Eight Recommendations for Experiencing the Camino

For biologist Nacho Munilla, “it's almost as though the Camino had been planned as a way of showing pilgrims the variety of landscapes in Galicia and, by extension, the variety of flora and fauna living there. The Camino in Galicia takes you from the mountains to the sea, from the habitat of the brown bear to the habitats of marine birds.”

"If you had to choose a route that showed off nature and Galicia's landscapes in all their variety, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than this. So, my recommendation is to be aware of that landscape. Stop from time to time, look around you, and listen."

Diego's recommendation is clear: train beforehand and stretch after every stage. "On the Camino, you can cover between 12 and 18 miles on foot every day, which is around six to eight hours of physical exertion, or sometimes more when you take into account the fact that some stages are extremely hilly."

"We therefore recommend training in the months beforehand, until you can walk distances of between 12 and 18 miles on all types of terrain. We also recommend that you strengthen your lower limbs and torso, and work on your flexibility and stretching, both while training and at the end of each stage, to ease your muscles and any tension in your joints. Good luck and Ultreya!"

Although the routes of the Camino are very safe places, with few reported incidents, Rosaura has some safety advice for avoiding problems of this type: "Always make sure you are identifiable, make sure you can see your belongings, carry your money distributed over several safe places, always follow the marked routes, and make sure your phone is fully charged."

"Wear bright, reflective clothing so you can be seen, always walk along the verge against the flow of traffic, and in single file. In case of any emergency, call 112. If you're close to a city, you can also call 092 or 091, and if you're in a rural area, 062. I hope you all enjoy your pilgrimage and that it is a magical experience!"

“Pilgrims: you are immensely privileged, because the Camino is a thousand-year-old route and a World Heritage Site." Manuel Castiñeiras outlines some of the heritage sites that you should visit on the Camino Francés: Charlemagne's Silo in Roncesvalles, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Torres del Río, the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Saint Dominic of the Causeway) …

... the church of St. Martin in Frómista, the churches in Carrión de los Condes, the Royal Pantheon in the church of San Isidoro in León, the church of St. Nicholas in Portomarín, the Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago, and the gothic cathedrals in León and Burgos. "Have a great pilgrimage and I hope you enjoy all these historic buildings.”

Manu is a walker with detailed knowledge of the different routes of the Camino, which he has walked in silence on numerous occasions. He now takes small groups on organized walks of the pilgrimage routes, using relaxation and mindfulness techniques. If you want to walk the Camino while fully concentrating on it, "it's important to have good quality equipment, good boots, and a good backpack."

Manu is a walker with detailed knowledge of the different routes of the Camino, which he has walked in silence on numerous occasions. He now takes small groups on organized walks of the pilgrimage routes, using relaxation and mindfulness techniques. If you want to walk the Camino while fully concentrating on it, "it's important to have good quality equipment, good boots, and a good backpack."

Want to walk the Camino with your four-legged friend? Raquel has some tips to bear in mind: "Thoroughly prepare your trip. Organize your transport and book your accommodation. Choose your route and the time of year carefully. Make contact with other people via forums, social media, and blogs. Make sure you and your dog are physically fit beforehand."

"Choose your equipment carefully, and include a well-stocked first-aid kit for both of you. You can always contact APACA for support. Request your credential and get hold of your own copy of the Codex Canini, a guide to walking the Camino with your dog. Enjoy your doggy pilgrimage!"

Paco is the parish priest in O Cebreiro, one of the most symbolic places on the Camino Francés, and the entry point into Galicia. For him, "the Camino is a profoundly transformative experience, and one of continual learning."

That's why he recommends, "going with a mind that is as open as a satellite dish, so that you notice all the spiritual values that are the essence of this pilgrimage. Leave behind the burdens of your life, all your worries, all your concerns, everything that makes you sad. Simply experience each and every step as an opportunity for inner growth."

Mercedes is a pilgrim and hospitalero, and a member of the Asociación Jacobea de Almería-Granada Camino Mozárabe (the Camino Association for the Mozarabic Way in Almería-Granada). She recommends that pilgrims, "empty their backpacks of unnecessary things and fill them with experiences and emotions,” as well as understanding, "that what's important isn't finishing first, but finishing with everyone else; taking a step back to help a fellow walker is worth more than a hundred steps forward without so much as a backward glance."

“Pilgrim: I recommend that you turn the pilgrimage into your life, and your life into a pilgrimage, and that you feel the same excitement on waking about your walk to work, as you did about your walk to Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrim: I recommend that, when you go on the Camino, you open your heart, open your senses to everything that the pilgrimage has to offer at every turn, because you are the pilgrimage.”