Experience an unforgettable journey along Japan’s historic Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail. This 6-day walk takes you through forested mountains, serene villages, and sacred shrines on the mystical Kii Peninsula. With your Adventurous Women leader escorting the group on this self-navigated journey, enjoy a unique blend of culture, history, and camaraderie. Daily luggage transfers and comfortable accommodations ensure you can focus on the adventure and connect with like-minded women.
Our Kumano Kodo walk focuses on the Nakahechi-do, which weaves its way through the forested mountains and small villages to the Grand Shrine of Hongu, before finishing near the Pacific Ocean at Nachi Grand Shrine.
Key Details
- Tour Dates: 28 October - 4 November 2025
- Start Location: Kyoto, Japan
- End Location: Osaka, Japan
- Airport: Fly into and out of Kansai International Airport [KIX] (90 mins from Kyoto by direct express train)
- Arrival: Arrive at your leisure to your hotel in Kyoto
- Departure: The tour concludes in Osaka after you check out from your hotel
Location
Please note map locations and route are approximate only Highlights
● Explore Japan’s ancient pilgrimage trails on the mystical Kii Peninsula.
● Walk through lush forests, peaceful villages, and sacred shrines.
● Relax in traditional Japanese inns and soak in natural hot springs.
● Visit the three Grand Shrines of Kumano, including Hongu Taisha and Nachi Taisha.
● Enjoy daily luggage transfers, ensuring a stress-free adventure.
● Connect with like-minded women in a supportive and empowering environment.
Itinerary
Arrive in Kyoto, Japan’s cultural heart and the starting point of your Kumano Kodo adventure. Settle into your Western-style hotel and take the day to explore this historic city at your own pace. Whether it’s wandering through temples, tasting local delicacies, or simply relaxing, the choice is yours.
Meals: None included
Accommodation: Western-style hotel
Today we board a scenic train journey to Kii-Tanabe, the gateway to the Kumano Kodo trail. The journey takes around 3 hours and the latter part offers lovely views out over the sea. From here, a local bus takes us to Takijiri, where you will deposit your luggage for forwarding. The pilgrimage begins at the Nakahechi portion of the trail, where we will walk through lush forests and ascend to the charming ridge-top village of Takahara. Tonight we’ll either stay in a Japanese-style hotel in Takahara, or in a Japanese Minshuku (family-run guesthouse) in the nearby village of Kurisugawa. After settling in, we’ll enjoy a home-cooked dinner featuring local, seasonal ingredients.
Walking Distance: 4.5 km
Elevation Gain: 370 m
Walking time: Approx 2 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Japanese-style inn or Minshuku
We start the day with a hearty Japanese breakfast before heading off through peaceful countryside and traditional settlements. Along the way, we’ll visit Oji shrines and enjoy the serene forest trails, before arriving in Chikatsuyu, our home for the night. Here your cosy guesthouse awaits with warm hospitality and delicious home-cooked food.
Walking Distance: 10 km
Elevation Gain: 480 m ascent, 520 m descent
Walking time: 4-5 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Minshuku
Today’s journey takes us to the sacred Kumano Hongu Taisha, one of the three Grand Shrines of Kumano. The route weaves through mountain trails and picturesque villages. From Hongu, we’ll take a short bus ride to either Yunomine Onsen or Kawayu Onsen, where we can relax and unwind together in natural hot springs after a fulfilling day of walking. We will gather for a delicious, multi-course dinner to replenish our energy levels.
There is also a shorter option of 2 hours (7 km), using a local bus from Chikatsuyu to shorten the walk.
Walking Distance: 15 km
Elevation Gain: 4635 m ascent, 995 m descent
Walking time: Approx 7 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Onsen Ryokan
After breakfast, take some time to explore the atmospheric village before a short bus ride takes us to Ukegawa to begin our hike on the Kogumotorigoe trail. Ascend to the mountain pass, surrounded by the tranquility of the forest, before descending into the remote village of Koguchi where we will spend the night.
Walking Distance: 12.4 km
Elevation Gain: 520 m ascent, 500 m descent
Walking time: Approx 4 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Minshuku
The final leg of our pilgrimage takes us up the Ogumotorigoe Pass, with glimpses of the Pacific Ocean along the way. We then descend to Nachi-san, the location of the Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine and the breathtaking Nachi Waterfall, Japan’s tallest waterfall. After exploring, we’ll take a bus to the port town of Kii-Katsuura for a well-deserved rest.
Walking Distance: 15.1 km
Elevation Gain: 980 m ascent, 920 m descent
Walking time: 6-7 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Onsen Ryokan or hotel
Today, you may like to enjoy the vibrant morning fish market in Kii-Katsuura, explore its charming streets, traditional shopping arcade, or simply enjoy the views out over the island-studded bay. It is also possible to visit Hayatama Shrine, one of the three grand Shrines of Kumano. At lunchtime, we’ll board a scenic train journey back around the Kii Peninsula to Osaka, where we’ll settle into a Western-style hotel for our final night and enjoy our last group dinner together, sharing our experiences.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Western-style hotel
Your tour concludes after breakfast. Depart at your leisure or continue your adventures in Japan.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Mystays Hiroshima Peace Park or similar
Includes
Adventurous Women tour leader
7 night’s accommodation in hotels and Japanese-style inns (ryokan, minshuku)
Train travel from Kyoto to the trail and from the trail to Osaka. Train transport will normally be by express and local trains in standard class.
Daily luggage transfer on the trail from Takijiri (Day 2) to Kii-Katsuura (Day 6)
Detailed day-to-day itinerary and walking directions along with topographical maps
7 Breakfasts
6 Dinners
Excludes
International flights
Airport transfers
Local bus journeys
Entrance fees to museums, temples etc.
Lunches, drinks with meals, snacks and miscellaneous items of personal expenditure
Luggage transfers of more than 1 bag per person
Travel insurance
Accommodation
We'll be staying in the following types of accommodation:
Hotel (Kyoto, Osaka, Kii-Katsuura)
Modern western-style hotels are used in the cities. The rooms are generally smaller than equivalent hotels in the West. All have en-suite facilities, air-conditioning, TV and fridges in rooms. Please note that in hotels in Japan twin rooms are more common than double rooms and are often more comfortably sized. Double rooms are subject to availability.
Ryokan (Yunomine Onsen, Kawayu Onsen, Kii-Katsuura)
Ryokan are traditional Japanese-style inns. They may be in modern concrete or older wooden buildings but the rooms are always in the Japanese style with tatami (straw) matting and futons laid out in the evening by the ryokan staff. Evening meals are served together usually in the dining room, and are exquisitely prepared multi-course meals. Many ryokan have both en suite bathrooms (with the exception of some older buildings) and communal hot spring style baths (segregated by sex). They are the classic Japanese experience.
Minshuku (Takahara, Kurisugawa, Chikatsuyu, Nonaka, Koguchi)
Minshuku are usually family-run traditional Japanese-style inns. They have tatami-mat rooms, with futons laid out in the evening for sleeping. Most minshuku do not have en suite bathrooms as they are in older traditional wooden buildings. Compared with a ryokan, they are usually (but not always) slightly less formal, but the service and food is just as good.
What To Bring/Wear
- - Detailed Trip Notes will be provided well in advance of your departure, to help you plan & prepare.
Notice of cancellation must be in writing, with an email as an acceptable form of communication, directly to Adventurous Women with the following conditions:
*Where you cancel a multi-day tour booking more than 90 days prior to departure and have paid a deposit, we will issue a $250 voucher for use on a future tour with an 18 month validity date from the start date of the original tour. This voucher can be used towards the deposit on a future tour, or it can be used towards your final payment on a tour. If you are using one of these vouchers to pay for a deposit and if you subsequently cancel that tour, no voucher is available.No refund is available after departure of a tour has commenced.We highly recommend taking trip cancellation cover through your travel insurer to cover you for unforeseen circumstances that may lead you to have to cancel your participation in the tour.
