Yes, the Camino is completely safe, even for women. There are many routes that you can take to reach your final destination in Santiago de Compostela, and if you take one of the more popular paths, you're bound to be secure all the way through.
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The best approach, especially at the beginning, is to get out and start walking (or cycling if you plan to cycle the Camino). If you are walking the Camino, you're going to want to build up to being able to walk 20km a day comfortably. Start small with your Camino training and gradually build up your KM.
Travelling the Camino de Santiago alone is not for everyone but it is not just for a select group of people; all you need is a desire to travel and courage, to first face your fears then put on a backpack to go to Santiago. The rest is pure enjoyment.
The average age of Pilgrims walking El Camino de Santiago is between 30 and 60 with nearly 60% of Pilgrims finishing the Camino being in this age group. There are also 15% of Pilgrims being over 60 years old and this is a growing group with more and more seniors walking the Camino de Santiago.
You are using so many calories each day that it is difficult to replace them all with food. Most years I have started my camino several kilos over weight and generally lose around 6-8 kilos. However last year I made a big effort to lose my extra kilos before starting my camino and only lost 2 additional kilos.
Most pilgrim budgets fall in the $30-60 (€25-50) per day range, meaning a 30-day walk would cost $900-1800 (€750-1500). If you don't already have hiking gear, new gear could easily cost $300-600 (€250-500) if you need to get new footwear, backpack and sleeping bag.
In general, the best time to do one of the Camino de Santiago is between April and October. The months of July and August can be very hot and most Spaniards are on holiday so it's a period that is usually busy. But it can also be very attractive.
The Camino Francés often stands out as a top recommendation when talking about beginner-friendly routes. This route starts in St. Jean Pied de Port in France and spans 800 km, crossing over to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
The time of year that you choose to walk the Camino de Santiago may influence your decision as to whether you pack a sleeping bag or not. If you are walking in off-season, any time before March or after September, then you may wish to carry a lightweight sleeping bag rather than sleep sheet.
I lost about 8kgs, around 18 lbs, over a four week period. So yes, I did lose a lot of weight on the Camino. However, losing weight was never one of my reasons for walking the Camino. I did not set out on the Camino to lose weight, and I must admit that it never entered my mind at any time while I was there.
The hardest day of the Camino is on the first day of the French Way, where you have to cross the great mountain range of the Pyrenees over the Napoleon Pass. You must hike 26km to get to the first stop, but you are awarded with a stay in the stunning monastery town of Roncesvalles and two days later Pamplona.
Daily distances on the Camino de Santiago are between 20 km and 25 km. The average walking speed of an adult is 5 km/3 mi per hour. If you walk at that pace it'll take you 4 to 5 hours of walking per day.
Independent travellers along the Camino de Santiago do everything on their own. They secure their own transport, accommodations and meals, as well as plan the actual hike and route segments on their own. It isn't a difficult thing to do.
How much time do I need to walk the Camino? To walk the classic Camino Francés route from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port or Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela, most people require between 4-6 weeks, however, the time needed depends on your daily mileage and whether you take any rest days.
If you're asking yourself: Am I too old to walk the Camino?, you should consider that many pilgrims who walk the Camino are 65 years old and older, even in their 70's and 80's. It's said that the oldest person to ever walk the Camino de Santiago was 93 years young (she walked it with her 60 year old daughter!).
Following our Camino Portugués guidebook's itinerary, you could walk from Lisboa to Santiago in 26 days averaging 24km/15 miles a day. Many pilgrims walking the Camino Portugués start from Porto and can complete the trip to Santiago in just under two weeks at a similar daily distance average.
Many pilgrims who have never set foot on a pilgrimage route are afraid of getting lost along the way. The truth is that orienting yourself on the Camino de Santiago is quite simple, even for beginners. It's unusual to get lost.
The Camino Inglés, or the English Way, is the shortest Camino walk. Its name stems from the medieval English pilgrims who would arrive by boat at the northern Spanish ports before making their way to Santiago de Compostela.