Camino Primitivo: The Original Way

Description

Highlights

Itinerary

Activity Levels

Testimonial

Faqs

Description

THE CAMINO PRIMITIVO IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
Oviedo to Lugo with a Santiago Finale for the 2027 Holy Year

Rarely offered by Spanish Steps, this special 2027 Holy Year departure is a unique opportunity to walk the Camino Primitivo, the Original Way, from Oviedo through the mountains of Asturias and Galicia, with a final arrival in Santiago de Compostela.

The Camino Primitivo is the first recorded Camino route. In the early 9th century, King Alfonso II of Asturias set out from Oviedo toward Compostela, beginning the pilgrimage tradition that would later become the Camino de Santiago.

In 2027, this route takes on an even deeper meaning. While many pilgrims will gather on the busier ways to Santiago, the Primitivo remains quieter, wilder, and more closely connected to the early spirit of pilgrimage.

It is widely regarded as one of the most authentic and physically demanding of the major Camino routes. The days are shaped by steady climbs and descents as we cross forested hills, mountain ridges, and quiet valleys where life still moves at a slower pace.

With that challenge comes something increasingly rare: space, silence, and the profound feeling of walking a path that has changed little over the centuries.

The landscapes are remarkably varied. Beech and oak forests, remote hamlets, high mountain passes, monasteries, ancient villages, and sweeping views accompany us as we move deeper into northern Spain.

With Spanish Steps, the physical demands are carefully supported. You walk with experienced Camino guides, van support, luggage transport, selected accommodations, shared meals, local traditions, and the encouragement of a small group.

Evenings are grounded in local life, with regional food, comfortable accommodations, and the friendships that grow along the way.

Our Camino Primitivo is completed in Lugo. From there, we continue by private transfer to the Lavacolla area, where we spend the night before our final walk into Santiago de Compostela. The next day, our pilgrimage reaches its great conclusion at the Cathedral, with time to visit the Cathedral, attend Mass for those who wish, and receive the Compostela at the Pilgrim Office.

In 2027, the Original Way offers a powerful way to experience the Holy Year: quieter, deeper, and ending in Santiago.

Highlights

  • 2027 Holy Year departure
  • Walk the Camino Primitivo, the Original Way, from Oviedo to Lugo
  • Complete the journey with a final walk into Santiago de Compostela
  • Receive the Compostela together at the Pilgrim Office
  • Follow the footsteps of the earliest pilgrims through northern Spain
  • Cross remote mountains, high passes, forests, and quiet valleys
  • Discover rural Asturias and Galicia far from the busiest Camino routes
  • Visit Lugo, with its Roman walls and historic cathedral
  • Share the journey within a small, supportive group
  • Enjoy regional cuisine, local traditions, and carefully selected accommodations
  • Guided by experienced leaders with deep Camino knowledge
  • Designed and led by Spanish Steps, guiding pilgrims since 1995

Included

  • Icon 13 nights in carefully selected accommodations with private baths
  • Icon All daily breakfasts
  • Icon 5 light and healthy picnic lunches
  • Icon 7 group dinners with wine, including a celebratory dinner in Santiago
  • Icon Bilingual Spanish Steps Camino guides throughout the journey
  • Icon Full van support with healthy snacks and water, plus daily luggage transport
  • Icon Pre departure information and detailed packing guidance

Supplement

  • Icon 1100 Euro Single Supplement (2027)

Itinerary

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Day 1 – OVIEDO

Arrive in Oviedo and settle into your hotel in the historic center.

In the evening, your guide will meet the group for an early dinner of tapas and sidra, followed by a relaxed stroll through this elegant Asturian city.

Oviedo is one of the great historic starting points of the Camino, and the perfect place to begin our journey on the Original Way.

Dinner included.

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Day 2 – OVIEDO to GRAO (Grado)

Distance: 26.2 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +150m/-300m

We begin at the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo, a powerful starting point for the Camino Primitivo. The cathedral dates mainly from the 14th to 16th centuries, but it also preserves important pre Romanesque chambers from the 8th century, connecting us directly to the early history of Asturias.

Leaving the city behind, we walk into rolling countryside, passing small villages, old bridges and rural paths. The route leads through places such as San Lázaro de Paniceres, Llampaxuga, Lloriana and Ponte de Gallegos before crossing the Nora and Nalón rivers and arriving in the market town of Grao.

Dinner included.

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Day 3 – GRAO – SALAS

Distance: 20.9 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +300m/-200m

Today we enter a more rural Asturias. The terrain becomes more rolling, with steady climbs and descents that remind us we are walking through one of Spain’s most mountainous regions.

We climb toward San Juan de Villapañada and Alto del Fresno, then descend toward Cornellana, where the Monastery of San Salvador has welcomed history and pilgrims since the 11th century.

Small villages and hamlets accompany us through the day before we reach Salas, a beautiful medieval town with the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, the Palace of Valdés and its historic tower.

Dinner included.

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Day 4 – SALAS to TINEO

 Distance: 19.1 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +400m

We leave Salas through the picturesque archway that connects the Valdés Palace with the medieval tower, one of the most atmospheric departures on this section of the Camino.

The day begins with a climb through oak and chestnut forest toward Porciles and the plateau of La Espina. The landscape opens into fields, country roads and wide views before we continue through Bodenaya, La Espina, La Pereda and El Pedregal.

Our destination is Tineo, a traditional town connected with the Vaqueiros, the mountain people of this region, known for their history of transhumance, independence and strong local identity.

Lunch included.

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Day 5: Tineo to the Campiello / Borres Area

Distance: 16 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +400m/-600m Day 5 & 6

Leaving the market town of Tineo, we begin with a steady climb toward Piedratecha before continuing toward the abandoned 13th century Monastery of Obona, a quiet and atmospheric place just off the Camino.

From here, the Primitivo leads us through Villaluz, Vega del Rey, Verrugoso and Campiello, into one of the most remote and rural parts of the route. Small hamlets, open countryside and forested paths give this stage a wonderfully old Camino feeling.

This is the first part of the 27 km section between Tineo and Pola de Allande, which we divide into two walking days for a better rhythm.

Lunch included.

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Day 6: Borres Area - Pola de Allende

Distance: 11 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +400m/-600m Day 5 & 6

Today we complete the second part of the remote mountain section between Tineo and Pola de Allande.

After returning to the trail, we continue through the quiet landscapes of western Asturias, passing small hamlets, open countryside, and peaceful stretches of the Camino Primitivo. This shorter walking day still carries the feeling of the Original Way: rural, silent, and far from the busy Camino routes.

The path brings us through the area of Borres, a well known pilgrim point on this stage, before continuing over rolling terrain toward Pola de Allande. From the high ground, we descend into this welcoming mountain town, set in a beautiful valley and long connected with the Camino Primitivo.

At the end of the stage, we transfer to the nearby Parador for the night. This gives us time to rest in a very special historic setting before the more demanding mountain stage toward Puerto del Palo.

Lunch included.

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Day 7 – POLA DE ALLANDE – LA MESA

Distance: 21 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +800m/-400m)

Today the Camino Primitivo offers spectacular scenery and the most challenging climb of the entire route: El Puerto del Palo (1145m). Once we leave Pola, as the locals call it, we walk through a majestic beech and oak forest, cross a wooden bridge over the Rio Nisón, later, we follow trails leading us through the tiny hamlets of Peñaseita and La Reigada.

Once we are at the top of the pass a steep descent into the town of Montefurado, where there’s only one inhabitant and a small Chapel dedicated to Santiago. The landscape, still beautiful, yet wild, has been devastated throughout the centuries by forest fires and agriculture.

Today a number of modern wind turbines dot this lunar landscape. From here we go to Lago where we visit the Texu de Lago. These yew trees (texu) were considered sacred in the Celtic tradition throughout most of the Iberian Peninsula but mainly in the north. We end today’s walk in La Mesa which is 872 meters above sea level.

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Day 8 – LA MESA – CASTRO

Distance: 20 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +450m/-700m

Today we leave the high village of La Mesa and begin a spectacular descent toward the Salime Reservoir, one of the most memorable landscapes of the Camino Primitivo. From the hamlet of Buspol, the views open over water, mountains, forest, and the deep valley of the Navia River.

We continue toward Grandas de Salime, the last large town in Asturias before the route enters Galicia. The trail leads us through pine forest and chestnut woods, with the landscape gradually changing as we move west.

Before continuing to Castro, we visit the remarkable Ethnographic Museum in Grandas de Salime, a fascinating collection of traditional Asturian rural life. In Castro, we also have the opportunity to see the ruins of Chao San Martín, an ancient Celtic and Roman settlement.

This is a beautiful day of descent, history, and transition, as the Camino carries us closer to Galicia.

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Day 9 – CASTRO – A FONSAGRADA

Distance: 21 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +400m/-100m

Today we say goodbye to Asturias and cross into Galicia, a meaningful moment on the Camino Primitivo.

The day begins with a steady climb toward Alto del Acebo, where the landscape starts to change. Behind us are the wilder Asturian mountains; ahead, Galicia opens into rolling hills, pine forest, farming villages, and wide rural views.

This is another quiet and atmospheric stage of the Original Way. We pass through small hamlets and remote countryside where the Camino still feels deeply connected to older rhythms of life.

Our destination is A Fonsagrada, whose name means Sacred Fountain, a historic stop for pilgrims entering Galicia.

Lunch included.

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Day 10 – A FONSAGRADA – FONTANEIRA

Distance: 20 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +300m/-400m

Today we continue through the Galician highlands, following old country roads, forest paths and small villages on one of the most atmospheric sections of the Primitivo.

The route brings us past natural springs, pine and eucalyptus woods, and quiet hamlets such as Vilardongo, Montouto and Paradavella. One of the most meaningful places along the way is the Hospital de Santiago de Montouto, a former pilgrim hospital from the 14th century, once offering shelter to those walking this remote route toward Compostela.

From Montouto, the path descends through rural Galicia before climbing again toward Alto de Fontaneira. We finish the day in Fontaneira, with time for a well deserved rest after another beautiful stage on the Original Way.

Lunch & Dinner included.

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Day 11 – FONTANEIRA – STA. MARÍA DE GONDAR - OVERNIGHT IN LUGO

Distance: 22 Km.

Elevation gain/loss: +100m/-400m

Today the rhythm softens as we continue through the quiet Galician countryside. The high mountain stages are behind us, and the route leads through green fields, small villages, old churches, and gentle rural paths.

From Fontaneira, we walk toward Cádavo Baleira, then continue through villages such as Pradera and Vaqueriza. Near Villabade, we pass the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora del Carmen and its beautiful Gothic church, often known as the cathedral of Castroverde. Later, the Camino brings us past the Iglesia of Santiago before reaching Sta. María de Gondar.

At the end of the walk, we transfer to Lugo for the night. Enclosed by its extraordinary Roman walls, Lugo is one of Galicia’s most atmospheric historic cities.

The evening is free to stroll through the old town, enjoy its lively streets and tapas bars, and experience a beautiful Camino city before we complete the Primitivo on foot the next morning.

Lunch included.

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Day 12 – STA. MARÍA DE GONDAR – LUGO - TRANSFER TO LAVACOLLA

Distance: 14 Km. 

Elevation gain/loss: +100m/-100m

Completing the Camino Primitivo in Lugo, then onward to Lavacolla

This morning, we return to Sta. María de Gondar, where we left the trail the day before, and walk the final stage of our Camino Primitivo.

This is a shorter and gentler walking day, but an important one. We pass through small Galician villages before the Roman walls of Lugo come into view. Entering through the historic gate of San Pedro, we follow the memory of King Alfonso II and the earliest pilgrims on the Original Way.

Once inside the great walls, we make our way toward Lugo’s Cathedral of Santa María. Here, in one of Galicia’s most historic Camino cities, our Camino Primitivo walking journey is complete.

There will be time for lunch and a final look at Lugo before we continue by private transfer to the Lavacolla area. Here we join the Camino Francés, ready for the final approach to Santiago de Compostela the next morning.

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Day 13 – LAVACOLLA TO SANTIAGO

Distance: 11 Km. 

Elevation gain/loss: -100m

Today we walk to Santiago.

From Lavacolla, the trail leads us toward Monte do Gozo, Mount Joy, where pilgrims traditionally caught their first glimpse of the cathedral towers. From there, we continue into the city, following the final miles of the Camino toward the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

The journey that began in Oviedo, crossed the mountains of Asturias, and carried us through rural Galicia now reaches its great conclusion. During the 2027 Holy Year, this arrival has an even deeper meaning.

Our walking journey finishes at the steps of the Cathedral, where pilgrims from many places and many routes come together.

There will be time to visit the Cathedral, attend Mass for those who wish, and receive the Compostela at the Pilgrim Office.

Tonight, we celebrate together in Santiago.

Dinner included.

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Day 14 - SANTIAGO AND TOUR END

Our final morning is dedicated to Santiago de Compostela.

A local guide and historian will lead us through the old city, the Cathedral area, and the places most closely connected with the pilgrimage tradition. This visit gives us time to understand Santiago not only as the end of the road, but as the spiritual heart of the Camino.

The tour ends in Santiago after the guided visit.

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Information for Camino Primitivo: The Original Way

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TOUR DATES 2027
September 23
to
October 06
4900 € Available
Testimonial

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Faqs

More About this Tour

Most walking days are between 10 and 14 miles, with some shorter stages and one longer first day.

The Camino Primitivo is a mountain Camino, so there are climbs, descents, and varied terrain. But this journey is fully supported: your main luggage is transported, our guides are with you on the route, and the support van is available whenever possible along the way.

If you need to rest, shorten a stage, or skip part of a walking day, the van gives you that flexibility. This allows you to experience the beauty and depth of the Primitivo at a steady, supported pace.

We use beautifully restored farmhouses known as Casa Rural, hotels, family run Pazos, Galician manor homes. They are located along the Camino and often situated in small farming villages, away from the large cities. All rooms have private baths. The smaller inns have no phone or TV in the room.

All breakfasts are included. Breakfast in Spain tends to be light. We supplement what the hotels use by bringing in additional breakfast items such as yogurts, cereals, fruits.

5 lunches are included, mainly light and healthy picnics–weather permitting.

7 dinners are included. On the nights when dinner is on your own, the guides will recommend restaurant choices. Or do what the Spaniards do—take a tour of the Tapas Bars and sample the wide variety of dishes that are offered here in Spain.

  • We will supply you with travel information for the train and bus services. Many people fly directly from Madrid, Barcelona, London, or Paris to OVIEDO. OVD is the airport code. There is an airport shuttle bus into Oviedo. For train information within from Madrid, check: renfe.es.
  • From Northern Spain (Bilbao, Santander) the ALSA bus company is the way to go. Otherwise, the train that runs along the northern coast is scenic but very, very slow. Take it from us, the ALSA bus is the way to go!

The tour ends in Santiago de Compostela, which has good onward connections to Madrid by train or flight.

Many guests choose to fly from Santiago Airport to Madrid, while others prefer the train from Santiago to Madrid Chamartín station.

If you plan to join the final guided visit in Santiago, we recommend booking return travel for the afternoon or the following day.

The hikes are not fancy. We will supply you with an equipment list of basic items to pack. You are limited to one bag weighing 30-lbs and a one-day pack to hold items such as your camera, rain gear and water bottle.

Hiking boots will be your most important piece of equipment. Please be sure they are well broken in and that you have proper socks before arriving in Spain.

Most expenses are already built into Spanish Steps trips. Extra snacks and beverages at the cafes and stores are additional. Most people travel with an ATM card. Money machines are everywhere in Spain but be sure you know your PIN number before departing the US. Do not bring traveler’s check. Most banks will turn you away.

Gratuities are never required, but they are a meaningful way to thank your guides for their care, knowledge, and support throughout the journey.

For this 14 day Camino Primitivo tour, the suggested gratuity is €500 per traveler total, shared between the Spanish Steps guide team.

Many guests prefer to offer this at the end of the tour in Santiago.

Most Spanish Steps travelers are active adults, often in their 50s, 60s, and early 70s, with a shared love of walking, culture, good food, and meaningful travel.

For this Camino Primitivo departure, what matters most is not age, but being in good health, walking regularly, and feeling ready for a more challenging Camino.

This departure is limited to 16 pilgrims, creating a small, supportive group experience.

The Camino Primitivo is a mountain Camino, especially through Asturias. The route is well marked with yellow arrows and Camino signs, but walkers should be prepared for steady climbs, long descents, forest paths, rural lanes, and quiet country roads.

This is not technical mountain hiking, but it is physically demanding. Some days include 20 km or more, and the stage over Puerto del Palo is the most challenging climb of the journey. Underfoot, we walk on a mix of dirt paths, farm tracks, paved secondary roads, stone lanes, and trails through beech, chestnut, pine, and eucalyptus forests.

With Spanish Steps, the terrain is made much more manageable by our support van, luggage transport, and experienced guides. Regular walkers in good health, who are prepared for hills and changing weather, can enjoy this route deeply.

Yes. The single supplement for this tour is €1,100 per person.

Solo travelers are very welcome on our Camino tours. A single room can be requested with the single supplement, subject to availability.

We would be delighted to share with you some references from former clients who have walked with us. If you would like to contact any former Spanish Steps participants, let us know by calling us. Check out our Customer Comments.