Camino Portugués: Spiritual Variant
August 26 - September 3, 2027
Vigo to Santiago de Compostela
Join Guides Nathan Schultz and Ashley Lewis on an eight-night, nine-day pilgrimage on the Spiritual Variant of the Portuguese Way. The route begins on the traditional Portuguese Route, where it crosses into Spain before branching onto the Spiritual Variant. The variant climbs inland toward Armenteira, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1162. Pilgrims are invited to visit the monastery for a blessing each evening. The variant continues along a river path lined with stone mills and down to the coast. The route also includes a boat ride, crossing the Ría de Arousa and up the River Ulla to Pontecesures, retracing the legendary route by which St. James's remains were carried to Galicia by sea. This section is the only recognized maritime leg on the Camino de Santiago. The route rejoins the Portuguese Camino for the final stretch to Santiago. You will walk between 10 and 25 km per day (6 -16 miles), with one short day by boat. Please note that 2027 is a Jubilee Year on the Camino; during a holy year, crowds can be bigger than usual, so consider booking early to ensure availability.
A Spiritual Variant
The Spiritual Variant invites us to consider what it means to take a different road. A variant is a departure from the expected path, and perhaps that is part of why we are drawn to pilgrimage in the first place. Leaving the main Camino gives this journey a different pace, with room to linger and receive the blessing of being on a different road.
As we walk, we will make space to attend the places where our own lives may have become a variant.
What questions and departures have brought us here? And how might we attend to those places while listening for the voice that called us to pilgrimage? Some days you will walk in community, others in solitude, and at times we will offer shared spiritual practices, ritual, and storytelling as ways of exploring our variants. One-on-one Companionship is available with Guides along the way.
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Trip Itinerary
Thursday July 29, 2027, at 8 pm ET (USA)
Orientation (Required Pre-Departure Meeting)August 26 – Arrive in Vigo (on own) by 3pm for Check-In, Dinner, and Brief Introductions
August 27 - Pilgrim Preparation: As pilgrims, we gather for our first communal threshold, listening to the stories of each Pilgrim and to what is calling us forward. Time is built into the day for rest and final preparations.
August 28 – Walking Stage 1: Vigo to Arcade (23 km)
August 29 – Walking Stage 2: Arcade to Pontevedra (13 km)
August 30 – Walking Stage 3: Pontevedra to Armenteira (20 km)
August 31 – Walking Stage 4: Armenteira to Vilanova de Arousa (24 km)
September 1 – Walking Stage 5: Boat trip from Vilanova de Arousa to Pontecesures. Walk Pontecesures to Padrón (1.5-hour boat ride; 2km walk). Special Threshold Circle before arriving in Santiago.
September 2 – Walking Stage 6: Padrón to Santiago (25 km). We arrive together and mark this time with a celebration.
September 3 – End of Trip: Pilgrims can choose to extend their stay in Santiago to sightsee or begin making their way home.
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Trip Rhythms
Each day will begin with breakfast at or near our lodgings. After breakfast, you’ll be invited to find your own pace for the day and offered a practice or question for the road.
A full day of walking usually takes six or more hours depending upon your pace and the stops you choose to make. You’ll pass through small villages with cafés where you can stop for coffee or to journal or eat lunch.
You will experience each day as you choose to: walking with fellow pilgrims, on your own, in silence, or in quiet conversation with the landscape.
After a day of walking, you will arrive at your hotel and have a chance to rest.
In the evenings, we will hold Pilgrim Circles, a chance to process your journey and bear witness to the heart of your fellow pilgrims.
During the week, you can request a personal session with one or more of the Guides to deepen into and process your pilgrimage experience. Sessions are provided while walking.
Each evening, you can choose to eat dinner (generally 8 pm or later in Spain) with the group, with a fellow Peregrino, or on your own.
The night before we arrive in Santiago will be a special evening of preparation. Upon arrival in Santiago, we close our trip with a final dinner and an opportunity to share as a group.
Have questions or want to discern if this pilgrimage is for you?
Click here to email us with questions or to request a discernment conversation.
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$3,200 per person for a double-occupancy room for those traveling together or open to sharing.
$3,600 per person for a single room.
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9 days, 8 hotel nights.
8 breakfasts at or near our hotels/accommodations
Your Pilgrim Passport (credentials) and Jacob Shell.
Route booklet with descriptions of route per day.
Daily guidance and one-on-one sessions with Guides
Guided spiritual practices and Pilgrim Circles.
Luggage transportation from hotel to hotel.
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Airfare to and from Europe.
Transportation to and from your airport at the beginning and end of the trip (more information will be provided to help you with travel logistics).
Lunch and dinners.
Travel insurance (required to participate).
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This trip runs with a minimum of 3 participants. We recommend waiting to book airfare until the Guide team affirms that the trip minimum has been met.
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Due upon registration: $500 non-refundable deposit
Payment in Full can be arranged upon acceptance into the trip.
For those requesting a payment plan, payments can be made as follows:
Due on May 1, 2027: First installment (half of remaining balance)
Due on June 1, 2027: Second installment (remaining balance)
If you require additional payment options such as a monthly or quarterly installment, please ask!
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If you must cancel your participation, refunds are available as follows:
Cancellations received on or before May 1, 2027: 100% of payments received, less the $500 non-refundable deposit.
Cancellations received between May 2 and June 30, 2027: 50% of payments received, less the $500 non-refundable deposit.
Cancellations received on or after July 1, 2027: No refunds will be issued.
Pilgrim Venture reserves the right to cancel the pilgrimage for any reason, in which case a full refund will be provided.
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We recognize that a pilgrimage can require a significant financial commitment. We are working to establish a dedicated scholarship fund and hope to offer scholarships in the future. In the meantime, fundraising may be one way to help cover the cost of your pilgrimage. Please reach out if you would like a resource kit to help you get started.
Ready to join this pilgrimage?
If something in this page is calling you forward, registering is a way of saying yes — to take a step toward what has been stirring in you and toward the road. We would love to have you join the Pilgrim community.
Upon acceptance into this pilgrimage, you will be asked to be in written conversation with the Guides and craft an initial Intention statement for your journey. More details will be provided.