The Camino de Santiago, for “Way of St James” is an ancient pilgrimage to the Cathedral in the city of Santiago de Compostela in Northwest Spain. According to tradition, the Cathedral houses the remains of St James the Apostle, the patron saint of Spain. He was thought to be responsible for bringing the Gospel to Spain before returning to Jerusalem where Herod beheaded him (Acts 12). His remains were brought back to Santiago de Compostela where they were re-discovered in the 9th century. Spiritual pilgrimage to this martyred saint’s resting place has continued ever since. Today, over 200,000 pilgrims walk this route annually.

What to Expect

• Primary focus on reconnecting with yourself and the Lord.

• A spiritual formation “theme” or “grace” and exercise for each day (Surrender, Gratitude, Repentance, Submission, etc. )

• Ample time for personal reflection and prayer

• Choose to walk by yourself, with someone from our group, or another pilgrim going our way.

• Each person will receive daily individual attention from the retreat leader as they walk.

• Daily group debrief and fellowship over dinner.

We will be walking for five days in a row and for four of the days we will be walking between 22-29km each day.  While it is beautiful and fun, it can also be challenging, but a really good challenge!  Of course, it does depend on your fitness level and experience.  

If you are not used to walking such long distances, you should start training a couple of months before.  Start with just a few kilometres and then build up until you are walking for a few hours a couple of times a week.  

You should make sure you have suitable footwear and if you get new shoes, make sure to give several weeks to wear them in before starting the Camino.  You should have good, supportive shoes.  Hiking boots are not essential.  Trail shoes work really well for the terrain you encounter on the Camino.  

We will be walking the last 120km of the French route (Camino Francés) of the Camino de Santiago.  This enables us to get our “compostela” in Santiago and means we can call ourselves “peregrinos” (pilgrims) :)

Arrival - Monday 29th September, 2025

Departure - Sunday 6th October, 2025

In 2025, we have a men’s Camino retreat taking place from September 29-Oct 5.  Maximum group size is 6.  If you are interested, please complete the form below as soon as possible.  

While we do not have a women’s or mixed Camino retreat planned at the moment.  If you are interested in this in the future, please contact Ellie.covey@novo.org or push eat contact button below.

Arrivals:

There are various options.  

1. You may meet the group leader (Andrew) in Madrid.  On Monday 29th September, you would need to be at Madrid Atocha station by 11.30am or Madrid Chamartín station by 1pm.  We will then get the train to Sarria in Galicia (3h40.)  

2. Alternatively, you can fly to Santiago de Compostela and then get a bus to Sarria from the airport.

3. Or you are free to figure out another way to get there but you do need to arrive by 7pm in Sarria on Monday 29th September!

Departure:

Although we encourage you to plan to leave after lunch on Sunday 5th October, you are welcome to leave earlier that day if you need to because of transportation schedules.  Santiago de Compostela has connections to cities around Spain and various European destinations.  You may also stay on in Santiago if you wish but all costs after Sunday lunch will be your own.  

€450 ($520) Novo staff

€500 ($575) All other participants

The cost includes your accommodation for six nights as well the following meals.  

Monday - dinner, Tuesday-Saturday - early breakfast, second breakfast (you’ll need it!), lunch and dinner, Sunday - breakfast and lunch. 

Your internal or international flight and transportation to Sarria (see “Getting there” tab) is not included.  

STEP 1:

Please complete the application form and we will get back to you within 3 business days.  As there are limited places, completion of the form is not a guarantee of a place.  Please wait to hear back from us before making any travel arrangements.  

STEP 2:

Once you hear back from us to confirm you have a place:

1. Novo staff - please make an internal transfer for $520 to fund number 9806-00.  Please mark it “Camino 2025” in the description/memo.  

2. For Euro payments - please make a bank transfer to our Spanish bank account: ES44 0081 5165 4300 0149 9153. For non-Spanish bank accounts, we suggest use a service like Wise.  Please note for Spanish tax purposes, this will count as a donation to our charity so you will need to include a passport or ID number and your full name in the description/memo. 

3. Or, you can pay in USD via the Novo website.  Please make a payment for $575 by selecting the following fund: 9806-00.  Please write “Camino 2025” in the description/memo.  

STEP 3:

Book flights or transportation:  Once your registration has been confirmed and you have received receipt of payment for the event, proceed with booking your flights for the event, if applicable.