The Sacred Pilgrimage Trail

Please note that all ascent and descent figures listed in the itinerary are approximate only and may vary slightly depending on the route taken.

The best way to reach Kii-Tanabe is by train (tickets not included; can be purchased locally). Frequent trains run south from Kansai Airport, Osaka and Kyoto, with the line following the coast and avoiding steep mountains. Travel time is approximately 2 hours from Osaka and 2.5–3 hours from Kyoto.

Kii-Tanabe, the gateway to the Imperial Route of the Kumano Kodo, sits between the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountains. Collect your orientation pack at the Tanabe Tourist Information Center, then take some time to explore the town.

In the evening, join your escorted group dinner, a perfect introduction to Japanese cuisine and a chance to meet your fellow walkers. Your guide will introduce you to a handpicked local izakaya where you’ll enjoy a full-course meal including alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Expect a lively, authentic atmosphere, warm local hospitality, and a chance to try a variety of regional dishes and drinks.

Meals: D

Start the day early, checking out of your accommodation and collecting your lunch box before taking a group taxi to Takijiri, the official start of the walk.

The trail begins with a climb to Takahara, a rural hamlet on a ridge, home to an ancient shrine surrounded by towering camphor trees (kusu-noki) and offering spectacular views over the Hatenashi mountains. Along the way, Buddhist statues and oji shrines mark the historic pilgrimage route. Continue through bamboo forest and pencil pine, passing old ichirizuka distance markers and sites of former tea houses that once offered rest to pilgrims. After a short climb over Hashiori-Toge Pass, descend past the Three-Fold Moon viewpoint to the Gyuba-doji statue, depicting Emperor Kazan riding both a horse and a cow. The trail continues along a cobbled path and staircase to Chikatsuyu, a small village with limited supplies and drinks. From here, it’s a final climb to Tsugizakura-oji, where your accommodation awaits in a local minshuku guesthouse. Nearby, a grove of ancient cedar trees, some over 800 years old, provides a serene end to the day.

Ascent 1010m / Descent 840m

Meals: B, L, D

Today’s walk begins with a series of climbs over forested mountain passes. Facilities along this section are limited and the path leads you deep into the quiet serenity of the forest before emerging to the shrine at Hosshinmon-oji. Historically, Hosshinmon-oji marked the outermost entrance to the sacred precincts of Kumano Hongu Taisha. The name means “Gate of Awakening of the Aspiration to Enlightenment,” symbolising a spiritual threshold for pilgrims on their journey.

From Hosshinmon-Oji, you’ll take a local bus to the Kumano Hongu area. The highlight here is Kumano Hongu Taisha, the grand central shrine of the region and spiritual heart of the Kumano pilgrimage. A long, stone staircase leads up to its serene forest setting, where ancient cedar and cypress trees frame the shrine’s elegant architecture.

After your visit, a short bus ride brings you to Kawayu Onsen, a tranquil hot spring village and your home for the next two nights. This peaceful riverside retreat is beloved by walkers, with thermal steam rising from the riverbanks and the inviting promise of a rejuvenating soak in a traditional onsen bath—a ritual deeply rooted in Kumano pilgrimage customs.

This evening enjoy a delicious Japanese meal at your accommodation.

Ascent 780m / Descent 980m

Meals: B, L, D

This morning, you’ll take a local bus back to Hosshinmon-Oji, where you’ll rejoin the Kumano Kodo for the memorable walk into Kumano Hongu Taisha. This final stretch is steeped in symbolism, marking the pilgrim’s ceremonial entry into the sacred heart of the Kumano region.

The trail gently winds through tranquil cedar and cypress forests, past terraced rice fields and rustic rural hamlets with occasional vistas opening up to the surrounding mountains. Along the way, you’ll encounter several Oji shrines, once important rest stops for ancient pilgrims, each offering insight into the spiritual heritage of the route.

As you near Kumano Hongu Taisha, the forest gives way to a long stone staircase leading up to the majestic shrine complex, nestled on a forested ridge and framed by towering trees. You have the opportunity to take more time to explore this revered site before returning by local bus to Kawayu Onsen, where you can relax once more in the soothing hot spring baths—a fitting way to unwind after your rewarding journey.

Ascent 190m / Descent 460m

Meals: B, D

This morning, a short group taxi ride (prebooked) takes you to the Kawabune Boat Tour Centre, embark on a traditional boat ride down the Kumano-gawa River. For over 1000 years pilgrims have been making the journey to Kumano and the Kumano-gawa River has been a vital section of the pilgrimage route between Kumano Hongu Taisha in Hongu and Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu. You will journey in a traditional wooden flat-bottom boat as pilgrims have been doing for centuries.

The boat tour finishes in Shingu, close to the Kumano Hayatama Shrine, one of the sacred Grand Shrines of the Kumano region. Although the shrine buildings were rebuilt recently, the Hayatama Taisha has occupied the same location since at least the 12th century and the area has been a site of nature worship for much longer. In fact, the nature in and around the shrine is an integral part of this Grand Shrine’s precincts and annual rituals. The ancient 800-year-old Nagi-no-Ki tree highlights the area’s deep tradition of nature worship and is considered a sacred tree of God. Small dolls made from the seeds of this tree are believed to generate luck with the opposite sex or a happily married life to couples. We also recommend visiting the nearby Gotobiki-iwa, a gigantic rock worshipped as a sacred object and located halfway up Gongen Mountain. It is believed that it was here that the first Kumano deities descended to earth from the heavens. At the base of this monolith is the Kamikura-jinja shrine.

After looking around Shingu, you will catch a bus to Nachisan (paid locally), your overnight location. It’s here you will visit the last one of the Grand Shrines, Kumano Nachi Taisha. In Nachisan you will also find the stunning Buddhist temple Seiganto-ji and behind the temple you can see the Nachi-no-otaki fall; with a vertical drop of 133m, it is the tallest waterfall in Japan.

Meals: B, D

Today enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then take a local bus from Nachisan to Kii-Katsuura. From Kii-Katsuura, transfer by train to your onwards destination. Train tickets are not included and can be purchased locally at the Kii-Katsuura train station.

Meals: B

20kg of CO2-e per person per day

We pay for a monthly offset to cover the estimated emissions of our walkers for all trips with RAW Travel, which goes into local reforestation or biodiversity restoration. Explore the practical actions behind these estimated carbon offsets for your trip here, following a philosophy of ‘re-wilding the planet’ with native tree planting & Ocean plastic cleans ups.

A reasonable estimate for a pilgrim is 20 kg of CO2-e per person per day, primarily due to hotels, meals and emissions from luggage transfers. The act of walking itself is a form of sustainable travel, so the carbon footprint calculated here is a measure of the ancillary activities surrounding the walk, not the walking itself. The figures are estimates, not precise measurements for each route/trip, as it’s difficult to provide an exact number without detailed data on specific hotels, menus, and transfer routes which vary from person to person. This figure represents the operational footprint of the hike and its included services only. It does not include the flights and other transport needed to get to the start and finish of the walk.

An individual can significantly influence their footprint with the varied choices they make around food and drink at each meal. For instance, a diet rich in meat, imported goods and alcohol, will have a much higher impact than one focused on local, seasonal, and plant-based options. This daily stated figure is an average across all days of the pilgrimage, derived from the key consumption components listed below.

• 1 night in Kii-Tanabe (twin share, private bathroom)
• 2 nights in traditional Japanese guesthouses (twin share, shared bathroom)
• 2 nights in an onsen village (twin share, private bathroom)
• Escorted Izakaya dinner experience in Kii-Tanabe
• Taxi transfer from Kii-Tanabe to Takiiri on Day 2
• Taxi transfer from Kawayu Onsen to the Kawabune Boat Tour Centre on Day 5
• Traditional boat ride from Hongu area to Shingu
• Meals as listed in the itinerary
• Orientation pack collected on arrival in Kii-Tanabe
• Luggage transfers on the Kumano Kodo on hiking days and on day 5
• RAW Travel’s exclusive interactive navigation app
• RAW Travel luggage tag & buff
• Carbon offset for your trip and a native tree planted for every walker

• Local bus tickets
• Train tickets to/from trail
• Flights to/from destination
• Travel insurance
• Single supplement
• Beverages other than water at meals
• Expenses and items of a personal nature