The Kumano Kodo is a network of pilgrim paths through the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, walked for more than a thousand years by emperors, monks and ordinary people going to three grand shrines. It is one of only two pilgrimage routes in the world with world heritage status; the other is the Camino de Santiago, and the two are formally twinned.

Walking the whole thing takes a week and a strong pair of legs. This trip does what most people actually want: the best walking sections, with a vehicle carrying everything and meeting you at the other end.

We walk the approach that pilgrims used into the main shrine, through cedar forest on stone steps worn into curves by feet. It is quiet in a way that a trail near a city never is.

Nachi Falls drops 133 metres in one unbroken column, the tallest single drop in Japan, and it is not next to the shrine, it is the shrine. The pagoda with the waterfall behind it is one of the most recognised images in the country, and standing under it in person is louder and wetter than the photograph suggests.

And the hot springs here are unusual. In one riverside village you dig your own bath in the gravel of the riverbed, where the hot water comes up through the stones.

Day 1: Drive to the peninsula and visit the coastal shrine.
Day 2: Walk the forest sections and visit the main shrine.
Day 3: Visit Nachi Falls and drive home.

Shrine and waterfall entry is included in your price.

This is a private tour, and the daily walking is set by your group, not by us.

If a trail is closed by landslide or typhoon damage, your driver-guide takes you to a similar place nearby instead. The tour price does not change. If you prefer, we can instead walk an alternative section.