Kumano Kodo Self-Guided Walking Holidays

• Follow a UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage trail through rural Japan
• Walk the same sacred route as Japan's Imperial family for over 1,000 years
• Soak in an outdoor hot spring bath at Yunomine Onsen - one of Japan's oldest
• Explore the three Grand Shrines of Kumano at the trail's spiritual heart
• Stay in traditional minshuku guesthouses with home-cooked evening meals

The Kumano Kodo is Japan's Camino - an ancient pilgrimage trail through the forested mountains of the Kii Peninsula, walked by emperors, nobles, and ordinary people alike for more than a thousand years. A self-guided Kumano Kodo walking holiday puts you on that same 11th-century route at your own pace, moving through cedar forest and mountain villages to the three Grand Shrines that have drawn pilgrims from across Japan for generations.

It's not a rush. Your route begins in imperial Kyoto, moves through Osaka - Japan's food capital - and then steps onto the trail itself. Each evening brings a traditional minshuku guesthouse, home-cooked meals beautifully laid out, and the kind of quiet that's hard to find anywhere else. And when your legs deserve it, Yunomine Onsen - one of the oldest hot spring villages in Japan - is waiting.

We've been arranging self-guided walking holidays since 2003, so there's not much we haven't sorted before you've thought to ask. Your accommodation is booked, luggage transfers are arranged between stops, and your route notes and mapping are ready in our award winning app - with a team on hand 24/7 if you need us. Take a look at our Kumano Kodo holidays below and find the one that fits.