Walking with a guide

[HenroDon]

I've been wondering, of the roughly 450,000 pilgrims who got their compostelas last year, about how many walked the route with a paid guide? I can't find that information from either the pilgrim office or my old friend Google.

 

[Robo]

I'm not sure there is any data on that.
You mean a human guide rather than an app?

Of course people will jump in saying why do you need a guide!
I suppose some might want a guide / support due to ill health, or the nature of their walk.
Maybe they want a guide to explain the history, art, gastronomy along the way?
I've done a coach tour of Europe for that reason, rather than 'self drive'.

 

[trecile]

It depends on what you mean by "walk the Camino." There are guided tours that are usually very expensive where people walk just the Camino "highlights," such as this one offered by National Geographic. The cost for this tour starts at $7000 There are only 7 days of actual walking, which is limited to 5 - 12 miles a day/8 - 20 km.
Here's the itinerary:




I have seen the Marly Camino vans along the Camino Portuguese. Their prices are more reasonable, and the pilgrims do walk the entire distance, but there is bus support for those who can't finish a stage.

But I don't think that it's a very large percentage that walk with an actual guide.

More common are pre-packaged self guided Caminos that book all accommodations and provide luggage transfer.

 

[Antnix1]

When i started the camino from sjpdp, an English group was led by a guide. They only walked to Pamplona as a 4 night trip

 

[Robo]

When i started the camino from sjpdp, an English group was led by a guide. They only walked to Pamplona as a 4 night trip

I can't help but think that is such a sad way to walk a Camino (or part thereof)

But we have to remember that for most people here, we are here, because we tend to share a broad view of what the Camino is about and what it means.......to us.

I suppose it's rather like the view someone might have of my visit to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid last year. My visit lasted 30 minutes. It was all the time I had before heading to the Airport. But the only thing I wanted to see was Picasso's Guernica.

Art buffs would be horrified that I did not spend all day there, at least.........

I'm not that 'into' art, but felt I 'needed' to see Guernica.

 

[kelleymac]

A friend of mine walked the camino with her father, and they were part of a tour group with guides. They stayed at hotels and experienced fancy dinners and ate packed lunches. They also had a support van if anyone didn't want to walk. Their luggage was carried for them, and I believe the guides gave everyone a rain poncho. She and her father had a wonderful time; my friend was the only one to walk the whole way. I believe they started walking from Leon. She felt they had an insight into the culture with talks on history, art, food and wine, etc. as they walked.

My son and I took a book with us, Gitzlitz' The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook. Reading in the evenings at albergues or when we stopped for our picnic lunch on the side of the road.

​

 

[J Willhaus]

I just took a group of University students in the last 2 weeks. Each person walked their own pace and carried a pack. I arranged meals, lodging, sightseeing, transportation as we went along. We also had class discussions and activities and the students received college credit. I don't consider myself a guide, but there are others who organize small groups. @Anniesantiago does relatively regularly. @trecile did a small group last year for the first few days. Might be nice to go with a seasoned individual rather than a company.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

A Dutch friend of mine is a Camino guide. She had done a few camino's and wanted to do more so decided to start guiding as a way to afford it.

She leads small groups on various Caminos throughout the year - Frances, Portuguese, Inglès - I think she'll run seven this year.

She also leads walks in her local area. It certainly keeps her fit!

 

[HenroDon]

I just took a group of University students in the last 2 weeks. Each person walked their own pace and carried a pack. I arranged meals, lodging, sightseeing, transportation as we went along. We also had class discussions and activities and the students received college credit. I don't consider myself a guide, but there are others who organize small groups. @Anniesantiago does relatively regularly. @trecile did a small group last year for the first few days. Might be nice to go with a seasoned individual rather than a company.

A professor at my old university (UCSC) plans to lead a group of students here to do the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It must be a wonderful way to spend a quarter, out of the classroom, learning by doing.

 

[dick bird]

I've been wondering, of the roughly 450,000 pilgrims who got their compostelas last year, about how many walked the route with a paid guide? I can't find that information from either the pilgrim office or my old friend Google.

If you really want to know, the best place to start would be the Ministty of Culture and Tourism, or the tourist office of Galicia.

 

[J Willhaus]

A professor at my old university (UCSC) plans to lead a group of students here to do the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It must be a wonderful way to spend a quarter, out of the classroom, learning by doing.

Ours was only a 2 week whirlwind journey. You can read about it here if you like.Thread 'Sarria to Santiago winter Camino' https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/sarria-to-santiago-winter-camino.84433/

 

[Bradypus]

I doubt that the numbers who walk the Caminos with a guide have ever been recorded. Probably quite a small percentage. I first learned about the Caminos from my late mother-in-law. Barbara walked from SJPDP to Santiago in summer 1985 as part of an international guided group. Led by a man who had a religious experience at Lourdes which had inspired him to walk barefoot from Paris to Santiago.

 

[HenroDon]

I doubt that the numbers who walk the Caminos with a guide have ever been recorded. Probably quite a small percentage. I first learned about the Caminos from my late mother-in-law. Barbara walked from SJPDP to Santiago in summer 1985 as part of an international guided group. Led by a man who had a religious experience at Lourdes which had inspired him to walk barefoot from Paris to Santiago.

1985! Back when the number of people registering as having done the Camino was in the hundreds, rather than the hundreds of thousands!

 

[Bradypus]

1985! Back when the number of people registering as having done the Camino was in the hundreds, rather than the hundreds of thousands!

690 Compostelas issued that year. Don Elias Valiña had only just finished painting the yellow arrows the year before and his guide book for the Camino had just been published.

 

[dougfitz]

When I last did the CF, there was at least one group walking with a guide walking from Sarria. The guide was an English speaking local who was engaged regularly by an English company to lead groups. I have seen similar groups on other routes regularly since. I had become used to pilgrims walking in organised groups over the years and had walked that way myself on the Camino Salvado, in my home state. There are no doubt many reasons to do this wherever it happens.

While I prefer to walk with a guidebook or use an app, perhaps I should consider that this is only changing the nature of the guide, not walking without a guide. In which case, it would still be fair to ask why does one need a guide, particularly on the well travelled and waymarked routes.

 

[Bradypus]

When I last did the CF, there was at least one group walking with a guide walking from Sarria.

Last summer Efrén González led a guided walk from SJPDP to Santiago in May and June. With prices starting at about 90 euro per day which included his guide service and an albergue dormitory bed but rather more expensive for private rooms. Meals and any luggage transfers not included. A little beyond my budget. And being a natural solitary the idea of spending over a month walking in company makes my skin crawl anyway! But each to their own...

 

[sarria2022]

I must say that I do not understand why it is not ok to walk in a small group with a guide.
i have been guide for small groups. We met in the morning and in the evening. Here I told them what to experience the next day and I told them a lot of the history . Sometimes I am surprised when I read the questions people have on the internet. For me it is very important to know the history of the places we pass. for my groups too.

 

[Bradypus]

I must say that I do not understand why it is not ok to walk in a small group with a guide.

I do not read any posts in this thread which argue that it is not ok. Some people want such a service. Others do not. As with so many other things.

 

[ShoshTrvls]

It seems like this thread might be talking about two different types of guides -- one who is there as back-up/assistance/direction/encouragement for the actual walking, and one who is there to provide you with information/education about the history of the camino, the towns, the churches, etc.

I don't need the first type, but I appreciate that some people might. As to the second, even though I read guidebooks, I think my experience would be enhanced by a live educator/docent-type at certain places on the route.

 

[CWBuff]

It depends on what you mean by "walk the Camino." There are guided tours that are usually very expensive where people walk just the Camino "highlights," such as this one offered by National Geographic. The cost for this tour starts at $7000 There are only 7 days of actual walking, which is limited to 5 - 12 miles a day/8 - 20 km.
Here's the itinerary:

View attachment 162015


But I don't think that it's a very large percentage that walk with an actual guide.

More common are pre-packaged self guided Caminos that book all accommodations and provide luggage transfer.

MAN~ I triple dog dare anyone to develop a blister on this trek!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Last summer Efrén González led a guided walk from SJPDP to Santiago in May and June. With prices starting at about 90 euro per day which included his guide service and an albergue dormitory bed but rather more expensive for private rooms. Meals and any luggage transfers not included. A little beyond my budget. And being a natural solitary the idea of spending over a month walking in company makes my skin crawl anyway! But each to their own...

I was on a bus tour my first time in Europe and had a great time getting to know some people...instead of a Camino family, it was a "Busagrino family". If we had not started out on a pre-planned bus tour to get our feet wet, I doubt we would have ever gone to Europe in the first place. Plus it gave us the confidence to rent cars on future trips. The same may be true for those using Camino bus tours. It is a nice little luxury...who should care if someone else does the Camino that way. Maybe if they choose to go again, they might have more confidence to plan it themselves...or not; the choice is theirs.
I'm one who really likes Efren, btw, and he is doing nothing unusual or different than other bloggers/vloggers, who eventually have enough followers to go to the next level. They organize tours, whether to India, Japan's 88 temples (Efren has recently done that one), India, a Camino, or a plethora of wherevers.

 

[dougfitz]

I must say that I do not understand why it is not ok to walk in a small group with a guide.

It's not. Who said it wasn't?

Here I told them what to experience the next day

Perhaps you need to explain this. I have walked with a 'leader' who took what might have been a similar approach, and I got so frustrated with their expectation that I would experience the pilgrimage the way they did that I eventually just took the loss and left the group.

 

[trecile]

Perhaps you need to explain this. I have walked with a 'leader' who took what might have been a similar approach, and I got so frustrated with their expectation that I would experience the pilgrimage the way they did that I eventually just took the loss and left the group.

I suppose that there are a lot of people who want to know exactly what they will encounter each day on their walk. I enjoy little surprises.

 

[dougfitz]

I suppose that there are a lot of people who want to know exactly what they will encounter each day on their walk. I enjoy little surprises.

I'm sure that this is true, but there is a world of difference between knowing what one might encounter and being 'told ... what to experience'. It is possible that @sarria2022's turn of phrase here is the issue, and she might appreciate the opportunity to expand a little on what she means.

 

[dick bird]

'told ... what to experience'.

Possibly a false friend from the poster´s first language, possibly an errant spellcheck. Visiting a place you don´t know much about with someone who does can actually be a very rewarding experience.

 

[sarria2022]

I completely agree with previous posts that there is a difference between tours with a guide. it just saddens me when I read that some people think there are some ways to experience the camino that are better than others. An example from when I was a guide: we were going to Astorga and walk from there to Santiago. at the evening meeting the day before, I told about Astorga, Gaudí, the history of the bishop's palace and about Los Maragatos. also told about possible places to take breaks along the way. The next morning we started the walking and didn't have to see each other until the evening. But they knew that I was there ( I was in the back) and could get in touch with me at any time. at the evening meeting I would tele them about Cruz de Ferro, Tomás, etc.
I will end here, as I only want everyone to experience their Camino in the way that gives them the best benefit

 

[HSKim]

In recent years, a growing number of Koreans have been drawn to the experience of walking the Camino de Santiago, a popular pilgrimage route in Europe. Many choose to join church or travel agency-organized Camino walking groups with guides, and one of the primary motivations behind this choice is the language barrier. For those who may not be fluent in English or Spanish but aspire to embark on the 800 km journey, these organized groups provide a solution to bridge the communication gap.