LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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THE CAMINO MOZARABE: WHAT WE LIKED + DIDN’T LIKE.

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The Camino Mozarabe was one of those routes that we weren’t quite sure what to expect from before we started walking. It turned out to be full of surprises, from mountain views and ancient Roman history to tiny villages, brilliant food and some seriously challenging walking.

We’ve already shared lots of practical information about the route, including our daily stages and guides to individual sections. But I wanted to share more of a personal reflection, what did we think of the Camino?

Here are the things we loved, and a few things we didn’t like quite so much.

What we liked

Here’s everything we liked about this Camino route.

STARTING IN ALMERIA

We chose to start our Camino journey in the city of Almería, the capital of the province of the same name. I had visited this city before, but I was so excited for John to see it. The city itself is charming, with a one of a kind cathedral. We fully made the most of the free tapas culture the night before our walking, perhaps consuming a little too much wine!

The second reason we loved starting here, is that Almería airport has regular (and budget) flights from the UK. And the city isn’t far from the airport – a short bus ride brought us into the centre, ready to get going.

For context, you can start the Mozarabe in Malaga as an alternative route. And others also choose to join in Granada or Córdoba.

THE CAMINO ASSOCIATIONS

The route is made possible by the support of three regional Camino Associations. These associations monitor conditions on route, check navigation and offer guidance about the way. As well as managing the albergues (see below).

I would strongly recommend that anyone starting in Almería gets in touch with the Asociación Almeria Jacobea – they can help you to get a credential and understand access to the albergues. We also received a blessing in the AlmeríaCathedral before walking, which was arranged by the association – a very special experience.

NETWORK OF ALBERGUES

Thanks to the aforementioned Camino Associations, there’s a fantastic network of municipal albergues on the Camino Mozarabe. Some of these albergues are run by volunteer hospitaleros, and you can sometimes join a communal meal. When staying at others, you must collect keys from municipal station (like the town hall or police station). Pilgrims are expected to clean up after themselves when leaving.

We loved the novelty of this – it felt how we imagine other Camino routes would have been decades ago. And without these municipal albergues, it wouldn’t be possible to walk this fantastic route.

EASE OF NAVIGATION

Many people don’t realise that the southern Camino routes have the same yellow arrows and way markers as the northern routes. We had a few navigational hiccups, but broadly were able to follow the arrows along the way.

Look out for the unique Mozarabe way markers along the way.

SIERRA NEVADA VIEWS

John and I unanimously agreed that our most cherished memories of this route were walking around the magnificent Sierra Nevada mountain range. Any day where we could glimpse the snow-capped mountains, was a good day.

A couple of albergues even had mountain views, Huéneja and Abla stand out. But you can see the snowy peaks for a significant stretch of the section between Almería and Granada.

WALKING INTO GRANADA AND CORDOBA

The moment we realised that this route passes through both Granada and Córdoba, we were sold. Although between us we had visited both cities, there’s something incredibly special about arriving to each of these places on foot. Plus, the chance to explore famous landmarks like the Alhambra and the Mezquita.

Oftentimes the walk into cities on the Camino can be a bit of a let down – sometimes the bigger cities require you to walk through industrial areas. But the walk into these two cities just doesn’t have that vibe. In Granada you drop in from the hills with a view down to the city – incredible. And in Córdoba you enter via the wonderful Roman bridge.

You can find our guide to spending a rest day in Córdoba here.

ROMAN HISTORY

The Roman History is very evident along this route, and it popped up way more than we had expected. There’s the marvellous Roman Bridge into Córdoba and out of Mérida. The town of Medellín really surprised us too – this has a Roman Bridge and a really interesting fortress on top of a hill.

UNIQUE TOWNS AND VILLAGES

One of the things that I always love about walking any Camino, is discovering towns and villages on route that I otherwise would have never heard of.

Even within the first week, we explored Alboloduy – a village that seems to have popped up in the desert. Abla – a charming town with mountain views. And La Calahorra – a striking castle perched on a hill that has been used for lots of TV and movie filming locations. And there’s so much more on route that took us by surprise.

SECTIONS OF LOVELY TRAIL

The route benefits from a large amount of trail walking. We particularly loved the trail sections between Granada and Córdoba, which often wound their way through shady olive groves.

ANDALUSIAN CULTURE

We really enjoyed getting to experience a different side of Andalusian culture while walking this route. It’s difficult to fully describe the experience, but it really adds to the experience of walking through the region.

There were tapas with drinks, cosy bars with extremely warm hosts, shepherds herding sheep, gorgeous tiles everywhere, whitewashed buildings and just a different way of life. All of these little details made the route feel like much more than simply a walk from one point to another.

CROSSING INTO EXTREMEDURA

The second region you will explore on the Camino Mozarabe is Extremadura. It feels that almost as soon as you cross out of Andalusia the scenery changes. The walking becomes flatter in places, but we loved the contrast with the hills of Andalusia. And there’s something really magical about walking in plains, when you can see around you for miles.

SMALL NUMBER OF PILGRIMS

Exact statistics for the number of people walking the Mozarabe each year are not known, but it is estimated that around 150 walk during a typical “busy” month. Anecdotally, we met more pilgrims walking between Granada and Córdoba than elsewhere on route – I think this is a popular section, particularly for Spanish walkers with a week off work.

There was something so wonderful about such a small number of walkers being on trail. It never felt crowded when we walked, there were rarely lots of pilgrims in cafes and the whole vibe was just like we were discovering something new.

That said, we did also meet a handful of fellow walkers at different points on route. The small albergues (some with less than 10 beds) tended to create a nice sociable vibe.

FINISHING IN MERIDA

The route finishes in the city of Mérida. This was a city that really surprised us. It is extremely welcoming to pilgrims – as the city where the Via de la Plata and Mozarabe routes merge. We loved seeing Camino murals around the city and the opportunity to take a “finishers photo” at the Temple of Diana.

It’s well worth spending a couple of days exploring the city before continuing the walk on the Via de la Plata or returning home, if you can. You can find our guide to things to do in Mérida here.

WALKING SEASON

One of the reasons that we stumbled upon the Mozarabe is that we were looking for a route that we could walk in early spring – March into April specifically. In general, because this route is in southern Spain, the season is a little different to the Camino Frances and Camino del Norte.

You can generally walk it from around February to May, and again from September to November. It may be possible to walk some sections in winter too – but I’d avoid the areas around the Sierra Nevada. And of course, avoid summer as the heat would be too much.

Granted, we did get quite unlucky with a lot of rain. But this was quite unprecedented for the area at that time of year.

BUDGET CAMINO

Compared to other Camino routes, we spent very little when we walked the Camino Mozarabe.

Firstly, many of the albergues are available to stay in for €10 per night, or for a donation. Secondly, where private rooms were required, they rarely cost more than €50 – even in the cities of Granada and Córdoba.

Finally, costs are just slightly lower in southern Spain, particularly for drinks and food. On most days, we would buy coffee and breakfast in a bar for around €3 per person, then grab supermarket picnic items. At night, we quite often went out for a few drinks and ended up getting so much free tapas that we didn’t need to buy supper (spending around €15 for our bar bill!)

What we didn’t like so much

Here’s what we didn’t like quite so much on route.

ROAD WALKING SECTIONS

When we walked the Mozarabe, it just happened that there were some serious flood issues on route – so if you’ve watched our YouTube vlog series of the route, you might have noticed us walking a lot on roads.

The good news is, that normally the route doesn’t actually have that much road walking – but the bad news, is that the sections that do exist on road, are sometimes a bit hairy.

There are three particular stretches on road that stand out – all three lie between Córdoba and Mérida. The first is just outside Don Benito, where you have to walk on a fast stretch of road with lorries – luckily, it’s only for a short period. The second stretch is as you leave Medellín – again the road is narrow, and we both had to jump into a ditch to avoid an oncoming lorry that hadn’t seen us. Later that day, there’s a section on the N-430 (a quite major road) – luckily, it’s possible to walk behind the crash barrier here. There is an alternative route to avoid this section, but it’s not accessible if the river levels are high.

If I was walking this route again, I would strongly consider ending the journey in Medellín and taking a bus to Mérida.

LONGER STAGES

There are one or two daily stages that require walking 30km+ as there is no accommodation. We didn’t necessarily mind this, as we enjoy a long challenging day. But it’s worth keeping in mind if you do walk this route. We met a few hikers who skipped ahead with a taxi, and that might be the way to do it if you can’t walk the distance.

You can find more detail in our daily stages guides.

PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENT

The albergues are excellent, particularly on the stretch between Almería and Granada. That said, the section between Granada and Córdoba has less pilgrim accommodation. On this stretch, it is impossible to avoid paying for private accommodation.

The good news is, rooms rarely cost more than €50 for two people. But, if you’re walking solo, this might feel like a bit of a burden. You can find more detail in our guide to this section here.

Camino Mozarabe: Our Review

So, after all that, what’s our verdict on The Camino Mozarabe?

TRAIL MARKINGS + NAVIGATION: 9/10 – as always, the Camino routes are incredibly easy to navigate.

DIFFICULTY: 8/10 – some longer days, and days with elevation gain. But doesn’t require any technical skills or equipment.

ACCOMMODATION + AMENITIES: 8/10 – great infrastructure on route, with municipal albergues. But you do have to stay in private accommodation on certain sections.

VARIETY + LANDSCAPE: 10/10 –the route has so much variety, we felt like we had walked three different routes by the time we got to to the end.

PLEASURE + LEISURE: 10/10 – so much to see on route. And we visited four major Spanish cities in three weeks.

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Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

British travel writer and long-distance hiker, native to Kent. Emma has walked the Camino de Santiago more than ten times, completed trails across Europe from the Corfu Trail to the Fisherman’s Trail, and covered thousands of kilometres on foot. She always writes from first-hand experience. Her goal? Inspire just one person to go on their first long-distance hike.

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