Walk the Camino Frances, Camino Primitivo,
Camino Ingles in Spain, or the Via Francigena
in Italy with our accompanied groups in 2022
People have been choosing amaWalkers Camino since 2010 and with travel restrictions lifted between many countries, we are excited to be able to offer our accompanied groups in 2022!
Many of us feel called to walk a pilgrimage but we don't have 5 or 6 weeks vacation to walk in Spain, France or Italy. Some don't want to stay in crowded dormitories, or walk alone, but they also don't want to pay for expensive 5-star hotels, nightly 3 course meals, airconditioned back-up bus or meet on the trail for gormet picnic lunches.
amaWalkers Camino was formed by two experienced pilgrims to share their love of the Caminos and the Via Francigena with others. We have filled the gap between going solo, sleeping in dormitories, and the more upmarket luxury Camino Guided tours. Our.accompanied walks allow you to do the pilgrimage with like-minded people in a relaxed way, walking shorter stages than those in popular guide books and staying in private en-suite rooms in carefully chosen pensions, hostals and rural houses where pilgrims from all the world like to stay. Over the years many life-long friendships have been formed in our groups as we've shared the adventures, the wonder, challenges and beauty of the pilgrimage trails we offer - and many pilgrims have returned to walk with us on different trails.
If this is the kind of pilgrimage you would like to do please send us an email amawalkerscamino@mweb.co.za or complete the contact form at the end of this page.
Many of us feel called to walk a pilgrimage but we don't have 5 or 6 weeks vacation to walk in Spain, France or Italy. Some don't want to stay in crowded dormitories, or walk alone, but they also don't want to pay for expensive 5-star hotels, nightly 3 course meals, airconditioned back-up bus or meet on the trail for gormet picnic lunches.
amaWalkers Camino was formed by two experienced pilgrims to share their love of the Caminos and the Via Francigena with others. We have filled the gap between going solo, sleeping in dormitories, and the more upmarket luxury Camino Guided tours. Our.accompanied walks allow you to do the pilgrimage with like-minded people in a relaxed way, walking shorter stages than those in popular guide books and staying in private en-suite rooms in carefully chosen pensions, hostals and rural houses where pilgrims from all the world like to stay. Over the years many life-long friendships have been formed in our groups as we've shared the adventures, the wonder, challenges and beauty of the pilgrimage trails we offer - and many pilgrims have returned to walk with us on different trails.
If this is the kind of pilgrimage you would like to do please send us an email amawalkerscamino@mweb.co.za or complete the contact form at the end of this page.
Our accompanied pilgrime groups in 2022
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Camino Frances
16-days St Jean to Santiago 26 May - 10 June 2022 From €1450 
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Camino Primitivo
16-days Oviedo to Lugo 11 - 27 May 2022 From €1499 ** With an option to join the Camino Ingles group and walk from Ferrol to Santiago**
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Many would like to walk the full 775km from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago but don't have the time to do so. In order to enable people to start in St Jean and walk to Santiago, we chose to walk three of the most scenic sections of the Camino Frances, 5 days in the beginning, spend a night in Burgos and Leon, then walk for 3 days in the Irago Mountains from Astorga to Ponferada; then we hire a private coach and driver to transport our pilgrims to Samos and Sarria, visiting O Cebreiro on the way. Walking the last 100km qualifies them for a Compostela certificate
Camino Ingles
9-days Ferrol to Santiago 28 May - 4 June 2022 From €675
Camino Ingles or English Way was the route taken by British, Irish and Scotish pilgrims in the middle ages, arriving in Galicia by sea. Many landed at A Coruna or El Ferrol and walked from there to Santiago de Compostela.
The 120km of this scenic trail is usually walked in 5 or 6 days but these include 3 days of between 28km and 31km. To walk a more leisurely trail we have reduced those stages to an average of 13km per day, the longest being 16.5km. (The train/bus journey from Lugo to Ferrol for those joining from the Camino Primitivo will be included in the package). |
This is the oldest and most challenging Camino in Spain with a few extreme stages in the Cantabrian mountains. Many ultra-fit pilgrims complete the 312km route from Oviedo to Santiago in 16 days or less, which would be beyond many. To enable more pilgrims to experience the best section on this wonderful route, between Oviedo to Lugo, we reduced the saily stages to 15km or less, spend two nights in most places and shuttle the groups from and to the trail. From Lugo you can join the group (with the same Group Leader) on a train/bus to Ferrol and walk to Santiago on the Camino Ingles
The Via Francigena
16-days Siena to Rome 24 April- 10 May 2022 From €1499
me of the most gorgeous scenery of the VF in Italy is in Tuscany and the lake district of Lazio.
On this 16-day walk from the beautiful city of Siena, you will walk on sections of Roman Roads through fields of wildflowers and hazelnut orchards, pass stunning castles, Entruscan ruins, visit historic hilltop villages and lakes, and qualify for the Testimonium certificate when you walk into Rome. We will have vehicle back-up on call in case you need emergency support |
Efficient, experienced leaders, excellent accommodation, walking with like minded people
amaWalkers Camino group leaders take care of all arrangements so that all you have to do is walk, meeting up with fellow group members in the evening if you want to. Our package includes:
We take singles, groups of friends, religious groups, clubs, and those who want to walk with like-minded people. We’ll be happy to share our love of the Caminos and Via Francigena with you!
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."
Mark Twain
- Up-to-date Advice on Covid 19 travel requirements and protocols for each country
- What to pack, getting to the start and home again.
- An experienced Walk Leader who makes all land arrangements including taxis to train and bus stations, to and from hotels, accommodation, private coaches when required and luggage transfers. She will accompany you for the duration of your trip
- Orientation get-together - your group leader will meet you at the hotel in the afternoon when you arrive in Oviedo, St Jean or Siena. She will welcome the group at an orientation get-together where you will receive a goodie bag containing a credencial (Pilgrim's passport) a Michelin map guide book (for Spain), walking notes with an itinerary, details of all your accommodation and luggage tags and a few other goodies. From time to time she will call for an evening get-together to confirm travel arrangements for the following day
- Luggage Transfers between overnight accommodation are included
- Accommodation is provided in small hotels, inns, rural houses and apartments, including one or two nights at the start and at the end of your walk. We do not stay in pilgrim dormitories, nor do we stay in 5 star hotels. A few single rooms can be booked but if the group is large, we might have to split the group and book rooms in a different establishment. In Spain and Italy many places have en-suite bathrooms in double rooms while single rooms share a bathroom so if you want a single room with en-suite bathroom every night you will need to pay for single occupancy in a double room. In a couple of villages (mostly on the Via Francigena) we might stay in a rural home where bathrooms are shared by the group
- Meals - some accommodations include breakfast but they rarely include dinner. Your group leader will arrange for meals to be offered in remote locations
We take singles, groups of friends, religious groups, clubs, and those who want to walk with like-minded people. We’ll be happy to share our love of the Caminos and Via Francigena with you!
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."
Mark Twain
When is the best time to walk - Spring or Fall?
In Spring everything is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and the European stork have babies in their huge nests on towers and steeples.
It is harvest time in the fall and starting end of August and September there are many harvest festivals with an abundance of fruit, wines, breads and other produce.
In Spring everything is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and the European stork have babies in their huge nests on towers and steeples.
It is harvest time in the fall and starting end of August and September there are many harvest festivals with an abundance of fruit, wines, breads and other produce.
COVID-19
To ensure that we are all aware of the Covid rules and regulations of each country that we travel to, please refer your own government’s travel advice on Spain, France and Italy. For official information about these country, please visit the local tourism websites for regular up-dates:
Spain: https://travelsafe.spain.info/en/
France: https://www.gouvernement.fr/en/coronavirus-covid-19
Italy: http://www.italia.it/en/home.html
To ensure that we are all aware of the Covid rules and regulations of each country that we travel to, please refer your own government’s travel advice on Spain, France and Italy. For official information about these country, please visit the local tourism websites for regular up-dates:
Spain: https://travelsafe.spain.info/en/
France: https://www.gouvernement.fr/en/coronavirus-covid-19
Italy: http://www.italia.it/en/home.html
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Via Francigena - 250km
16-days walking from Siena to Rome From the walled town of Siena in Tuscany, to the lake district of Lazio and Rome, we will follow in the footsteps of millions of pilgrims who trekked to Rome and the Vatican. We will stay in a variety of accommodations from small hotels, monasteries and religious houses. When you arrive in Rome you can earn the Testimonium certificate LUGGAGE TRANSFERS
Bags are transported from hotel lobby to hotel lobby, mainly by retired people, many of them women. Most historic buildings do not have elevators or porters so the 20kg (44 lb) limit per bag is important for both you and the people who transfer your bag each day. If you have more than 20 kg (44 lbs) extra luggage you will need to transfer more than one bag or send some stuff to Santiago for collection there. 
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IMPORTANT - enjoying your walk on the Camino will depend on whether or not you are walking fit.
Rate your hiking fitness level and if you need to start training, visit our training plan here.
Below average □ I can’t hike 20 km (12.4 miles) day after day or do hills.
[Perhaps our walks are too ambitious for you? Please start training now!
Average □ I can hike 20 km (12.4 miles) day after day but am not so good on hills
[There are hills in France, Spain and Italy so start training on hills.
Good □ I can hike 20 km (12.4 miles) day after day and am OK on hills
[You will do just fine!]
Rate your hiking fitness level and if you need to start training, visit our training plan here.
Below average □ I can’t hike 20 km (12.4 miles) day after day or do hills.
[Perhaps our walks are too ambitious for you? Please start training now!
Average □ I can hike 20 km (12.4 miles) day after day but am not so good on hills
[There are hills in France, Spain and Italy so start training on hills.
Good □ I can hike 20 km (12.4 miles) day after day and am OK on hills
[You will do just fine!]
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A huge "Thank you" to you for all that you do to make these trips so seamless and well-organized. After we saw the standard of the accommodation in Spain (much nicer than was expected!) we realized that your profit margin from doing this has to be quite small, so thank you for doing this as a mission and a passion to support the Camino. I think you really have succeeded in what you set out to do- to create a way for folks to experience the Camino without having to deal with logistics, and with the support and encouragement of like-minded group members and our stellar group leaders. I think you picked the nicest sections to do and I appreciated not having to walk the Meseta or even many of the very urban approaches to the bigger towns. I was able to really enter in to the mental, spiritual and emotional part of the Camino in a much deeper and richer way than I had expected, and that was mostly because I wasn't expending energy looking for accommodations or struggling by myself whenever there was a difficulty or an issue.
I think what you are doing is fabulous! Thanks again, Mary-Sue USA - September Group |
From the very beginning, my contact with Sylvia Nilsen and AmaWalkers was a very positive one; I knew I was in good hands as Sylvia answered my emails promptly and was very reassuring about my main concern: namely crossing the Pyrenees. I was impressed and signed up from the other side of the world, Sydney, Australia.
The accommodation ranged from budget to standard to superior - all carefully chosen for their variety, location and hospitality of the hosts. In Arzúa, for example, we stayed on a farm, Casa Vaamonde, where we woke up to the gentle sounds of Ramón's dairy cows. Ramón, our host, pampered us with a home cooked meal as well as collecting us from Ribadiso after a 26+km walk in the warm Spanish sun. Such gracious hospitality and personalised service!! I especially enjoyed seeing the many medieval chapels and churches and was secretly connecting to my "inner Templar". I absolutely agree with a comment I read somewhere that walking the Camino is like walking through an outdoor medieval museum. Of course the scenery was spectacular too. Our group leader, Jon, was very helpful - we were well supported with info about the terrain, weather, historical sights, food etc. I was then free to walk the 20+ km every day without any stress, knowing I had a clean bed and shower waiting for me. It's been said that we don't walk the Camino, the Camino walks us! So true! Those shells and yellow arrows were always there to guide us in the right direction. As in our daily life, we're given shells and yellow arrows to guide our next step... we just have to stay in the moment to see these signs. Mariyam, Sydney, Australia |
Hello Syl and Jenny,
Tom and I really had a wonderful walk with you and the rest of the group. I think about it all the time and with such great appreciation for all that you did to make it such a fantastic experience. Everything was so perfect and seamless. You and your team did an incredible job of booking the most amazing and unique accommodations. I loved them all. The luggage transfers were impeccable and the guiding superb even when the way markers were a bit sketchy. Thank you so much for all that you did and it was a lot!!! Most of all thank you for your positive attitude through the thick of having to lead a group of such diverse individuals. I really came to love and appreciate everyone of them and I miss them. They were such a wonderful part of the trip. You are my hero! The VF left a mark on me in a very positive way. It was challenging but so, so beautiful. I feel so privileged to have been able to do it and especially with you. I’ll remember it and you always with such great love and affection. Thank you so much for putting it all together and for making the journey such a memorable one. Words can’t express how much the whole walk meant to me and I know it was because of you. You’re the bomb! Lots of love always. T&N O Neil, USA - VF Group |
ABBOT PFANNER TRAPPIST TRAIL
We are thrilled to introduce Deon Small who is offering Trappist trails in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, through his company Berg Adventures! Deon is a level 4 Adventure Provincial Guide, competent to guide in the Drankensberg, Maluties, Battlefields, and other areas of KwaZulu Natal. If you are interested in walking a Trappist Trail please contact Deon www.bergadventures.co.za drakhike@gmail.com
This is the first long-distance pilgrimage trail in South Africa established in the beautiful southern regions of KwaZulu Natal, between the Southern Drakensberg, the Midlands Mist-Belt and the Eastern Cape. Strung out across the hills and valleys between the Drakensberg and the sea, like knots on a string of Rosary beads, are twenty-two historic Trappist missions. Established over a century ago by extraordinary Trappist monks, led by Abbot Francis Pfanner, the Mission churches are hidden treasures that we want to share with the world. You can walk between 8 of the Missions after visiting the mother mission at Mariannhill.
We are thrilled to introduce Deon Small who is offering Trappist trails in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, through his company Berg Adventures! Deon is a level 4 Adventure Provincial Guide, competent to guide in the Drankensberg, Maluties, Battlefields, and other areas of KwaZulu Natal. If you are interested in walking a Trappist Trail please contact Deon www.bergadventures.co.za drakhike@gmail.com
This is the first long-distance pilgrimage trail in South Africa established in the beautiful southern regions of KwaZulu Natal, between the Southern Drakensberg, the Midlands Mist-Belt and the Eastern Cape. Strung out across the hills and valleys between the Drakensberg and the sea, like knots on a string of Rosary beads, are twenty-two historic Trappist missions. Established over a century ago by extraordinary Trappist monks, led by Abbot Francis Pfanner, the Mission churches are hidden treasures that we want to share with the world. You can walk between 8 of the Missions after visiting the mother mission at Mariannhill.
amaWalkers Camino (Pty) Limited -2010 Registered in terms of Section 14 of the Companies Act 2008. Registered Company number 2012/073214/07 Address: 27 Harvey Rd, Manors, 3610. South Africa. amawalkerscamino.com amawalkerscamino@mweb.co.za
