The Camino Crowd Radar
The first public crowd forecast for the Camino de Santiago. We tell you which weeks and which sections of the final 100 km will be busiest — before you book.
162,038
pilgrims started their Camino here in 2025. 1 in every 3 pilgrims in the world starts in Sarria — that is why this Radar is possible, and why we publish it.
Source: Pilgrim’s Office of Santiago, 2025 report.
Camino Radar
From every country, one destination
76 countries · one destination: Sarria
90,127 pilgrims in the registry with country breakdown. Drag to rotate · scroll to zoom.
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Top countries in the registry (2019)
| Country | Pilgrims | % of registry |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 47,957 | 34.8% |
| Germany | 13,143 | 9.5% |
| Portugal | 9,408 | 6.8% |
| United States of America | 9,403 | 6.8% |
| Italy | 9,369 | 6.8% |
| United Kingdom | 4,505 | 3.3% |
| France | 3,928 | 2.9% |
| Ireland | 3,863 | 2.8% |
| South Korea | 3,570 | 2.6% |
| Brazil | 3,132 | 2.3% |
| Australia | 2,424 | 1.8% |
| Canada | 2,245 | 1.6% |
Which week is yours? The final-100-km traffic light
| Month | Forecast | Pilgrims / day from Sarria | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Green | ~25 | A quiet Camino; some stages with fog or frost. |
| February | Green | ~35 | Quiet; short days: bring a head torch. |
| March | ~130 | Season begins; Holy Week draws big crowds. | |
| April | ~380 | Busy and rainy: queues at hostels first thing. | |
| May | ~620 | High. Book ahead and set out early. | |
| June | Red | ~750 | Very high: book your bed before setting out. |
| July | Red | ~850 | One of the busiest months of the year. |
| August | Red | ~1,030 | The peak of the year across the final 100 km. |
| September | Red | ~770 | Still at peak; eases off from the second half of the month. |
| October | ~535 | Easing down; the first half is still busy. | |
| November | Green | ~120 | Quiet; short days and frequent rain. |
| December | Green | ~45 | The quietest Camino; some services reduced. |
Green calm · busy: plan your timings · Red overcrowding likely: book before you set out.
The figure estimates only those who start walking in Sarria. The Sarria → Portomarín stage gathers nearly all of them; later stages (Palas de Rei, Melide, Arzúa) also carry those setting out from Portomarín and from earlier routes, so they are even busier in the red months.
And what time will sunrise be when you set out?
Most pilgrims walk before dawn. This is what you will find on the 15th of each month:
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:58 | 07:28 | 06:43 | 05:49 | 05:08 | 04:51 | 05:05 | 05:36 | 06:09 | 06:43 | 07:21 | 07:53 |
How the Radar is calculated
Methodology and sources (open)
- Official historical series: monthly pilgrims who received the Compostela, 2004–2019 series from the Pilgrim’s Office of Santiago (queried on its official website).
- Verified recent anchors: 530,987 compostelas in 2025 and 162,038 departures from Sarria (30.5% of the total), according to the Pilgrim’s Office annual report.
- Method: the average seasonal shape of the complete years 2014–2018 is scaled to the real 2025 total and spread across the days of each month.
- Validation: for September 2025 the model estimates 76,000 pilgrims against the published 81,535: an error of ~7%, acceptable for an indicative forecast.
What the Radar is not: it is not real time, it does not say which beds are free (private hostels manage their own availability; at the tourist office we can guide you on the public network) and it does not replace your booking. It is a statistical compass for choosing your week. We update the figures every quarter.
Got your week? Sign the Pilgrim Pledge before you set out — and afterwards leave a letter for those who walk after you.
