All our Group leaders have one thing in common - they have all walked the Camino trails and have a desire to share their love of the Camino with 'wanna-be' pilgrims! Because we want you to have the best possible experience on the Camino we emphasise the need for you to walk the Camino your way, at your own pace, no racing to keep up with fast walkers or dragging your heels to keep pace with slower walkers. The group leaders will always be there to accompany you if you need them. Our motto is that this is 'Your Camino' and we will help you to enjoy it to the full!
Sylvia Nilsen - aka Sil
Sylvia Nilsen, one of the founders of amaWalkers Camino, is a peripatetic traveller and self confessed pilgrimage addict who is passionate about the Camino and about encouraging others to walk 'The Way'.
In 2001 she organised a walk across England for 10 people.
She organised her first Camino walk in 2002 on a 750km trek from Roncesvalles to Santiago. When she returned, she joined the newly formed Confraternity of St James of South Africa and was the Regional Co-ordinator in her Region for 7 years. She conducts annual Practical Pilgrim workshops for new pilgrims and St James Feast Days in July of each year.
In 2004 she walked over 1 200km on the Via Turonensis from Paris to Spain and earned her second Compostela, walking the same year from Sarria to Santiago. In 2006 she led 5 pilgrims on a 700km walk from Lake Lausanne in Switzerland to Rome on sections of the Via Francigena pilgrimage trail.
In 2007 she returned to Spain, co-ordinating a walk on the Camino Frances and in 2009 she led a walk from Lourdes in the South of France, crossing the Pyrenees at the Somport Pass onto the Camino Aragones to Pamplona in Navarre. She has also walked the Camino Ingles to Santiago and from Santiago to Finisterre, serving for two weeks as hospitalero at the San Roque albergue in Corcubion. "I love the 22-day walks on the Camino Frances and so far my groups have been lovely people!"
Sylvia is an accredited HOSVOL (Hospitaleros Voluntarios) trainer in South Africa and has trained 43 new volunteer hospitaleros so far.
She is the author of a number of Camino books including the pilgrim planning guide “Your Camino, on foot, bicycle and horseback in France and Spain", a historical novel "Pilgrim Footprints on the Sands of Time", co-author of "La via Francigena: Five Pilgrims to Rome" of "Camino Lingo - English/Spanish Words and Phrases for Pilgrims on el Camino de Santiago." Her latest book is 'Slackpacking the Camino Frances' for people who do not want to stay in dormitories or carry their packs every day.
In 2001 she organised a walk across England for 10 people.
She organised her first Camino walk in 2002 on a 750km trek from Roncesvalles to Santiago. When she returned, she joined the newly formed Confraternity of St James of South Africa and was the Regional Co-ordinator in her Region for 7 years. She conducts annual Practical Pilgrim workshops for new pilgrims and St James Feast Days in July of each year.
In 2004 she walked over 1 200km on the Via Turonensis from Paris to Spain and earned her second Compostela, walking the same year from Sarria to Santiago. In 2006 she led 5 pilgrims on a 700km walk from Lake Lausanne in Switzerland to Rome on sections of the Via Francigena pilgrimage trail.
In 2007 she returned to Spain, co-ordinating a walk on the Camino Frances and in 2009 she led a walk from Lourdes in the South of France, crossing the Pyrenees at the Somport Pass onto the Camino Aragones to Pamplona in Navarre. She has also walked the Camino Ingles to Santiago and from Santiago to Finisterre, serving for two weeks as hospitalero at the San Roque albergue in Corcubion. "I love the 22-day walks on the Camino Frances and so far my groups have been lovely people!"
Sylvia is an accredited HOSVOL (Hospitaleros Voluntarios) trainer in South Africa and has trained 43 new volunteer hospitaleros so far.
She is the author of a number of Camino books including the pilgrim planning guide “Your Camino, on foot, bicycle and horseback in France and Spain", a historical novel "Pilgrim Footprints on the Sands of Time", co-author of "La via Francigena: Five Pilgrims to Rome" of "Camino Lingo - English/Spanish Words and Phrases for Pilgrims on el Camino de Santiago." Her latest book is 'Slackpacking the Camino Frances' for people who do not want to stay in dormitories or carry their packs every day.
Lesley Smith Leiper - aka Les
Scottish-born and educated school teacher, Lesley Smith Leiper, moved from the UK firstly to Zimbabwe when it was still Rhodesia and then to South Africa.
Les has always enjoyed hiking and active sports. She has done the Tsitsikamma and the Otter Trails, some Drakensberg Mountain hikes and was a diving instructor at a school for the disabled.
The crunch came when she heard about the Camino de Santiago, a goal that for many years seemed unobtainable. Ten years after first hearing about it, she and her daughter decided to celebrate their two milestone birthdays by walking from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. They enjoyed not only the physical challenge, the people they met, the variation in agriculture, weather, food and architecture, but found it a life-changing experience.
Preparation took on many different forms, getting fit, choosing the right equipment, organising finances and communication, learning the language. “It is so difficult to put the whole experience into words, or to say how much it meant to us,” says Lesley, “ In many ways, I feel that it was only the beginning of my journey.”
Four years later she returned to the Camino and learned completely different lessons, whilst enjoying the feeling of coming ‘home’. In 2012 Les did a Hospitaleros Voluntarios training course (volunteer warden) in Durban and hopes to serve in a pilgrim shelter in Spain one day.
“I am looking forward to sharing the Camino the experience with you! I know what a treat is in store for us all.... all ordinary people doing something
extraordinary!”
Les has always enjoyed hiking and active sports. She has done the Tsitsikamma and the Otter Trails, some Drakensberg Mountain hikes and was a diving instructor at a school for the disabled.
The crunch came when she heard about the Camino de Santiago, a goal that for many years seemed unobtainable. Ten years after first hearing about it, she and her daughter decided to celebrate their two milestone birthdays by walking from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. They enjoyed not only the physical challenge, the people they met, the variation in agriculture, weather, food and architecture, but found it a life-changing experience.
Preparation took on many different forms, getting fit, choosing the right equipment, organising finances and communication, learning the language. “It is so difficult to put the whole experience into words, or to say how much it meant to us,” says Lesley, “ In many ways, I feel that it was only the beginning of my journey.”
Four years later she returned to the Camino and learned completely different lessons, whilst enjoying the feeling of coming ‘home’. In 2012 Les did a Hospitaleros Voluntarios training course (volunteer warden) in Durban and hopes to serve in a pilgrim shelter in Spain one day.
“I am looking forward to sharing the Camino the experience with you! I know what a treat is in store for us all.... all ordinary people doing something
extraordinary!”
Jennifer Rooks - aka Jenny
South African born Jenny Rooks (a Director of amaWalkers Camino) is an ardent hiker and walker who says she is ‘totally addicted to the Camino’. She is also passionate about sharing her love of the Camino with all prospective pilgrims and helping them to achieve their goal.
Her addiction to the Camino began after attending Sylvia’s annual workshops on the Camino. She walked her first Camino in 2011 from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago. In February 2012 she completed a Hospitaleros Voluntarios training course run by Sylvia and served as a Hospitalera at the parochial pilgrim shelter in Grañon in October for 15 days. She also be walked parts of the Camino Aragones and Camino Frances in September and October.
Jenny is a highly experienced hiker and is actively involved in her local club, Durban Ramblers and Hiking Club, where she organises the hiking programme and is a hike leader. She lived in London for almost a decade until 2005 and during that period, she walked all over England, and hiked in Spain and Sicily.
Leading groups of people is not new as Jenny gained experience with taking groups on holidays during her career in public relations. While she was at the University of Natal, she organised and led 3 tours to Madagascar for graduates of the university, as well as an annual bus tour for 44 alumni exploring all the Anglo-Boer War battlefields.
Having followed the journeys of the previous amaWalker groups and hearing about the wonderful service that amaWalkers provides to pilgrims, Jenny feels very privileged to be part of that group and to be able to help pilgrims along their journey to Santiago. She is very excited about making the transition from being a pilgrim to becoming a pilgrim helper.
Her addiction to the Camino began after attending Sylvia’s annual workshops on the Camino. She walked her first Camino in 2011 from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago. In February 2012 she completed a Hospitaleros Voluntarios training course run by Sylvia and served as a Hospitalera at the parochial pilgrim shelter in Grañon in October for 15 days. She also be walked parts of the Camino Aragones and Camino Frances in September and October.
Jenny is a highly experienced hiker and is actively involved in her local club, Durban Ramblers and Hiking Club, where she organises the hiking programme and is a hike leader. She lived in London for almost a decade until 2005 and during that period, she walked all over England, and hiked in Spain and Sicily.
Leading groups of people is not new as Jenny gained experience with taking groups on holidays during her career in public relations. While she was at the University of Natal, she organised and led 3 tours to Madagascar for graduates of the university, as well as an annual bus tour for 44 alumni exploring all the Anglo-Boer War battlefields.
Having followed the journeys of the previous amaWalker groups and hearing about the wonderful service that amaWalkers provides to pilgrims, Jenny feels very privileged to be part of that group and to be able to help pilgrims along their journey to Santiago. She is very excited about making the transition from being a pilgrim to becoming a pilgrim helper.
Emilene Ferreira
Ever since first hearing about the Camino de Santiago, Emilene has been inextricably drawn to it. She attended a Camino workshop in Cape Town at the beginning of 2011 and the excitement and enthusiasm amongst those who attended, irrespective of whether they had walked the Camino or were still planning their own journeys, was contagious.
Emilene’s hiking career started in 2010 after she decided to climb Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for the burns unit of the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. After a successful summit in July 2010 she continued hiking and most Thursdays you’ll find her walking with the group who helped her prepare for her first big climb, Hiking is Fun. Their most recent adventure took them to the Garden Route where they hiked the spectacular Otter Trail.
Emilene and her husband have always been keen travelers but she says since she discovered hiking, her focus has shifted to exploring new destinations on foot, something that lead her to walk the pilgrimage route from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago in 2012. "There is something truly special about taking to the road with just a backpack on your back. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone and being open to whatever the journey offers, makes for a very special experience." Future plans include walking from Seville to Santiago and she is also keen to explore the spectacular Levada walks in Madeira, her husband’s place of birth.
Since attending that very first Camino workshop, her circle of Camino friends has continued to grow and becoming a pilgrim group leader for amaWalkers is something she is very excited about. She feels that her many years experience as a local tour guide in Cape Town, her passion for people and her love for the Camino has equipped her for this transition.
Emilene’s hiking career started in 2010 after she decided to climb Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for the burns unit of the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. After a successful summit in July 2010 she continued hiking and most Thursdays you’ll find her walking with the group who helped her prepare for her first big climb, Hiking is Fun. Their most recent adventure took them to the Garden Route where they hiked the spectacular Otter Trail.
Emilene and her husband have always been keen travelers but she says since she discovered hiking, her focus has shifted to exploring new destinations on foot, something that lead her to walk the pilgrimage route from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago in 2012. "There is something truly special about taking to the road with just a backpack on your back. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone and being open to whatever the journey offers, makes for a very special experience." Future plans include walking from Seville to Santiago and she is also keen to explore the spectacular Levada walks in Madeira, her husband’s place of birth.
Since attending that very first Camino workshop, her circle of Camino friends has continued to grow and becoming a pilgrim group leader for amaWalkers is something she is very excited about. She feels that her many years experience as a local tour guide in Cape Town, her passion for people and her love for the Camino has equipped her for this transition.
Magaret Kean
For Magaret, running as a form of exercise came to an abrupt end in 2003, when her oncologist gave her 6 months to live. Walking and swimming her way back to health in 2004, and hearing about the Camino in 2005, fired up her passion for long distance walking.
Magaret attended Sil's workshop in 2007, which pushed the Camino to top her bucket list. Since then she has has walked in Spain in April 2008; did a Hospitaleros Voluntarios training course in 2009; walked from Le Puy in France in Sept 2010 as well as sections of the Camino de Norte in October 2010. Future plans include walking in Switzerland and Italy.
With a background in Education, Psychology and Healing, Magaret is delighted to be able to lead souls to experience the Camino in "their own Way".
