NEW TRIP
Ancient Trails & Paradors of Northern Spain
Pilgrim’s Way: El Camino de Santiago Post-Eclipse
NEW TRIP! This itinerary is part of Total Solar Eclipse of 2026: Northern Spain, an eclipse program followed by a choice of six different adventures in Spain, Portugal & France:
Overview
After the thrill of witnessing the total solar eclipse in Lerma, we'll embark on The Way of St. James leading to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, which has drawn pilgrims and travelers for centuries. Our unique pilgrimage hike brings us the very best of the landscapes and villages (and skips sections that parallel highways). We'll follow country lanes marked with the scallop shell, the symbol of St. James, hike through misty forests of gnarled oaks, and walk barefoot along the beach at Finisterre—mythical Kilometer 0 on the pilgrim trail. Along the way, we enjoy the camaraderie of fellow pilgrims from around the world and relish our carefully selected hotels, including two nights at the extraordinary
Parador de Santiago de Compostela, overlooking the Cathedral of St. James.
Arrive: Bilbao, Spain
Depart: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Highlights
- Witness the dramatic phenomena of a total solar eclipse with renowned astrophysicist Alex Filippenko, PhD (veteran of 14 eclipse events with WT!)
- Enjoy the fabulous Parador de Lerma and our private eclipse-viewing site at a hilltop winery
- With decades of experience on El Camino, we've honed this itinerary to perfection!
- Complete the final stretch at Finisterre, walking the sands barefoot in true pilgrim tradition
- Enjoy Trip Leaders who ensure the traditions of the Camino are very much a part of your journey
- Stay in historic hotels, including the 5-star Parador de Santiago de Compostela, a 15th-century monastery in Santiago's central square
Itinerary
Our eclipse program begins in Bilbao, with a tour of the world famous Guggenheim Museum, a cruise along the Nervión River, and a walking tour of the Old City. We then continue south to charming Burgos, where we'll have a tour of its imposing Gothic cathedral, a World Heritage Site. A short drive from Burgos brings us to the medieval town of Lerma and our private eclipse-viewing site at an expansive winery on a hill—virtually on the centerline of the eclipse. Our Bilbao accommodation on Days 1-2 is the Carlton Hotel. On Days 3-4, we stay at the fabulous Parador de Lerma, a ducal palace originally built for King Felipe III. En route to Lerma during the first few days of the trip, we enjoy lively talks on eclipses and other celestial topics by our esteemed eclipse expert Dr. Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy at UC Berkeley.
We'll explore León's soaring Gothic cathedral before heading to the walled city of Astorga. At the start of our first El Camino hike, we are given a “Pilgrim's Passport,” which we carry on the trail and have stamped at points along the journey. Our trail passes the historic Cruz de Ferro, where thousands of pilgrims have carried a single stone from their homeland.
Galicia has a Celtic heritage and most of the province is settled in tiny farming villages. We hike the El Camino path to the mystical Celtic village of O Cebreiro, which once ranked with Roncesvalles as a resting place for pilgrims. From Sarria, where two branches of El Camino meet, we hike to the whitewashed town of Portomarín on one of the most spectacular stretches of the entire pilgrim trail.
In Santiago, all roads lead to the vast central plaza and extraordinary twin-towered limestone cathedral containing the remains of St. James. Witnessing the scene in the main square as many pilgrims conclude their journey here is tremendously moving. Our final hike brings us to the sweeping beach at Finisterre on the Atlantic, where we'll walk the sands, celebrate our pilgrimage, and visit Finisterre Lighthouse, with its famed Kilometer 0 marker, as countless pilgrims have through the centuries. Depart on Day 12.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is rated Level 3, Moderate, according to our trip grading system. You will need to be comfortable hiking 14 miles a day and being on your feet for up to 8 hours a day. You will also need to be able to keep up with the moderate but steady pace of the group as there are no alternative hiking options available. Trail conditions, weather, and the group's level of fitness can affect hiking times and pacing.
Average Hiking Day:
Review Trip Level Details
Average Hiking Day:
- 8 miles
- 4-6 hours
- 1,000 feet gain/loss
- Challenge Day
Our hikes are over easy to moderate terrain, with well-marked paths throughout. We will occasionally walk a few miles on pavement, but most of the hiking will be on dirt paths. The first two days of the trip include a half day of hiking and a half day of learning about the history of the Camino in the local towns. The rest of the days include a morning hike until around 1:00 pm and an afternoon hike from 2:30 pm until 5:00 pm.
We strongly urge you to train for your trip, as your enjoyment will be highly dependent on your level of fitness. The best training for a hike is to hike, especially over hills or rough terrain. Next best are running, swimming, bicycling, or other cardiovascular exercise. Stair climbing machines are excellent preparation for hiking uphill. Your feet should also be well prepared—make sure your hiking boots are sturdy, comfortable, and thoroughly broken-in.
While we have timed our trip for ideal hiking weather, you should be prepared for a variety of conditions. The days are usually warm and dry but not too hot. Nights can be quite cool. There is typically sunshine, but showers can occur at any time.
You will be welcomed each night in our carefully selected hotels and paradors, including two nights at the extraordinary Parador de Santiago de Compostela. While not luxurious, the rest of our accommodations are in nice hotels that are comfortable and well located on the Camino. Since they are often in historic buildings, the rooms are not always of uniform or international size. Our leaders do their best to assign rooms in a fair way so that all participants experience an equal advantage throughout the trip as a whole. Single rooms can be requested but are not always available, due to the limited space in the hotels. If you prefer a single room, please make your request as early as possible.
A buffet breakfast is served at our hotel each morning with fruit, bread, whole grains, cold cuts, cheese, butter, ham, olive oil, tomato, yogurt, coffee, and tea. We'll enjoy lunches in cafés or restaurants along the trail that offer local foods including cheeses, fresh vegetables, salamis, ham, fresh fruit, and bread. These are the typical restaurants where pilgrims stop to eat, and they give us a great chance to be part of the community. Pilgrims come from all over the world to hike El Camino and are always very friendly and willing to share their experiences. Some of the items you'll see on the menu are hearty soups, a variety of cheeses and hams from the region (including jamón serrano), salads, pimientos del padrón (roasted green peppers), and trout served the Spanish way (expect to see the whole fish!). We often don't convene for our lunches until around 1:00 pm as lunch starts late in Spain. Dinner is at our hotel or a nearby restaurant and includes other local specialties like lamb and fresh seafood. Please note that in Spain, the dinner hour is considerably later than what it is in the US. We do our best to secure early reservations for our groups, but most often the evening meal will be at 8:00 pm.
Our van will transport the group's luggage, so you only need to carry a daypack for items you need during the day (rain gear, sweater, camera, water bottle, etc.). Trip members are always free to skip a day's hike and travel to the next destination in the support vehicle (or remain at the hotel if we are not transferring that
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Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Level 1 – Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Level 2 – Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Level 3 – Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
- Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
- Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
- Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
- Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin, are Trip Level 3.
Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Level 5 – Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Level 6 – Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.