THE CAMINO TREK

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Trip Details

Full details & information about what you can expect in the lead up & during the challenge.

Costs & Fundraising

The balance for your trip cost, will be due to us 10 weeks before your departure. You will be sent a reminder & an invoice 12 weeks before, giving you 2 weeks to make the payment. 

80% of your fundraising target is due to be with your charity 12 weeks before the challenge, meaning that it either needs to be banked with them, or sat against a Just Giving page. We will then invoice your charity for the remaining cost of your place on the challenge, it is important you make that 80% target otherwise your charity will not pay for your place, and your trip could be cancelled.

The remaining 20% of your balance will be due to be with your charity 4 weeks after your trip ends. 

Our base cost is on a twin share room basis, if you are signing up as a couple of two friends – you can tell us when you register onto the challenge, so we ensure that you will be sharing a room.

If you are signing up to the challenge as an individual, we will match you with someone of the same gender and roughly the same age. 

You can choose to pay an additional supplement to have your own room (and/or tent) on the challenge. 

All of our groups are an average size of approximately 20 participants. We welcome individuals, couples and groups of friends on to our challenges, and many who join us literally have a mountain to climb in terms of the scale of the challenge they are taking on. We advocate camaraderie and team bonding, and really believe that this enhances your experience.

Yes as long as we know in advance of the trip, we can cater for all dietary requirements & requests. 

Signing Up to the Challenge

Once you pay your deposit & have signed up to the challenge, you will recieve a confirmation email welcoming you onto the challenge. 

You will also recieve instructions of how to download our challenge app which has in it all the information you need to start preparing for your challenge – from kit lists to training guides. 

We will keep you updated with regular emails & newsletters in the lead up to the challenge, as well as information on training days & weekends.

If you need to cancel your challenge, your deposit is non-refundable – therefore we recommend you speak to our team to see what alternative options you may have.

Yes, if for whatever reason you need to push your departure back to a later one, or change your trip all together you can do so for a date change fee of £175, and subject to availability.

Country entry requirements can change as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, and it’s something our team constantly keep their eyes on. If we have to cancel the trip – you will be offered a transfer across to a future date/ departure or a full refund. However if you need to cancel your trip – e.g. you test positive, then you will need to seek reimbursement from your travel insurance. 

Currently we do not have the accounting facility to take instalments, we can only take your payment in full at least 12 weeks before your departure.

Preparation

Yes – in our challenge app, which you can download once you are fully registered onto the challenge we’ve a host of training materials, guides & advice for you to use. We also have training weekends, and days which you can sign up to meet others & test out not just your fitness, but your mental readiness for the challenge and your all important kit! 

Closer to the challenge we will set up a Facebook group, so that you can meet online others whom are going to be on your trip. We also have a lively & dynamic Facebook group you can join at any time to meet other fellow challengers – past & present to share and swap training tips, advice & stories. 

You will need a specific travel insurance, which covers the duration of your trip, along with full cover for any activities you will be doing (i.e. trekking, cycling) and also to cover you up to any altitude you may be trekking to. Once you are signed up to the challenge, we will send you full details of our recommended providers of appropriate cover.

Life on the Challenge

  • Pre-trip briefing by Action Challenge staff
  • All luggage transfers
  • Logistical support vehicles
  • Challenge App with all documentation loaded
  • Regular updates of all new signed-up participants
  • Action Challenge UK Leader
  • UK Medic with Expedition medical kit
  • Champagne/Cava at finishing line
  • All accommodation on a dorm share basis
  • Single Supplement available in separate hotels
  • All meals, except in free time
  • Camino Certificate for last 100km
  • 2 rest stops daily with snacks/water en route
  • Celebration dinner with Camino certificate
  • Fitness and training guide
  • International flights
  • Insurance
  • Vaccinations – up-to-date on boosters
  • Tips for local staff
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Personal kit / equipment

This is a “land only” challenge, meaning you must book your own flights to Spain. We recommend booking flights to Santiago de Compostella, aiming to land in the morning / early afternoon so you can meet the team to transfer to Sarria. You can also book to arrive earlier and transfer back to the airport to meet the team.

Since this is a land only challenge, you are free to book your return flight at your own convenience, and arrange any extra travel too.

Generally the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the whole experience of trekking the Camino de Santiago. With the correct training and preparation, this trek is very achievable!

We will wake at around sunrise, and enjoy breakfast near our accommodation. Then we will stretch out, and set off for the day’s trail. While trekking there will be regular breaks to take on water and rest in the shade, with a longer break for lunch. On return arrival at our accommodation, there will be time to relax before dinner – with more downtime in the evening for conversation and socialising.

The route will follow pilgrim footpaths through forests, reaching villages and hamlets where we follow the yellow arrows through the streets. The terrain is varied, but undulating at times and will be largely over well-worn footpaths and trails, with some sections on paved roads and pavements.

Breakfast will be items such as pastries, sandwiches or torilla – great to fill up before a day of trekking. Lunches and dinners will be “menu peregrino”, special pilgrim’s menus that offer 2 or 3 courses of traditional Spanish dishes, such as fabadas (bean stew), lentejas (lentils) or a simple cut of meat served with vegetables. There will also be wine and soft drinks on offer. For our final meal in Santiago, expect some of the seafood Galicia is famous for.

Accommodation will be a mixture of hotels and albergues – traditional communal lodgings for pilgrims walking the way of St James . Hotel accommodation is on a twin/triple share basis. If there is someone in particular who you would like to share with, please let the team know.

Your main bags will be transported to each night’s accommodation by our support vehicle. While trekking, you will carry your day pack, containing water, waterproofs, suncream and other personal effects.

We will be trekking an average of 15 – 20 km each day, over steep trails. This means we will need to keep an average walking pace of 3 – 4km per hour. Each trail will have a cut off time, meaning that if members of the group are unable to reach certain points by the cut off times, we will collect them with the support vehicle to move forward to the accommodation.

Your challenge will be led by an experienced Action Challenge leader. Our leaders are selected for their experience, knowledge, enthusiasm, sensitivity and sense of humour, and will ensure that your trip runs smoothly.

You will also be accompanied by an Action Challenge doctor, who will be carrying a fully stocked medical kit in case of any emergency. They will carry out daily health checks, and the re-assurance of their presence should allow you to focus on, and enjoy your challenge!

We have a full support team in country with two way contact between the Action Challenge Head Quarters in London and local staff and satellite phone for emergencies. If for any reason you need to leave the group early local staff will assist you and will arrange transfers, accommodation and medical care if necessary.

Temperatures in the summer on this section of the Camino will be around 20 – 25°C by day, and cooler at night. Galica is prone to rain showers too, so be sure to pack your waterproofs.

Our Brochure

The Challenge brochure details the full itinerary, inclusions, and more – download for a full run down of the challenge details. 

Dates & Prices