This is a quiet, rugged Camino for those who prefer to walk without the crowds. You can walk for hours here without seeing another pilgrim. The route was only officially recognised in 2019 and is not well waymarked everywhere. A good map or the GPS track belongs in your rucksack, then. This is not a route for beginners.
You start in Braga on the Geira, the Roman road through the Peneda-Gerês National Park. Milestones still line the way. The old cobbles are uneven and the slopes are often steep. Later you follow the paths of the arrieiros, the muleteers who carried wine and farm produce north. You cross the border three times: into Spain at Portela do Homem, back into Portugal at Castro Laboreiro after Entrimo, and then into Spain again. On the stage from Berán to Feás you climb more than 440 metres in almost 4 kilometres. The landscape is green and full of water, with forests, reservoirs, rivers and small waterfalls. The people on both sides of the border are known for being very hospitable.
The best months are June and September. In summer it can get properly hot, and then you feel those cobbles twice as much. From November to March it is cool and often rainy. Then it gets slippery and boggy, which doesn’t make the steep sections any easier.