A Practical Note from Jenn 💌

Sunday · August 9, 2026 · Nine Days Out 🔥

Is It Safe to Walk the Camino de Santiago in 2026?

The fires, the heat, the crowds, and what I learned before I go.

Written August 9, 2026. Conditions change daily, so please check the live sources below for your own travel dates.

Hey you, it's me.

I've been getting a lot of questions and concerns lately, especially with the wildfires and the heat all over the news, and I leave in nine days. So I wanted you to know I am not winging it. I have done my research, and I want to share it with you.

A promise first: I did the homework, but I am not a fire authority or a weather service. So I'll tell you what I found, and I'll tell you exactly where to check for yourself, because in a summer like this one, the only safe answer is a current one.

The honest picture

Spain is having one of its hottest, most fire-heavy summers on record. Close to 200,000 hectares have burned this year, roughly six times what had burned by this point last summer, and the European Union has mounted its largest-ever wildfire response, with firefighters and aircraft brought in from across the continent. This is real. It deserves respect, not panic.

Good news, and the part most people get wrong

If you're walking a coastal route like I am, here's the good news. The worst of the heat, the 39 to 42°C days, has mostly hammered southern and inland Spain. The northern coast — the Basque Country, Cantabria, and Asturias — has been spared the worst so far.

But here is the part I don't want you to miss. Cooler does not mean safe.

Galicia, in the northwest, is one of Spain's most fire-prone regions, and this summer the national weather service has flagged it at high to extreme fire risk more than once. Galicia is exactly where the final walk into Santiago happens.

So if you're walking those last stages like I am, that's the stretch to watch most closely.

And fires don't have to be near you to change your day. They close trails. They close roads. They shut down rail lines. They fill the air with smoke miles from any flame. So the thing to track isn't only whether there's a fire. It's the daily fire-risk forecast for wherever your feet will be that day.

The thing almost no one plans for: the crowds

This week the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago put out a plea. Santiago is very busy, please book your accommodation. On the busiest days this year, more than four thousand pilgrims have arrived in a single day, breaking records two days in a row. More than 530,000 people received their Compostela last year, and this year is on pace to be even bigger.

What that means for you is simple. Do not wing it. Especially on routes like the Norte that lean on small albergues and guesthouses with limited beds, July, August, and September fill up weeks, sometimes months, ahead. Book your beds now. Do not count on finding a bunk at four in the afternoon when thousands are chasing the same pillow.

So here is what I am actually doing

• 1. Register for AEMET alerts, Spain's official weather service, which publishes a daily fire-danger forecast.
• 2. Check the regional fire warnings for wherever I'm walking each day, especially in Galicia and any inland stretch.
• 3. Book all of my accommodation now.
• 4. Start early, before the heat peaks, and carry more water than I think I need.
• 5. Keep 112 handy for emergencies, and know that 085 reaches forest-fire services in many regions.
• 6. Stay flexible, with a backup in case a stage closes. The Camino has weathered far worse than this, but the pilgrims who do well are the ones who plan and stay humble to the conditions.

Where I'm checking, and where you should too

Check these close to your travel dates, and again while you're there. What's true today may not be true next week.

One more time, because it matters. I'm a pilgrim who did her homework, not a fire expert. Everything here can change in a day, so please use these official sources to make the call for your own dates and your own route. I would rather you double-check me than trust me.

Here's what I keep coming back to.
I am not walking into Spain scared.
I am walking in prepared.

There is a difference, and this whole journey has been teaching me what it is.

Don't quit in the quiet.

Just stay sweet out there~

Love you,

~ Jenn

If you are looking for a midlife companion, let me walk with you.
lavishlifeliving.com

The deeper we dive, the sweeter it gets.

Before you go…

The most-asked questions, answered plainly.

Is it safe to walk the Camino de Santiago right now with the wildfires?

It depends on the day and the region, which is exactly why I check official sources every morning. This summer has been one of Spain's worst for fire, but the northern coast has stayed cooler than the south. The key is to watch the daily fire-risk forecast for exactly where you're walking, book flexible where you can, and be ready to adjust a stage if a trail or road closes. Prepared, not scared.

Are the fires near the Camino del Norte or the coastal route?

The worst heat and many of the biggest fires have been in southern and inland Spain. The coastal north has fared better. But Galicia, where the routes come together into Santiago, is one of Spain's most fire-prone regions and has been flagged at high to extreme risk this summer, so I'm watching that final stretch the closest of all.

How hot is it on the Camino in August 2026?

On the coast, milder than you might fear. Inland and south, brutal — 39 to 42°C on the worst days. If your route runs inland at all, start before dawn, carry extra water, and treat the midday heat as something to walk around, not through.

Do I need to book Camino accommodation in advance this year?

Yes, this year especially. The Pilgrim's Office is literally asking pilgrims to book ahead, with record crowds and more than four thousand arriving on the busiest days. On routes with small albergues, beds fill weeks out. Book now. Don't gamble on walking up at the end of the day.

Where do I check fire and heat alerts for Spain?

AEMET, Spain's official weather service, for the daily fire-danger forecast and heat warnings. Copernicus EFFIS for European fire maps. And 112 for emergencies, 085 for forest fires in many regions. I check these close to my travel dates and again once I'm on the ground, because it changes fast.

Are You Heading to the Camino Too?

Tell me where you're walking and when. I'll be praying for you.

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