Walking the Camino alone: is it safe, and is it better?

I have been asked many times whether it is better to walk the Camino alone or with others. Women in particular are often cautious about whether the route is safe enough to walk solo.

So can you walk the Camino alone? Yes, and it can be even more liberating than depending on someone else. Nothing in this world is 100 percent safe, but in my experience the Camino in Spain is, and I have neither experienced nor heard of solo walkers who felt otherwise. That is the short answer. The longer answer includes some of the best experiences of my life, so read on.

The routes I have walked, solo and with others

• Camino Frances
• Camino Portugues, both from Porto to Fisterra and back the other way
• Via de la Plata
• Haervejen, Denmark’s ancient road
• The West Coast Camino in Denmark

Camino Frances

I set off on the Camino Frances in 2016 with company, without really knowing what the Camino was. All I knew was that I was going to walk around 800 kilometres. We started together but often split up, walked some days alone and then met up again. Even outside high season there are plenty of people on the route.

After finishing in 26 days, I carried on alone, hitchhiking through Spain to Portugal and back, visiting people I had met on the Camino who had invited me to see where they were from. You meet so many open-minded people out there who gladly open their homes. And again, I always felt safe.

Via de la Plata

I could not get enough, so one early December morning in Seville I bought a cheap used bicycle, strapped a luggage rack on with zip ties, and started riding the Via de la Plata, the silver route. It was a terrible bike, and I pushed it about as much as I rode it.

Because of the season, and because it is a quieter route in general, I think I met five other pilgrims in 300 kilometres. Even so, I felt completely safe. A couple of times locals even drove me and my broken bike to a repair shop.

Camino Portugues, Porto to Fisterra

In 2017 I walked the Camino Portugues from Porto to Fisterra with two good friends. It is a beautiful route, first along the water and later inland through hilly forests. We walked together the first week, then split up and met again in Santiago. After 14 days the other two went home, and I continued alone without any problems.

Camino Portugues, Fisterra to Porto

Later I walked the Camino Portugues backwards, alone, which I cannot recommend if you like finding your way. The route is poorly marked in that direction. I still felt safe, and in the warm July nights I even slept outside with no tent, just my sleeping bag. I would recommend a pad or a hammock, though, since the ground got fairly cold.

Haervejen, Denmark

In the summer of 2018 I cycled from Romo to Aarhus along parts of Haervejen, Denmark’s old military road. It is quite different from the Caminos of Spain and Portugal. There is less of a community, you meet far fewer people, and there are few hostels, though plenty of free shelters along the route. You can absolutely do it alone, but it is a much lonelier experience.

The West Coast Camino, Denmark

In the summer of 2020 travelling abroad was difficult, so I tried the Caminos of Denmark. The West Coast Camino in northwest Jutland runs through beautiful nature, national parks and great surfing spots. Despite lovely weather, the route was still very empty.

Alone or together? The honest pros and cons

There are advantages both ways, and the important thing is to choose what suits you. People walk for many reasons: to find inner peace, to be social, to challenge themselves physically, to lose weight. Follow your own.

Why you should walk the Camino alone

Even if you walk the Camino alone, you are never really alone. There are so many other pilgrims on the route, all in the same boat one way or another. The community on the trail is unique, and there is always someone to walk with, talk with, cook with and share your experiences with. Going solo probably makes you more open to that community, and you can do everything at your own pace without compromising on your own trip.

That community is exactly what has made me feel safe when travelling alone. People I had never met before took care of me, including my battered feet. In everyday life you can feel invisible, but on the Camino you feel seen. Everyone greets each other with a Buen Camino, and someone always offers help, whether it is a blister plaster, advice, water or a piece of chocolate. When alone, I have switched between walking solo and joining others for a few days at a time, depending on what I felt like. It is wonderful.

Why you should walk the Camino with others

My first Camino was with a good friend. Before leaving, we agreed that the most important thing was for each of us to have the best possible trip. We had different goals, so at times we split up for a few days and then met again. It worked beautifully.

The advantage of company is that you experience everything together and share the memories, which builds close bonds. Some people also feel safer leaving home with a companion, and it can be easier to stay in touch with a friend afterwards than with new pilgrim friends.

If you go with one or more people, talk through these five things before you leave:

1. The purpose of the trip. To challenge yourselves, for religious reasons, for the community, or something else entirely?
2. Your mindset. Plan everything in advance, or set off and let the road surprise you?
3. Is it okay to split up? Walk together the whole way, or separate and meet again later?
4. Your budget. Does money matter little, or should the trip be as cheap as possible?
5. Albergues or hotels? Some people struggle with crowded dormitories and prefer private rooms.

You will spend a lot of hours together, so consider carefully who you bring.

Where you can sleep on the Camino

Most pilgrims sleep in the dedicated pilgrim hostels, the albergues, which are cheap and placed all along the route. They are reserved for pilgrims, which makes it easy to meet others and spend the evening together, often cooking and sharing the day’s stories. Be prepared for large dormitories where you sleep close to many other people. If dormitories are not for you, many hostels rent out private rooms for a bit more money, and hotels are always an option.

Two things to keep in mind: hostels can fill up, so save a little energy in case you have to walk on to the next place. And many pilgrim hostels do not allow advance booking.

What is it like to share a dormitory?

My experience of the albergues is good. You sleep with many people in one room, and it takes a little getting used to, but I have only ever seen people respect each other and do their best to stay quiet so others can sleep.

Most albergues are set up around pilgrims’ needs: kitchens with cookware, and the option to wash clothes by hand or in a machine for a small fee. The beds have easy-clean plastic covers, so you just bring your sleeping bag. Most places hand out a disposable pillow.

You can rarely avoid a snorer somewhere in the room. If that ruins your sleep, buy earplugs rather than skipping the unique fellowship of the albergues. A headlamp is also worth adding to your packing list if you sleep in dormitories.

Which Caminos are busiest? The 2019 numbers

If having other people around makes you feel safe, pick a well-travelled route. Here is how pilgrims were distributed in 2019:

Route	Pilgrims	Share
Camino Frances	189,937	54.65%
Camino Portugues	72,357	20.82%
Camino Portugues (coastal route)	22,292	6.41%
Camino del Norte	19,019	5.47%
Camino Ingles	15,780	4.54%
Camino Primitivo	15,715	4.52%
Via de la Plata	9,201	2.65%
Muxia-Finisterre	1,548	0.45%

Bonus: the Compostela is a certificate you can receive at the cathedral in Santiago if you have walked at least 100 kilometres on the network and collected stamps in your pilgrim passport.

My advice for women walking solo for the first time

What makes a person feel safe is individual. For me, it is knowing there are other people around. So if you want to walk the Camino alone for the first time, my recommendation is the Camino Frances. It is the most popular route, you will definitely meet plenty of other pilgrims, and a great many people start their Camino life on exactly this route.

Most people walk in June, July and August. I would suggest going around September instead. You avoid competing with the summer crowds for beds in the albergues, and there will still be plenty of people on the trail. Buen Camino.