Mixed town roads (paved) and forest trails (unpaved) - the walk is strenuous at times, with days of up to 8 hours of hiking
Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage self-guided 8 days
Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage self-guided 8 days
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Start date
June 2024
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Tour details
Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage self-guided 8 days
x1 traveller
USD 0
Single room additional charge
USD 745
TOTAL
USD 0
If you would like to do multiple tours in one trip or have a question about any of our tours, do not hesitate to contact us with the button below.
- Duration: 8 days
- Trip level:Intermediate
- Availability: Recommended from March to November
- Type:Self-guided
- Price: USD 2,115(Price per person, based on 2 travellers sharing a room)
Highlights
- Walk on the loveliest parts of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage trail in Tokushima, Kagawa, and Ehime
- Visit some of the most atmospheric temples on the trail
- Spend a night in a shukubo temple lodging
- Sample authentic shojin ryōri Buddhist vegetarian cuisine
- Bathe in natural thermal onsen waters in historic Dōgo Onsen
- Climb the iconic ladder to the meditation spot used by Kōbō Daishi, founder of Shingon Buddhism
Shikoku is Japan's fourth-largest island, home to some of the country's most spectacular and undeveloped scenery. The island is also the setting for an ancient walking trail, the challenging Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. The trail connects 88 Buddhist temples and the full walk covers more than a thousand kilometres.
Pilgrims known as ohenro traditionally covered the journey on foot over many weeks, staying overnight at shukubo temple lodgings. Most modern travellers now travel from temple to temple by tour bus, but we have found sections of the original route which can still be enjoyed on foot.
Please ask for information about tour extensions to the mountain-top temple town of Mount Kōya with its monastery lodgings, the art island of Naoshima or the UNESCO World Heritage of Miyajima Island, and Tomonoura Bay on the Setouchi inland sea.
Read about luggage options here.
What is included
 | 7 nights at Japanese inns on Shikoku Island |
 | 7 breakfasts and 6 dinners |
 | Round-trip transportation from Kyōto or Ōsaka and 5 pre-paid taxis |
 | Detailed day-by-day itinerary and walking directions and Shikoku Island guidebook |
 | Topographical maps |
 | Local support by telephone |
 | Our Preparing for your trip and Travelling in Japan guidebooks |
What is not included
 | Flights |
 | Airport transfers |
 | Drinks and meals not included in itinerary |
 | Local bus journeys which must be paid directly to the bus driver and the cable car journey on Day 3 |
 | Single room supplement(s) for solo occupancy |
 | Daily luggage transfer |
Itinerary
Tour itineraries are subject to change. We will inform you of any amendments as soon as we become aware of them.
Day 1: Hike in Tokushima (Temples 1 to 3)
Day 2: Hike in Tokushima (Temple 11 to 12)
Day 3: Hike in Tokushima (Temples 20 to 21)
Day 4: Hike in Kagawa (Temples 82 to 80)
Day 5: Explore Kotohira Onsen (Kagawa)
Day 6: Sightsee in Dōgo Onsen
Day 7: Hike in Ehime (Temples 45 to 44)
Day 8: Hike in Ehime (Temples 60 to 62)