CAMINO DE SANTIAGO, SPAIN / BICYCLE TOUR. 2012
Burgos to Santiago de Compostela.

From early in the 10th Century until modern times, thousands of people annually walk or ride this famous Pilgrim route. History, culture, art, good wines, welcoming people and great riding are part of the daily adventure. Listed as the main European Cultural Itinerary, this route is spectacular, filled with ancient monuments, typical Spanish villages for you to ride into.

Getting There & Back

Our trip starts from the city of Burgos. The easiest way to get to Burgos is to fly to Madrid or Bilbao. There are several daily trains and buses you can take to Burgos (4 hours from Madrid, 2 from Bilbao). The tour finishes in Santiago de Compostela Wednesday, June 20th after breakfast. Good air, rail and bus services are available for your return to Madrid, Bilbao or other major European cities. We are not intimate with any airlines or travel agencies, best to check the web or with a travel agent for your logistics.

The Riding

The first couple of days are mainly flat after that some climbing and descent days follow. Mileage is kept reasonable; some days are long enough to give strong riders a workout and others are short enough that recreational riders can still enjoy themselves. People are expected to bike the distances; our support vehicle carries luggage from hotel to hotel, but it is not a shuttle van unless riders are injured or sick. The pilgrim’s trail has no motorized traffic; you’ll find cyclists and walkers only and often runs parallel by paved roads, so for sections, cyclists can choose between “off-road” and pavement riding. A mountain bike or cross bike is the way to go. Bike rentals are available through a bike store in Burgos, we’ll help you make the necessary arrangements if you don’t want to bring your own. First day of riding is June 10th, 2012 we rendezvous the day before (Saturday, June 09th).

Meals

7 breakfasts and 1 dinner are included. Throughout the route you’ll be able to find food stores, cafes & restaurants, some of them offer special “pilgrim’s menus” at a reduced cost. Spanish people like to have dinner late in the day so some days we’ll have snacks and beverages by late afternoon to tie us over until restaurants open in the evenings. On days we don’t offer breakfast we’ll make sure fruit and snacks are available to get you to a café or restaurant for breakfast time.
Tap water is safe to drink and bottled water can be purchased in all towns also there are many “town fountains” along the Camino. Your bike should have the capacity to carry a minimum of 2 water bottles.

Accommodations

Hotel rooms are booked on a double occupancy basis; if traveling solo, we’ll try to find you a same sex roommate, if this is not possible; because hotel pricing we’ll collect 50% of the single supplement fee on the final payment; if a roommate is found we’ll refund you the supplement fee. Persons wishing a room to themselves may do so at their own expense. We will stay in quaint two and three star hotels. Hotel nights from June 09th through June 19th (11 nights) are covered in the package.

Climate

Daytime temperatures could be between 15-26C and evening temperatures may drop to 10C. Rain is unlikely but in the past years we’ve experienced some rain near Santiago.

Cost

$1865 canadian dollars. Per person on double occupancy. Add $450 can. for single occupancy. We are not required to collect tax on this trip (tour is outside Canada).

$100 non-refundable deposit reserves a spot. Full payment is due 90 days before the tour start. (March 09th, 2012). Please make cheques payable to GABRIOLA ISLAND CYCLE & KAYAK. We do not accept credit cards. Thank you.

Cancellation fee 31-90 days prior to the start: Full deposit + 20% final payment.
Cancellation fee 1-30 days prior to the start: Full deposit + 40% final payment.

We Provide

• 11 hotel nights
• 7 breakfasts + 1 dinner
• Support vehicle
• Luggage transport from hotel to hotel
• Snacks
• Bike transfer from Santiago to Burgos
• Bike route maps
• Bilingual guides

Not Included

• Airfare
• Airport pick up or drop off
• Bicycle
• Alcoholic beverages
• Incidentals during the trip.

Note: Minimum 10 to run the trip. Please check for availability.