.
Walk shorter stages on the the Camino Frances
or Camino Ingles in Spain, the Via Francigena in the
Swiss and Italian Alps, or from Siena to Rome with our accompanied groups in 2024
People have been choosing amaWalkers Camino since 2010.
We are excited to offer our 2024 accompanied groups walks.
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 walk long stages, stay in crowded dormitories, or walk alone, and they also don't want to pay for expensive tour guides, 5-star hotels, gourmet meals or an airconditioned back-up bus.
amaWalkers Camino was formed in 2010 by Sylvia Nilsen and Pam stern, two experienced pilgrims, to share their love of the Caminos and the Via Francigena with others. We have filled the gap between Self-guided tours, walking solo, and the more upmarket luxury Guided tours by offering accompanied walks.
On our accompanied walks experienced pilgrim group leaders take care of all the logistics of the walk, allowing you to do the pilgrimage your way, at your pace, walking shorter stages than those in popular guide books with like-minded people. We stay in private en-suite rooms in carefully chosen pensions, inns and rural houses with pilgrims from all around the world. 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.
We are excited to offer our 2024 accompanied groups walks.
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 walk long stages, stay in crowded dormitories, or walk alone, and they also don't want to pay for expensive tour guides, 5-star hotels, gourmet meals or an airconditioned back-up bus.
amaWalkers Camino was formed in 2010 by Sylvia Nilsen and Pam stern, two experienced pilgrims, to share their love of the Caminos and the Via Francigena with others. We have filled the gap between Self-guided tours, walking solo, and the more upmarket luxury Guided tours by offering accompanied walks.
On our accompanied walks experienced pilgrim group leaders take care of all the logistics of the walk, allowing you to do the pilgrimage your way, at your pace, walking shorter stages than those in popular guide books with like-minded people. We stay in private en-suite rooms in carefully chosen pensions, inns and rural houses with pilgrims from all around the world. 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.
2024 Registrations opened in August. You can also contact us at amawalkerscamino @mweb.co.za
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Camino Frances
17 days St Jean to Santiago 16 MAY to 1 JUNE 2024 From €1695 sharing €450 single room supplement 
Camino Ingles
10 days Ferrol to Santiago 4 - 13 JUNE 2024 From €895 sharing €295 single supplement 
La Via Francigena
17 days from Siena to Rome 22 May - 7 June 2024 Waiting list From €1795 sharing €480 single room supplement This group is full. If the waiting list reaches 8 people we will consider offering a second group 
Via Francigena Alps
10 days La Douay to Pont St Martin in the Swiss & italian Alps 11 - 20 JUNE 2024 From €1595 sharing (€480 single room supplement ) * 3 places available 
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SPRING IN SPAIN
In spring everything is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and the Europen Stork have babies in their huge nests on every tower and steeple! Many people 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 start in St Jean and walk to Santiago, we chose three of the most scenic sections of the Camino Frances: 5 days St Jean to Pamplona Train to Burgos - one night Bus to Leon - one night Bus to Astorga, walk for 3 days in the Irago Mountains to Ponferada Bus to Samos and Sarria, visiting O Cebreiro on the way. Walking for 6 days on the last 100km qualifies you for a Compostela certificate in Santiago de Compostela The 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 walk from A Coruna is too short to qualify for a Compostela (unless you can prove you have walked at least 25km in your own country) but the 120km of the Ingles trail does qualify. The route is usually walked in 5 or 6 days but these include 3 days of between 28km and 31km so we have reduced it to 9 days walking with an average of 13km per day, the longest being 16.5km. This walk qualifies for a Compostela certificate TUSCANY AND LAZIO IN THE SPRING Tuscany is located in the heart of Italy and offers the most pleasant temperatures in the months of May and June with very little rain and mild temperatures. Tuscany has many hot water springs, known and used for curative purposes since Etruscan and Roman times. You will visit a few on your way to Rome. In Lazio you will stay at Bolsena, on the shores of the largest volcanic lake in Europe. You'll will walk on ancient Roman Roads, through hazelnut orchards past pre-Roman Etruscan ruins. On the aproach to Rome, you will have a steady climb up one of the 'Seven Hills of Rome' to Mons Gaudi and as you crest the top we should see the Eternal City laid out before you with the huge dome of St Peter's dominating the picture. VIA FRANCIGENA IN THE SWISS AND ITALIAN ALPS Some of the most spectacular scenery on the historic Via Francigena is in the Swiss and Italian Alps, especially in Spring when the Pass at the Gr St Bernard is open to walkers. We meet at the quaint Le Catogne Gite in La Douay on the slopes of the Swiss Alps. Accessible by train from Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey or Montreux. We'll walk for 9 days on sections of Roman Roads through stunning scenery, staying at the Great St Bernard Pass where you can visit the famous St Bernard rescue dogs. We then descend into the Aosta Valley with amazing landscapes of the surrounding mountains and valleys staying at small towns and villages steeped in history. Our Journey ends in Pont St Martin with easy access to Milan for your onward journey | ||||||||
Please read all the pages on this website, including the Frequently Asked Questions page, as many of your questions might already have been answerted.
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, couples, 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."
H. Jackson Brown Jnr
- 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 Group 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 St Jean, Lausanne or Ferrol. 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, 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.
- 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. NB: Only a few single rooms can be booked but if the group is large and more than 4 people want single rooms, we might have to split you from the group at occasional places and book rooms in a different establishment. This is not always possible in rural areas or in the Alps, so you might have to share a few nights.
- In Spain, Switzerland and Italy many places have en-suite bathrooms in double rooms while single rooms might 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, couples, 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."
H. Jackson Brown Jnr
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.
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.
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Via Francigena Alps - 115km Alps. 10-days from La Douay to Pont St Martin This is a spectacular walk through unforgettable Alpine villages and stunning scenery - no mountaineering required. The Grand St Bernard Pass is where you cross from Switzerland into Italy. We have had 7 groups walking this section and each time the Pass only opened mid-June. To be on the safe side, we will meet in La Douay on 11 June. You can take the scenic St Bernard Express around Lake Leman into the foothills of the Alps to La Douay where we will start walking to Pont St Martin in Italy the next day. Via Francigena Siena to Rome - 216km in 17 Days We meet in Siena, transfer to Bagni San Fillipo and walk for 15 days to Rome. We will walk through the stunning landscapes of Tuscany and Lazio, following the roads of the Popes to St Peter's in Rome. This walk qualifies for the Testimonium when you get to St Peter's in Rome |
COVID-19 - Explore your country's entry requirements for any destination with this live map.
www.skyscanner.net/travel-restrictions/
To ensure that we are all aware of the Covid rules and regulations of each country that we
travel to, please refer to your own government’s travel advice on Spain, France, Switzerland and Italy.
www.skyscanner.net/travel-restrictions/
To ensure that we are all aware of the Covid rules and regulations of each country that we
travel to, please refer to your own government’s travel advice on Spain, France, Switzerland and Italy.
NB: amaWalkers Camino (Pty) Ltd is not a travel agency. We do not make flight or transport reservations. We don't offer self-guided tours or luggage transfers for individuals or other groups. We only make accommodation bookings for our accompanied groups.
PLEASE read all the pages on this website, including the Booking Conditions so that you have all the information about the walk
* South Africans looking for Self-Guided Walks can contact Yolandi Van der Wath at yolandi@stapdiecamino.co.za
+27 82 325 3053 www.stapdiecamino.co.za
I have been meaning to let you know that we both enjoyed our walk very much. It was our fourth walk with amaWalkers so I think you can take it for granted that we are both fans of the way you do things. There was a gap of four years since our previous walk with you in 2019 (probably the Covid pandemic had a lot to do with that) and we were not sure if we would be up to it given our ages. We're not sure now (given our ages) if we'll manage another! However, we were quite pleased with our walking abilities, but found the heat difficult some days, although the temperatures in Italy have been even higher in the three weeks since we completed our walk in beautiful Pont-St-Martin. I would like to thank our unflappable group leader, Connie, a lovely lady who took such good care of us all calmly and efficiently. And thanks to you too Syl for all your hard work making these walks possible for us. (Scotland) VF Alps 2023
Hi Syl,
We had a wonderful walk and the group was fabulous. Brigitte was a very good group leader- did not try to micro manage but made sure everyone knew where to go and what to do; helped with maps and info and the fact that she was able to speak some of the language helped of course.
The only thing we would have changed would be to extend the actual walking days by two or more days as the group really started getting into it close to the end (by then everyone was fitter and settled into the routine). We would spend one less day in Lausanne at the start (which is in any event quite expensive) and rather walk that day (or two) longer. We did consider it when we spoke to you initially and sadly changed our minds.
hanks for another great walk, T & Z - Soputh Africa ( VF Alps - 2023)
We had a wonderful walk and the group was fabulous. Brigitte was a very good group leader- did not try to micro manage but made sure everyone knew where to go and what to do; helped with maps and info and the fact that she was able to speak some of the language helped of course.
The only thing we would have changed would be to extend the actual walking days by two or more days as the group really started getting into it close to the end (by then everyone was fitter and settled into the routine). We would spend one less day in Lausanne at the start (which is in any event quite expensive) and rather walk that day (or two) longer. We did consider it when we spoke to you initially and sadly changed our minds.
hanks for another great walk, T & Z - Soputh Africa ( VF Alps - 2023)
The walk was magnificent - and challenging, I loved it. I would definitely walk with Amawalkers again, age and opportunity permitting. (Ireland) VF Alps 2023
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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 We never imagined that we would be able to walk the stunningly beautiful Camino Aragones but with the excellent planning for shorter stages, slower walking, and transfers between longer stages, we were able to achieve a dream! Thank you amaWalkers for the meticulous planning, the great support from the other walkers in the group - and the patient kindness of our Group Leader Jenny, we did it!! We can't wait to walk another Camino with you in future. "Camino Sisters" South Africa |
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 |
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 your guiding was 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 Via Francigena 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 |
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amaWalkers Camino adheres to the national legislation and regulations pertaining to the safeguarding of data privacy and shall use information provided by you to perform our services. We undertake not to disclose your personal information unless it is legally or contractually required to do so. We agree to use all reasonable efforts to ensure your personal information in our possession is kept confidential, stored in a secure manner and processed in terms of POPI.
amawalkerscamino.com amawalkerscamino@mweb.co.za
Protection of Personal Information
amaWalkers Camino adheres to the national legislation and regulations pertaining to the safeguarding of data privacy and shall use information provided by you to perform our services. We undertake not to disclose your personal information unless it is legally or contractually required to do so. We agree to use all reasonable efforts to ensure your personal information in our possession is kept confidential, stored in a secure manner and processed in terms of POPI.
amawalkerscamino.com amawalkerscamino@mweb.co.za
