Planning a Camino Mozarabe/Via del Plata walk during COVID-19

[TanyaK]

Hi;

I'm hoping to walk the Camino Mozarabe / Via Del Plata from Malaga to Finisterre at the end of March, but am concerned that alot of the accommodation may be closed due to COVID-19 and that it will be difficult to find accommodation as I walk - I'd prefer not to have to book all the accommodation in advance.

I've also read that it may be difficult to get albergue accommodation at such short notice as alot of people who postphoned their 2020 trip are now doing it in 2022.

I'm also wondering if it may be difficult to get food on the camino if alot of restaurants etc. are shut because of COVID-19

Is anyone else currently walking this route that could give some up to date info on these things OR does anyone know the current situation with regards to albergues and restaurants being open/ closed etc. and if booking is really necessary?

I'm wondering if it may be better to postphone my trip until 2023 or will if it will be fine to do it this March and April?

Any advice/ tips much appreciated.

Thanks
Tanya

 

[Vacajoe]

It is impossible to tell you today what the conditions will be like in two weeks let alone two months. With emerging variants and Covid surges, changes in restaurant and lodging availability are likely to happen, but when and what and how much are questions to which no one has an answer.

You either plan your trip knowing you’ll face uncertainties or delay until later in 2022 or 2023.

 

[trecile]

The short answer is yes and no.

There will be some open and some closed, especially early in the season.
Check Gronze, and then follow up by contacting the albergues directly.

El Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

Bienvenido a Gronze, tu Guía del Camino de Santiago: Información práctica, actualizada y participativa de los principales Caminos de Santiago.

www.gronze.com

 

[naplesdon]

I would not spend much time beating my head against the wall with a lot of what if questions. It is simple matter of if you go or you don't go. It looks like this is your first Camino and the routes you have picked are "less traveled" and March is off season. I think you have already answered your own question by suggesting 2023 is an option, let your heart guide you.

 

[C clearly]

Your best source of the latest information is the Asociación Jacobea de Almeria-Granada Camino Mozárabe (aka the Amigos), particularly for the Almería to Granada section. Their website and Facebook sites have a frequently updated list of accommodations. The Facebook site has a link to a January 2022 update on Google drive. It is in Spanish but you should be able to figure out the key information - you'll need to be able to do that on the route, anyway. The Amigos are very responsive to enquiries, even in English, and they are very friendly in person.

alot of people who postphoned their 2020 trip are now doing it in 2022.

Maybe, but even the Camino Frances will not be crowded in March, or April before Easter.

There will not be many pilgrims on the Mozarabe in March, and you may need to deal with various uncertainties, so some Spanish is very helpful. I am curious why have chosen this route for your first Camino?

 

[TanyaK]

The short answer is yes and no.

There will be some open and some closed, especially early in the season.
Check Gronze, and then follow up by contacting the albergues directly.

El Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

Bienvenido a Gronze, tu Guía del Camino de Santiago: Información práctica, actualizada y participativa de los principales Caminos de Santiago.

www.gronze.com

Thanks I'll check out Gronze!

 

[TanyaK]

I would not spend much time beating my head against the wall with a lot of what if questions. It is simple matter of if you go or you don't go. It looks like this is your first Camino and the routes you have picked are "less traveled" and March is off season. I think you have already answered your own question by suggesting 2023 is an option, let your heart guide you.

Hi,

Thankyou for your reply.

It's not my first Camino, well it's my first full Camino but I've previously walked sections of 8 of the routes over the last 12 years.

But I think as it's a less travelled route I may wait until things are a bit more stable!

 

[TanyaK]

Your best source of the latest information is the Asociación Jacobea de Almeria-Granada Camino Mozárabe (aka the Amigos), particularly for the Almería to Granada section. Their website and Facebook sites have a frequently updated list of accommodations. The Facebook site has a link to a January 2022 update on Google drive. It is in Spanish but you should be able to figure out the key information - you'll need to be able to do that on the route, anyway. The Amigos are very responsive to enquiries, even in English, and they are very friendly in person.


Maybe, but even the Camino Frances will not be crowded in March, or April before Easter.

There will not be many pilgrims on the Mozarabe in March, and you may need to deal with various uncertainties, so some Spanish is very helpful. I am curious why have chosen this route for your first Camino?

Hi, Thanks for your reply and useful information, very helpful

This isn't my first Camino, but it is my first full one. I've walked sections of about 8 of the other routes. I chose it because I wanted a less popular route and I'm at a conference near Malaga just before so decided to walk from there!

I also speak fairly good Spanish so should be fine in that respect.

Thanks again, Ill check out the sites you mentioned!

 

[TanyaK]

It is impossible to tell you today what the conditions will be like in two weeks let alone two months. With emerging variants and Covid surges, changes in restaurant and lodging availability are likely to happen, but when and what and how much are questions to which no one has an answer.

You either plan your trip knowing you’ll face uncertainties or delay until later in 2022 or 2023.

Thankyou, this was the direction I was thinking too! I just need to make a decision.

 

[C clearly]

Hi, Thanks for your reply and useful information, very helpful

This isn't my first Camino, but it is my first full one. I've walked sections of about 8 of the other routes. I chose it because I wanted a less popular route and I'm at a conference near Malaga just before so decided to walk from there!

I also speak fairly good Spanish so should be fine in that respect.

Thanks again, Ill check out the sites you mentioned!

With this information, I think your plan is good. The main issue would seem to be whether things have recovered from Omicron by March. Maybe contact the Association and ask them, since they would know better what contingency plans are needed and/or in place.

 

[naplesdon]

Thank you for letting us know you have been on the Camino before. Ultreya!

 

[OZAJ]

Malaga to Fisterra was my first Camino in 2008. I started early April. It was a good time.

All I want to say is JUST DO IT. You have Spanish - you should be fine.

 

[TanyaK]

With this information, I think your plan is good. The main issue would seem to be whether things have recovered from Omicron by March. Maybe contact the Association and ask them, since they would know better what contingency plans are needed and/or in place.

I will do, thankyou

 

[Magwood]

I walked this route in 2015, starting early April. There is an amigos association in Málaga, but they only open their ‘office’ on Tuesday evenings. Maybe you can visit when you are in Málaga for your conference. It’s a fabulous city, so much to see and do. I lived close by for many years.
Many things will have changed since I walked in 2015, but you may find my daily posts to my blog useful, giving info on terrain and accommodation - also including a video of my camino. See here

 

[Magwood]

Some links that might be useful:
Stage info from Málaga
Association Guide Málaga section starts page 85. There used to be an English version but my link no longer works.

 

[jungleboy]

Could anyone who has done both be able to give a quick summary of the differences between, or pros/cons of, the Málaga vs Almería routes?

 

[TanyaK]

Malaga to Fisterra was my first Camino in 2008. I started early April. It was a good time.

All I want to say is JUST DO IT. You have Spanish - you should be fine.

Thankyou

 

[TanyaK]

I walked this route in 2015, starting early April. There is an amigos association in Málaga, but they only open their ‘office’ on Tuesday evenings. Maybe you can visit when you are in Málaga for your conference. It’s a fabulous city, so much to see and do. I lived close by for many years.
Many things will have changed since I walked in 2015, but you may find my daily posts to my blog useful, giving info on terrain and accommodation - also including a video of my camino. See here

Thanks so much, I'll definitely check out your posts. I will also be writing about my experience on my travel blog, although I don't think I'll be able to be as disciplined as you to write daily Well done!

 

[TanyaK]

Some links that might be useful:
Stage info from Málaga
Association Guide Málaga section starts page 85. There used to be an English version but my link no longer works.

Thankyou!

 

[clivespicer]

Hi;

I'm hoping to walk the Camino Mozarabe / Via Del Plata from Malaga to Finisterre at the end of March, but am concerned that alot of the accommodation may be closed due to COVID-19 and that it will be difficult to find accommodation as I walk - I'd prefer not to have to book all the accommodation in advance.

I've also read that it may be difficult to get albergue accommodation at such short notice as alot of people who postphoned their 2020 trip are now doing it in 2022.

I'm also wondering if it may be difficult to get food on the camino if alot of restaurants etc. are shut because of COVID-19

Is anyone else currently walking this route that could give some up to date info on these things OR does anyone know the current situation with regards to albergues and restaurants being open/ closed etc. and if booking is really necessary?

I'm wondering if it may be better to postphone my trip until 2023 or will if it will be fine to do it this March and April?

Any advice/ tips much appreciated.

Thanks
Tanya

Hi Tanya,
I was walking the Mozarabe/Via in 2020, just as the pandemic was kicking in. I left Malaga in mid February and made it as far as Salamanca before everything started to close down. For the first part of the camino, up to Merida, I didn't encounter many other pilgrims so competition for the accommodation wasn't an issue. Only once was I unable to get a hot meal at the end of the day. What I did find however was that the arrangements for collecting keys varied immensely. Whenever the key has held in a local bar/cafe it was not really a problem. But, when the key was held in the town hall, or with the local police, there were times in the day when there was no one available. I found too that phoning ahead didn't work out as more often than not the phone went unanswered, and this just added stress to the day. There are several FB sites listing the current state of all the albergues on the Via/Sanabres route, (and Gerald Kelly has done some sterling work) which looks fairly reasonable if you chose your stages wisely. For what it's worth, Ive decided to go ahead with my plan to walk out of Alicante along the Del Sureste and Sanabres routes starting third week in February.

 

[TanyaK]

Hi Tanya,
I was walking the Mozarabe/Via in 2020, just as the pandemic was kicking in. I left Malaga in mid February and made it as far as Salamanca before everything started to close down. For the first part of the camino, up to Merida, I didn't encounter many other pilgrims so competition for the accommodation wasn't an issue. Only once was I unable to get a hot meal at the end of the day. What I did find however was that the arrangements for collecting keys varied immensely. Whenever the key has held in a local bar/cafe it was not really a problem. But, when the key was held in the town hall, or with the local police, there were times in the day when there was no one available. I found too that phoning ahead didn't work out as more often than not the phone went unanswered, and this just added stress to the day. There are several FB sites listing the current state of all the albergues on the Via/Sanabres route, (and Gerald Kelly has done some sterling work) which looks fairly reasonable if you chose your stages wisely. For what it's worth, Ive decided to go ahead with my plan to walk out of Alicante along the Del Sureste and Sanabres routes starting third week in February.

Hi, Thankyou so much for this information - really helpful. I think I'll give it a few more weeks to see how things pan out with covid and then decide. It will take a lot for me to cancel/ postphone but we'll see, I currently live in Greece so willalso depend on how the restrictions are there.

Just out of interest - how did you find the first part of the route with regards to difficulty - how did you find the terrain?

 

[clivespicer]

Hi, Thankyou so much for this information - really helpful. I think I'll give it a few more weeks to see how things pan out with covid and then decide. It will take a lot for me to cancel/ postphone but we'll see, I currently live in Greece so willalso depend on how the restrictions are there.

Just out of interest - how did you find the first part of the route with regards to difficulty - how did you find the terrain?

The first section wasn't technically challenging, but the stage through the El Torcal Reserve had a very slippery and steep descent (My Day 3 Villanueva to Antequera). Overall the route was more than a little rough underfoot. I often had sore ankles and was very glad to have my walking poles. My abiding memory of the Mozarabe is that I have probably seen enough olive trees to last me a lifetime. Beautiful nonetheless. All my stage photos are public on my FB account if you want to take a look.

 

[TanyaK]

The first section wasn't technically challenging, but the stage through the El Torcal Reserve had a very slippery and steep descent (My Day 3 Villanueva to Antequera). Overall the route was more than a little rough underfoot. I often had sore ankles and was very glad to have my walking poles. My abiding memory of the Mozarabe is that I have probably seen enough olive trees to last me a lifetime. Beautiful nonetheless. All my stage photos are public on my FB account if you want to take a look.

Thankyou, that helps. I shall definitely take poles

I actually live in village amongst olive groves in Greece so that's going to be alot of extra olive trees for me.