facebook and reading blogs about the Camino. You are now part of an exclusive group of Camino walkers and this helps you prepare for your journey and stay motivated.

If you’re not accustomed to sustained exercise before the Camino, you will be quickly amazed at how your body is able to walk long distances day after day.

There’s a saying that says, “Don’t walk a Camino before your Camino”. Meaning, don’t train super hard everyday in preparation for something that you need to really experience to understand. Part of the journey is pushing yourself and seeing how your body adapts and watching yourself as you get stronger and more confident. Walking on the actual Camino is so much easier than walking 10 miles around a track or at your house. While the walking is just as tiring, the beauty of the Camino, the people you meet as you walk, and the amazing monuments make the journey fun and pass quickly.  

Adventure
Walking the Camino isn’t your typical vacation. You aren’t going to someplace to rest and relax. After pilgrimages, many pilgrims share it’s the vacation they didn’t know they needed. What the Camino lacks in amenities, it makes up for in adventure, authenticity, and a spirit of the unknown.

An adventurous spirit is the guiding force for many of the pilgrims along the Camino. Not knowing where they’re going to sleep, nor the local language, nor the weather or what to pack, makes the Camino a true pilgrimage of faith. (But don’t worry … we have taken the worry out of all of this by organizing EVERYTHING for you!  We will even have an experienced guide with us the entire time, as needed. We will be staying in hotels (not hostels). If for some reason your daily journey is a little bit more difficult than you can handle, we can assist you in finding a cab from one of the villages to take you to the next place of sleep (usually around $20 for this feature) see it as a safety net and not a requirement.

There is no service or Wi-Fi on many of the paths (hotels do have Wi-Fi), so you are trusting that “the Camino will provide”.

The spirit of Camino is surrender. Surrender to the moment, to the adventure and just enjoy the journey for what it is.
The spirit of the Camino calls to those who appreciate the “good old days”. When we didn’t have cell phones glued to ourselves and we don’t use GPS but a map and a destination. Pilgrims always remark how “old and authentic” everything looks. And that’s because the Camino hasn’t changed in 1200 years!

Small villages still have 4 houses and a stone church, you can still pet donkeys along the road and your hotel is run by the 3rd generation of the original family who built the place. Stepping onto the Camino is stepping back in time and an adventure that has waited for them forever; a pilgrimage that has a history of over a thousand years.

Disconnect to Reconnect
In a world of busyness with too many obligations and long workdays, many of us have become disconnected and disillusioned. We all say we would love to disconnect for a bit, but typical vacations are anything but. Answering e-mails at the pool or watching the news after dinner, we seem never to have the opportunity to truly “get away from it all”.  

The Camino is a simple way to reconnect with your inner self and understand yourself better.
At first it may seem strange to not constantly think about what’s going on in your country, or not check your phone every 15 minutes but soon you find a peace and silence in the journey. It takes a couple  days to adjust to the ways of the Camino, but the reward is clarity and a feeling of peace that you will find revealing. Many say the Camino is as much a mental/inner journey as it is a physical journey.

This disconnection is so powerful that after walking the Camino people are moved to make changes in the way they live their lives and almost everyone vows to walk the Camino again.

Fun
While the Camino provides a great way to disconnect from daily stress, allows pilgrims to walk out their faith, and gives travelers an authentic unique experience, many just walk the Camino for fun. And the Camino is fun!

Spain provides the perfect backdrop for making a long journey on foot. The routes are strewn with cafes for you to grab a coffee or sangria. Other pilgrims are friendly and lively, and the scenery is beautiful. After walking you’ll often find pilgrims swimming in a nearby river, hanging out at an outdoor café together (and all are welcome) or sitting around a square conversing.

Many pilgrims walk alone and just trust that they will make new friends along The Way, and they do.
Many even make lifelong friends that they remain in touch with, reliving their journey. Everyone speaks different languages on el Camino, but somehow the communication is easy (or at least funny). 

Food in Spain is always amazing and it’s great to try different local dishes in each place you visit. It’s even exciting just to visit a supermarket and get foreign chocolates or snacks for later on. Food is definitely a key component of fun on el Camino.

With each Camino being different, pilgrims will often compare stories and experiences, even many years later, looking back fondly on a great experience in their lives. No matter what your own personal reason is for walking el Camino, I hope you will find what you are looking for. El Camino never disappoints.