When people talk about “the Camino de Santiago,” in general they’re talking about the Camino Frances, a nearly-800km walking trail across northern Spain. There are many other Camino routes, however: you’ll find a dozen or more just in Spain, all finishing at the great cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Frances, while by far the most popular, isn’t the original route. That honour goes to the Camino Primitivo (primitivo<\/em> means original or first in Spanish), a trail that was first walked by the Spanish king Alfonso II in the ninth century. At the time much of what is now Spain was under Moorish rule, with only the northern part still independent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having walked the Frances<\/a> and Portuguese<\/a> routes in previous years, it was time for a new challenge. Looking for a challenging but beautiful two- week walk in Europe in fall\/autumn, the Primitivo seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Spoiler alert: it very much did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s taken me about as long to write this guide to the Primitivo as it did to walk it, and I’ve broken it up into two main sections, covering planning and the walk itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re preparing for your own Camino Primitivo and want to know things like how hard it is, the easiest ways to get to and from the trail, where to stay, distances, costs, and what the food and drink options are like, and other logistical details, read the first part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you prefer pretty photos, or want a route summary, daily distances, or a detailed day-by-day description of the walk, check out the second section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Or, if you’d rather, just read it all! <\/p>\n\n\n