Vamos al Camino.
Congratulations, you have taken the first step. If you are even considering going on pilgrimage, your journey has already begun. I first heard the call back in 2004, walking it for the first time the following year. That experience changed my life forever, marking the end of one major chapter and the beginning of another. Now having walked once more, I am moved by the Spirit to a new chapter in serving sincere seekers in their journey to uncover their life‘s purpose. Except this time, the journey is more than just a metaphor.
Camino de Santiago 2025
The Experience
Our small party of peregrinos will walk 100 miles over eight days in the care of experienced Camino guide Andrea Hooper of Wild Galicia Adventures. Our path will follow the Camino Portugues Coastal Route, taking the Variante Espiritual. I took this route last year and it will take your breath away. A combination of walking along grassy shorelines, beautiful pine forested hills, and creekside trails following ancient stone mills. We will navigate up the mouth of the bay where tradition has it that Saint James the apostle, Santiago, first arrived in Iberia to spread the good news. Picture the Puget Sound of the Pacific Northwest with small islands and scallop farms dotting wide rivers. Each day will include group meditation, intention, & reflection, along with 1 to 1 coaching, to help you go deep in a safe and supportive community of fellow pilgrims. By the time we arrive at the base of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, we will all be different people from who we were when we took the first step.
What’s Included - $3000 per person
Double occupancy, does not include airfare. $1200 deposit to secure your spot with the balance due by March 18.
Dates: April 29 to May 9, 2025
The Camino Coaching Experience
8 days of guided Camino trekking with Wild Galicia Adventures
10 nights lodging & family style peregrino dinners
Ground and ferry group transfers during the journey
The Details
The Camino Coaching Experience - Are you living your purpose at this moment in your life? Do you want to uncover what that is?
Before the trip
1 individual coaching session to set your intention
2 group sessions to connect and co-create the journey
Pre-reading and podcasts to spark your reflection
Opportunities for group training hikes to prepare
On The Camino
Daily group meditation
Daily group coaching and reflection
1 to 1 coaching sessions as we walk the path
8 days of guided Camino trekking with Wild Galicia Adventures
Led by experienced Camino guide Andrea Hooper from start to finish
Training and packing guides on their members only resource site
Our own WhatsApp group so we can talk about all the things
10 nights lodging - We’ve curated a great cross section of spots to lay your head, wash your clothes, be inspired and take in the culture. From nights in a medieval monastery, a historic Spanish parador, and local inns, to Airbnb’s and warm welcomes at modern albergues hosted by friends. These are not spots you could easily book for yourself. Accommodations will be shared as part of the peregrino experience, but you can count on hot showers & clean linens all the way!
10 nights of peregrino family dinners - Breaking bread in community is part of the Camino experience. Our guide will lead us to authentic and satisfying local establishments to recharge our bodies. We may even have a home cooked meal or two courtesy of our hosts. Wine and beer are included if desired. Daytime meals and snacks are not included. You are also free to branch off and do your own thing at dinner if you like, but that would be at your own expense.
Ground and ferry group transfers - Once you arrive at our first night’s lodging in Porto, we will provide for all of the group’s transportation needs until we reach our destination. This will include train travel to our starting point, two peregrino ferries over water, and several taxi/shuttle transfers along the way. Arrival and departure transfers, personal side trips, and taxis to bypass camino stages are at your own expense.
NOTE: Airfare and arrival/departure connections are not included, but I’m happy to answer questions and be helpful as you book your travel.
The Itinerary
Gathering - We will meet up in Porto, Portugal on April 29th. In Porto, we will purchase our peregrino passports at the cathedral overlooking the city, enjoy dinner together, and explore the gorgeous city of Porto on our own. We will depart for our step off point by train the following day.
Headed North - After a relaxed morning in Porto exploring and procuring any last needed items, the journey begins in earnest with a train ride to Caminha. This village on the banks of the river Minho, separating Portugal and Spain, is where we will meet our guide Andrea. We will convene our first coaching circle and reflection, and get a good night’s sleep before launching. This is where you’ll collect your first of many stamps in your peregrino passport, the means of proving that you legit completed the journey on foot that will earn you your peregrino Credencial upon arrival at the end.
Crossing Over & Stepping Off - We will wake up early to greet the day, and our boat! The Xacobeo Transfer ferry will take our group across to the southern shore of Galicia, a mystical experience. Once we disembark, every step from then on moves us closer to Santiago. We end Day 1 at the home of my ‘prima’ Tanya, who runs a cozy private albergue in the beautiful seaside village of Oia. An ancient monastery overlooking a small fisherman’s cove casts a spell as the sun sets. We begin and end each day with group meditation, reflection, and encouragement. Each day we will walk an average of 12-14 miles. It is more manageable than you might think, provided that you have trained well, listen to your body, and go at your own pace. Andrea and I will be there to support your every step of the way, but you are always in control of your own journey- what you need, and what you are up for.
The Camino Calls - Over the next 6 days, each one will bring new scenery, challenges both physical and spiritual, and the inspiration that only the Camino can provide to embrace them. This is where the Camino Magic, the personal transformation really happens. Each day will start with a gear & water check, group meditation and stretching, and an intention circle where we will reflect on and confide what is revealing itself to us as we go. I will check in with you daily for what you sense you are looking for that day in terms of coaching from me. Some days you will want some intentional focused 1 to 1 coaching as we walk. Others you may feel more drawn to solitude or the company of fellow seekers. ‘Cada quien tiene su propio Camino’ - Each of us has their own Camino. Let your intuition guide you. I will be there to support and encourage your discovery on your terms.
The Arrival - Our last day will be our shortest. We will Arrive in Santiago on the morning of May 8 in time to attend the pilgrim’s mass. After presenting your thoroughly stamped passport beside the historic plaza, you will receive the Credencial that proves you completed the pilgrimage. After dropping off our gear and enjoying lunch, we will travel by shuttle to Finisterre - literally ‘the ends of the earth’. We will conclude our fellowship with a seaside ceremony, followed by a final celebratory dinner and farewell.
The Journey Home - When you wake up on May 9 the future is yours! That day will be the Fiesta de la Ascención, a big local festival, so Santiago de Compostela will be vibrant and alive. What you do from here, including your travel and lodging, is up to you. You may plan to depart for home, or you may want to stick around to enjoy the festival. Whatever you do, it will be amazing.
Ultreia et Suseia!
Onward and Upward- the peregrino’s encouragement. Embracing the Camino de Santiago and all that it has to teach me has been among the most profound experiences of my life. It fundamentally transformed me, not by making me someone else, but by helping me bless and release that which I no longer needed to be. Everyone who feels called by Providence to take the Camino is at a different place in life, but on the road to Santiago we walk the path together.