Walking the Camino Mozárabe: 5 things you need to know

1. Why should I consider walking the Camino Mozárabe?

You might consider walking the Camino Mozárabe because when you walked the Camino Francés, you wished you’d walked it years ago when it was less crowded. Or, maybe the Camino has got under your skin and you’re ready for another, more adventurous, pilgrimage.

The Camino Mozárabe is well-marked and you’ll be mainly walking on old tracks and quiet minor roads. You’ll visit the history-laden cities of Granada, Córdoba and Mérida, walk past Roman ruins and visit fortified hilltop villages. 

Could it be in your Goldilock’s zone of a quieter, less travelled Camino with a rich cultural history, dazzling architecture and good infrastructure for pilgrims?

2. Give me an overview of walking the Camino Mozárabe.

The Camino Mozárabe is named for the Mozarabs, Christians living in the Arabic kingdoms of the south of Spain, who made pilgrimages to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela. The route follows Roman roads, medieval paths and droving ways through the dramatic landscapes of Andalucía and the great Moorish cities of Granada and Córdoba before crossing Extremadura to Mérida, the old Roman capital, where it meets the Via de la Plata. 

It’s a fascinating route historically, culturally and scenically (although some days you walk through rows and rows of olive trees). It’s undulating/hilly for much of the route which makes for constantly changing scenery, and while it’s physically more demanding than the Camino Francés, this shouldn’t be a problem if you’re reasonably fit.

The trail is well marked but with few pilgrims on the trail you can’t rely on following the conga line of pilgrims in front of you. There are a few longer stages than on the Camino Francés (30-35km) and fewer villages overall, not all of which have accommodation or even a shop. 

The Camino Mozárabe is 620 km long and can be divided into three main sections:

1. Almería to Granada, 200 km
2. Granada to Córdoba, 170 km
3. Córdoba to Mérida, 250 km

From Mérida, where the Camino Mozárabe meets the Via de la Plata, it’s 750 km to Santiago.

We walked from Almería to Mérida in 25 days, including a couple of rest days and one day on a bus when Michael needed treatment for painful shins.

Note: there are alternative, shorter, routes starting in Málaga and Jaén.

3. Do I need to be fluent in Spanish?

You don’t need to be fluent in Spanish but it would be helpful to have a few words to order food, book a bed and ask the way to Santiago (pointing, sign language and translation apps all help). 

English (and other foreign language) speakers were rare outside of large towns and there are not lots of pilgrims, so you need to be somewhat self-sufficient. In 2018, there were, perhaps, six other pilgrims on the route at the same time as us, but some days we didn’t see any. We understand that there are more pilgrims these days but it’s still a long way from being crowded.

4. I’m interested in walking the Camino Mozárabe, help me find out more.

The very helpful amigos at Almería (Asociación Jacobea de Almería-Granada Camino Mozárabe) have information on distances, accommodation, facilities and route profiles from Almería to Mérida. While some of this information is in Spanish, the really useful bits such as maps, accommodation and trail profiles don’t require translation. Their website also has a separate route description in English and you can download GPS files.

They were very helpful to us, even cooking us dinner one evening, and I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them if you have any detailed questions. For instance, we know that they advised a large group on what day they should start to avoid accommodation crunches (and others when to start to avoid this group).

The Córdoba association also has detailed information on their website. 

Another detailed route guide (including the Málaga route) in English is the Pilgrims Guide: Mozarab Way of Santiago (PDF). It has stage descriptions, accommodation & services information, and maps. We’re not sure if it’s been updated since we walked the route but it will still be very useful.

The Confraternity of Saint James has guidebooks for Almería and Jaén to Mérida. 

As above, the route is well-marked with yellow arrows, but when you haven’t seen a marker for a while and there’s no one else in sight you have a choice; retrace your steps until you find an arrow (sensible), cross your fingers and press on (tempting but not smart), or open up your GPS app and see where you are and how far away the trail is (magic). 

We used the Gaia GPS app on our smartphones and it saved us stress and time. While you can test it out for free, you’ll need a paid subscription to download maps (essential on this route as phone coverage is patchy). We’ve found it doesn’t drain the battery significantly when used occasionally during the day, but will if open constantly. The maps on Gaia GPS are excellent and their customer service team are very helpful but there are other options, so check out a couple of apps before deciding.

The Almería association has GPX files for the route and the Netherlands association also has GPX files for this and most other Caminos, and a guide, in English, to getting them on your phone.

5. How do I find out what walking the Camino Mozárabe is like?

If you haven’t already read our story of walking the Camino Mozárbe, then click here. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to start planning your own Camino along this fascinating route before the crowds arrive.

And, if you’d like an insight into what walking the Camino Francés was like in 2005 (and how it changed our lives), take a look at our account here. Or perhaps you’d like to compare it to the Camino Portugues.

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Disclosure

We do not receive payments, commissions, or freebies. If we mention a specific product/service or link to another website, it’s because we think it might be useful in planning your walk. There are likely to be alternatives to the products and services that we mention and we suggest that you assess the best options for your needs.