Our most popular Camino Tour

The Last 100 Kilometers is a fully-supported guided walking tour along the Camino de Santiago.  That means that from beginning to end, our team will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly.  You will be joining other pilgrims from around the world to walk the last section of the Camino Francés.

We have found that pilgrims walk for many different reasons.  Some walk to escape from their busy lives and have time to contemplate.  Others walk to explore a new country or to be part of a unique gathering of people from all around the world. Many of the pilgrims see it as an opportunity to take on a physical challenge. Whatever your motivation to set out on foot is, the experience offers all of the above and more.

GALICIA

Galicia is considered the seventh Celtic nation and has a culture rich in tradition. The capital of Galicia is Santiago de Compostela, which is home to the finishing point of the Camino de Santiago – The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. This is, of course, the ending point of all Camino paths. However, you could continue to walk from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre or Muxia, two sea side towns that sit on the Atlantic ocean. These towns were once thought to be the end of the world. We do not currently have a guided walking tour for the Camino to Finisterre. However, we also offer Self-Guided Camino tours that could provide support and accommodation to walk this famous Camino route.

The Last 100kms:

The Way of Saint James, is one of the oldest and most famous pilgrimage routes in Europe.  The Last 100 Kilometers is walked exclusively in Galicia, Spain’s green oasis in the North.  Galicia is a state in Spain and is located as far northwest you can get in the country. It sits over Portugal and is home to one of the four official languages in Spain: Galician.

Our Last 100Km guided walk starts in the small town of Sarria, Galicia. We walk through oak woodlands, fragrant eucalyptus forests and traditional Galician villages covering the last 113KM (give or take) of the Camino Frances. We do this in 5 walking days. On average, we cover 23 KM per day.

*We do offer this same Camino guided walking tour in our Laid-back Last 100KM tour.  This walking tour completes the walking stages in 7 days, meaning your average distance per day is around 17kms. Check out this guided group walking tour if you want a slower pace.

The Credencial:

Andaspain will provide you with a credencial, or “Pilgrim passport.”  This is the booklet which certifies the genuine pilgrim status of the bearer. It is used to collect official stamps along The Way to demonstrate that you have walked the last 100kms. The Credencial is the modern equivalent of the “letters of safe-conduct” carried by medieval pilgrims that permitted them passage through the different kingdoms along the route.  Our modern version is a document printed and issued by the Cathedral authorities in Santiago de Compostela.

Pilgrims can get a stamp at the hotels, bars, churches, etc. Our guides will remind you of this while you are walking and even point out some of our favorite stamps! Once you arrive in Santiago de Compostela, our guides take your completed credencial to the Pilgrim´s Office to request your Compostela.

The Compostela:

Walking the Last 100km of the Camino de Santiago means that you can request your Compostela, or certificate of completion of the pilgrimage. There are two documents which contemporary pilgrims may receive upon arrival at the Pilgrim´s Office in Santiago. One is the Compostela, a document written in Latin that confirms the completion of pilgrimages undertaken for religious devotion or of spiritual searching. The other is a certificado, or certificate, confirming completion of the journey by those pilgrims who have undertaken the journey for recreational motives. At the end of our group walking tour, our guides will make sure you have your Compostela or Certificate and will provide you with a protective tube to safely carry it home.

Highlights of the Last 100KMS Guided Walk:

• Discovering Northern Spain by walking through its small towns and experiencing first-hand the culture, food and traditions.
• Great camaraderie with other pilgrims as you walk the most popular section of the Camino de Santiago.
• The rolling, bucolic scenery of Galicia and a chance to see myriad churches and chapels dedicated to St. James.
• The chance to try great Galician food such as pulpo (octopus with paprika), empanada (hearty savoury pastry), tetilla (cow’s milk cheese in the shape of a woman´s breast), albariño (Galician white wine) and caldo gallego (ham broth with chard and potatoes).
• Arriving at the Plaza de Obradoiroto see the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, along with the familiar faces of all the other pilgrims who have, like you, walked to get there!
• Private guided walking tour of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela by a local expert guide.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Sarria. Welcome meeting and dinner.   – Accommodation in Sarria

Day 2: Sarria to Portomarín – 22.6km : 14m  – Accommodation in Portomarín

Day 3: Portomarín to Palas do Rei – 24km : 15m  – Accommodation in Palas do Rei

Day 4: Palas do Rei to Ribadiso – 25.8km : 16m  – Accommodation in Arzua

Day 5: Ribadiso to Arca – 22.5km : 14m  – Accommodation in Arzua

Day 6: Arca to Santiago de Compostela – 19.3km : 12m  – Accommodation in Santiago de Compostela

Day 7:  Private guided tour of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Tour ends.

SUPPORT ON OUR GUIDED WALKS 

All of our fully guided walking Camino trips have at least 1, though normally 2 English/Spanish speaking guide/s. Generally, on these trips we aim to have one guide walk along the trail when possible. Although, this does not mean the guide will be walking next to you. Our other guide drives our support vehicle doing checkpoints along the trail.

All of our guides have all walked the Camino and found themselves wanting to share their experience with others. We have a wide range of guides from those who have been born and raised in Spain; to those who followed their heart and found themselves studying the culture, history and the spirit of Spain and the Camino de Santiago.

Checkpoints on Guided Walking Tours:

Our guides check in with you during your walking group tour about 2-3 times a day along the trail. These check-ins will include time to fill up your water bottle and/or pick up a snack. One of the check-ins will be at lunch time, whether that be a picnic lunch or our recommendation location to help with ordering. At all of the check-ins, we will have our support van if you need to pick up/up drop off a jacket, collect your walking stick, or change into a different pair of shoes.

Daily maps of the walking day:

Each day our guides will  give you a daily map and overview of the walk ahead. This map will include information such as the daily terrain, checkpoint locations, lunch spots, and highlights to see along the way. Also, other important items such as the best place to get a fun stamp!

On our guided walking tours, if you need to shorten your walking day, our guides can tell you the best part of the trail to walk that day. Whether you need to avoid the steep incline/decline, or if you need to stick to softer walking paths. Our guides can also make sure they provide extra checkpoints for you throughout the day.

Luggage:

We take care of all luggage handling and transportation. This means leaving your bags with your guide and starting your walk. We handle the details of getting them into the next hotel room.  We also find it handy to keep a small bag in the van with stuff you might need throughout the day. We have our support vehicles which means being able to take a rest by shuttling ahead to the lunch spot, or if the need arises to get you straight to your room.

Maximum of 15 persons:

We keep our guided walks to a maximum of 15 persons. This means we can ensure you experience a personalized and intimate experience with our guides and your fellow pilgrims. We have found any group larger than this, means we are not able to provide the level of care and quality of service that Andaspain aims to do. If you have a private group that is larger than 15 we do accommodate this number with a private guided group walk.

FOOD

We include all breakfasts and all dinners including wine on this guided walk. We provide all but 1 lunch on this Camino group guided walk. This gives you the opportunity to try out your Spanish and order from a local bar, Don’t worry – we will be there to assist you !

You will have the chance to try great typical Galician food such as pulpo (octopus with paprika), empanada (hearty savory pastry), Spanish tortilla(a potato and egg omelet), Tetilla (cow’s milk cheese in the shape of a woman´s breast), albariño (Galician white wine), Tarta de Santiago(traditional almond cake), and Caldo Gallego (ham broth with chard and potatoes).

Picnic Lunches on our Guided Walks:

We provide gourmet picnic lunches prepared by your Andaspain guides on the Camino. Our picnics include fresh salads and lighter options, all taking into consideration any food allergies or lifestyle choices as vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free, etc.   We use local products so you are always tasting the typical foods of the area. We also ensure you are discovering any fresh vegetable and/or fruit that are in season at the time of  your Camino walk.

Checkpoint snacks:

Andaspain provides water and snacks at our “checkpoints.”  Our snacks consist of fresh local fruit, a variety of granola bars, mixed nuts, delicious pastries, and anything else specific to our group’s needs.  Walking with Andaspain also means you do not need to carry lots of water or fill up from the public fountains. (We do not know how often the fountains are treated, thus we do not advise to drink from them.) We provide water at our checkpoints to fill up your water bottle.

Dinners:

You get a wide variety of dinners on our guided Camino trips from a family-style dinner from a local organic garden with their homemade wine and liquors, to a home-made dinner prepared by the owners of our Casa Rural of authentic paella, either seafood or vegetarian.  One night you may even dine in our Pazo‘s high-end restaurant. On nights we do not eat at our hotel, we take you to our favorite local restaurants. One of our favorite restaurants is owned by pilgrim Pepe who previously was a butcher but opened a restaurant on the Camino to provide organic local cuts prepared on order. (He also serves a wide range of items including fresh fish and vegetarian/vegan options.)

Don’t worry, we make sure you have the energy to walk your Camino de Santiago!

WALK AT YOUR OWN PACE

This is our MOST important Camino de Santiago information and advice!  We encourage everyone to walk at their own pace.  The Camino is not a race and you want to enjoy yourself.  When you slow down or speed up to walk with others, you find you may have issues with your body and/or feet.

We plan our days so that everyone can walk in their own way. The only set times we have for the day are breakfast times and the times we set off for walking. If we walk out of our hotel directly onto the Camino, you are able to start when you need. Some days we have a short drive to the Camino which means we all need to be ready at the same time.

There is never a set time to arrive for our checkpoints or our lunches on our guided walking tours. We ensure you can walk your pace and our guide will be there to check in with you.

There is never a set time to finish your walking day on our guided walking tours. If we drive to our home that night, this means we may do 2 or 3 shuttles to our hotel at the end of the day. Or you may have a short wait at the end of the day if someone is shortly behind you.  Our guides will have a good idea of the walking paces of your fellow pilgrims to plan the day out that is best for the group.

Even though this is a guided walk along the Camino, you will have the time and the resources with Andaspain to make sure your Camino is your own personalized journey. We will be with you on all the climbs, twists and turns; supporting you to the fullest as your Camino story unfolds. Buen Camino Peregrinos!