Walk The Camino Mozárabe Pilgrimage

About the tour

The Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James) holds immeasurable appeal, spanning centuries of history and tradition.

The most common route stretches from France, over the Pyrenees and into Galicia, in north-west Spain. But there is another route, seldom trodden, which leaves from our own beloved Malaga and stretches north to the stunning city of Cordoba. This route, named the Camino Mozárabe, after the Christians who lived within the Islamic kingdom of Al-Andalus, traces the ancient paths used by the inhabitants of that fascinating civilisation. It encompasses breathtaking scenery, beautiful hilltop towns, olive groves and vineyards, as it winds its way through the very heart and soul of Andalucia.

What better way to share with our clients the beauty of Andalucia than taking up a pilgrims staff, donning some comfortable walking boots, and following the marked route from Malaga town centre?  It crosses the Guadalquivir river and makes its triumphant entrance into the medieval city of Cordoba – the destination for our pilgrimage.

Walking allows the mind to rest and stretch; it is both sociable and soul-searching. Whilst the walking is physically challenging, we don’t scrimp on comfort – a selection of gorgeous boutique hotels and delightful farmhouses await our St James’ Way pilgrims for them to soak their weary feet at the end of each day.

To reserve your place on our Camino Mozárabe Pilgrimage go to our Upcoming tours page and choose your preferred date

TOUR ITINERARY (PART I)

Day 1 (D)
Arrival to Malaga. Meet in the group hotel at 4pm
Welcome meeting, guided tour of Málaga to include the Picasso Museum. Dinner in Old Town Malaga.

Day 2 (B, D)
Malaga to Almogía
Our pilgrimage begins. We will walk out of the town centre to the outskirts of the city for a fabulous walk through the hills to the village of Almogía. We head up on dirt tracks into the Montes de Malaga, an abrupt mountainous topography characterised by steep slopes dotted with almond groves and oaks. The walk transverses several isolated river valleys and involves a cumulative ascent of 898m, the largest of any of the sections of the Camino to Cordoba. (15 KM)
We spend the first of 2 Nights in a rural retreat just 3 miles off the Camino.
Hotel Puerto el Peral

Day 3 (B, D)
Almogía to La Palmera
Our route today takes us through ancient olive groves as we climb the foothills to the El Torcal National Park.  Our Camino continues north out of Almogia, following an extensive network of rural dirt roads and mule tracks. The final approach to Villanueva involves approximately 2km along quiet asphalted roads into the village. The morning scenery continues from the previous day, passing through wild and unspoiled section of the Montes de Malaga before entering a more agricultural landscape on the approach to Villanueva. (12 KM)
Hotel Puerto el Peral

Day 4 (B)
Cartaojal to Villanueva de Algaídas
This morning we will enjoy a walking tour through the magnificent monumental town of Antequera. Discover the unique appeal of this Andalucian hilltop town.
After leaving the village on a quiet B road, the Camino then climbs out of the Guadalhorce valley heading for our destination, Villanueva de Algaidas. Watch out for a Roman stone way markers soon after we begin our decent to Villanueva. (13 KM)
Hotel Santo Domingo Lucena

Day 5 (B)
Villanueva de Alcaídas to El Cedrón and onto Cuevas Bajas
Today’s walk continues on the millennial Camino de Cuevas Bajas, predominantly on dirt and gravel tracks whose original Roman surface is preserved in many places, passing through rugged olive country to the town of Cuevas Bajas. We pass through the delightful hamlets of la Moheda, the site of an old Roman villa and el Cedrón, settled by Sephardic Jewish communities after the reconquest of Granada. The Camino passes by an abandoned Monastery that hides an even older Mozárabe chapel. (10KM)
Hotel Santo Domingo in Lucena

Day 6 (B)
Today’s walk leaves Cabra from the old railway station which serviced the historic ‘tren de aceite’ now the green way known as the ‘Via Verde de las Subbéticas’. The Camino follows the old line for the whole days walk, making this the flattest day of our Camino to Cordoba, lunch can be had at the old Railway station at Doña Mencia (13 KM)
Hotel Hacienda Minerva

Day 7 (B)
We leave from the historic town of Baena and enter the gentle, open countryside of the Guadajoz valley, a fertile landscape with a more diverse mis of agricultural land than the olive dominated landscape of previous days. Castro de Río is a historical gem perhaps best known for where Cervantes started writing Don Quijote – from behind the bars of the local jail!
(15 KM)
Hotel Hacienda Minerva

Day 8 (B, D)
The culmination of our Pilgrimage
Today´s route affords us a great ending as we enjoy wonderful views of the Sierra Subbética we have left behind and then joining the Vereda de Granada, an ancient right of way that takes us right into the heart of historic Cordoba. The surface is a mix of dirt tack turning into gravel later. The remains of a Roman bridge at the beginning of the Vereda and Cordoba´s own famous Roman bridge at the end attest to the historic importance of the days trail and mark the end of the Camino Mozárabe.
(21 KM)
A central hotel in Cordoba Historic Quarter
Tonight we enjoy our celebratory farewell dinner after a walking tour of the Old Town and the wondrous Mezquita with our local guide.