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| Day 1: | Group meeting at city centre hotel in Kyoto, followed by dinner at a local restaurant. |
| Day 2: | Spend the morning wandering around the sites of ancient Kyoto, before taking a train to Tanabe on the Kii Peninsula to start the trail. From here we take a bus to Takijiri, the gateway to Nakahechi section of the Kumano Kodo Trail. After a two hour trek, we arrive up at Takahara, a small mountain village, where our accommodation for the night is a wooden inn, a work of great craftsmanship overlooking the Kii Mountains. The hot spring baths here, made of cypress wood, or hinoki, are also a treat, topped only by the most delicious dinner, all organic and local. |
| Day 3: | Today we hike in an easterly direction as far as Chikatsuyu, passing small jizo bodhisattva spiritual icons that people place along the Trail to protect walkers. Your journey will also take you past ancient tea houses (cha-ya), beautiful places of rest for pilgrims along the Trail as recently as the last century. Your rest tonight, however, is at a welcoming, family run guesthouse, our host being the memorable Mr and Mrs Kinoshita, who prepare wonderful, traditional food, including their famous ‘takikomi-gohan’, rice steamed with vegetables. Their hot spring baths are a big hit with guests too. . |
| Day 4: | After a short bus ride from Chikatsuyu, today’s trek takes us to Hongu, where one of the Grand Shrines awaits. The Kumano Kodo is famous not only for pilgrims but also for artists that have penned pictures and words along the way. This section is no exception, with stops by small shrines or oji, where artists have pondered life, and written down their thoughts in poetry for centuries. Fine examples of these are at Nonaka and Tsugizakura-oji. The big hike today is along a mountainous ridge through several remote villages to the Hongu Grand Shrine, and then onwards by bus for a quick ride to the ancient Yunomine Hot Spring. And, as is now the norm on our trip, our accommodation is an inn with its own thermal spring, outdoors, enabling you to enjoy the mountain air. |
| Day 5: | Today is spent on the water, taking a boat down on the Kumano River to the next of the grand shrines at Shingu. We spend one more night at the Yunomine ryokan to enjoy the hot springs and fabulous dinner. |
| Day 6: | Today we are heading towards the Pacific fishing town of Katsuura, taking in another couple of stunning sections of the Kumano Kodo before we see the sea. First of all we take a bus to Koguchi, and walk our final section of the trail, crossing the Ogumotorigoe Pass with a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean to Nachi Grand Shrine and its impressive waterfall. We make the final descent by bus to Katsuura where we stay in a modern Japanese hotel, although no less impressive than some of the traditional ones as it is built into the rock, overlooking the sea, with a hot spring bath built into a cave, no less. |
| Day 7: | Saunter by the sea, enjoying the coastal delights of Katsuura, or take on another section of the Kumano Kodo which offers wonderful views out onto the ocean. |
| Day 8: | Today we head to Kyoto by train, which follows Kii Peninsula all the way to the cultural hub and ancient capital. Farewell dinner with leader guide at one of our favourite Kyoto restaurants. |
| Day 9: | Breakfast and goodbyes as some guests head for the airport, and others continue on to other parts of the country. We are more than happy to help arrange an extension to your Kumano Kodo walking holiday. |
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