Kansai · Day Tour
A pilgrimage route through the mountains, walked for over a thousand years.
From
¥15,000 per person
approx. US$95
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmation
A private guided walk on the Kumano Kodo, the pilgrimage network in the Kii mountains and one of only two pilgrimage routes on the World Heritage list. You start at Takijiri-oji, the traditional entrance to the sacred range, and walk the old paths towards Kumano Hongu Taisha.
For more than a thousand years, emperors, nobles and eventually everyone else walked into the Kii mountains to reach the three Kumano shrines. The paths they used are still there — stone-paved in places, cut into forested ridges, marked by small subsidiary shrines called oji. It is one of only two pilgrimage routes anywhere on the World Heritage list.
This is where the sacred mountains were held to begin. Pilgrims purified themselves here before going any further, and the path climbs steeply into the forest almost immediately. Starting from this point rather than a car park is what makes the walk a pilgrimage rather than a hike.
Cedar and cypress forest, moss on the stones, long quiet stretches with nobody else on the path. Your guide sets the distance to what you can comfortably manage and explains the oji, the offerings and what the pilgrims were doing as you pass them. There are waterfalls and small temples off the route.
Kumano Hongu Taisha is the head shrine of the three. Its original site by the river was washed away in a flood in 1889 and the shrine moved uphill; a torii of extraordinary size now stands on the old ground. Your guide explains why the shrine accepted everyone, regardless of rank or gender, when almost nothing else in Japan did.
Meet your guide at the trailhead.
The climb into the sacred mountains.
Forest, stone steps and the small shrines along the route.
The head shrine of the three, and the great torii.
Takijiri-oji. Your guide will contact you on WhatsApp beforehand to agree the plan and the distance.
It is agreed with you beforehand. The route can be walked in short sections or over several days, and your guide sets the day to your fitness.
Reasonably. There are sustained climbs and long flights of stone steps. Tell us honestly what you are comfortable with and the day is built around it.
Your local English-speaking guide. Food, drinks and your own transport are separate.
Buses run from Kii-Tanabe station, which is reachable by limited express from Osaka. Services are infrequent, so tell us your plans and we will help with the timing.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time. Bookings are confirmed instantly.
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