Ancient Trails, Modern Souls: Pilgrimages Around the World

There is something about walking—something ancient, something sacred. Long before we had roads, maps, or even words, we walked. Long before temples, before scriptures, before doctrines, we walked. Our ancestors followed the contours of the earth, not just in search of food and shelter, but in search of something deeper—something unseen, yet profoundly felt.

Pilgrimage is an act of surrender, a step-by-step unraveling of everything unnecessary. The path itself becomes the prayer, the struggle becomes the offering, and the journey becomes the transformation.

Across continents and centuries, people have walked—seeking wisdom, healing, and connection. To walk with intention is to step into something ancient. Each culture has its own sacred pathways, each with its own rhythm, each revealing something essential about the way we relate to the world, to ourselves, and to the divine.

Pilgrimages Around the World

The Camino de Santiago: The Road of Unburdening

For over a thousand years, pilgrims have walked the Camino de Santiago, tracing the winding paths of northern Spain toward the cathedral where the remains of Saint James are believed to rest. The road is long—hundreds of miles—but those who walk it know that the true journey is not measured in miles.

At the start, pilgrims often carry too much. Their backpacks are heavy with extra clothes, unnecessary gear, comforts they don’t want to leave behind. But as the days stretch on, the weight becomes unbearable. They stop at roadside markers, emptying their bags, leaving behind what no longer serves them. There’s even a term for the mood that sets in after—morriña. A kind of homesickness for the Camino.

And the shedding is not just physical. Along the way, old identities begin to unravel. The distractions of daily life fade. Strangers become companions. The walk strips life down to its essence: wake, walk, eat, rest, repeat. And in this simplicity, something profound happens—hearts open, burdens lighten, and the world becomes vivid in a way it never was before.

Recommendation: Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago (Documentary) – A raw and tender film following pilgrims from all walks of life as they journey across Spain. Full of blisters, laughter, longing, and grace.

Hajj: The Journey of Surrender

For Muslims, the pilgrimage to Mecca—Hajj—is more than an act of faith. It is a great equalizer, a journey of humility and surrender. Millions gather, coming from every nation, speaking every language, and here, they are all the same. The rich and the poor, the rulers and the laborers—all dressed in simple white garments, all walking the same steps, all circling the Kaaba in silent reverence.

The journey demands surrender—not just to God, but to the experience itself. The crowd moves as one, thousands of voices rise together in prayer, and for a brief moment, the illusion of separation dissolves. Those who complete Hajj return changed; they have stepped into a space where the self is stripped bare, where the soul stands face to face with something vast, infinite, and beyond comprehension.

Recommendation: “Inside Mecca” (2003, National Geographic) — a rare and respectful documentary offering an intimate look at the spiritual and physical layers of the Hajj.

The Aboriginal Songlines: Dreaming Tracks

For the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, walking is a sacred responsibility. Their Songlines stretch across the land, mapping the stories of creation. These ancient paths are sung into existence, each step echoing with the voices of ancestors, each landmark a verse in the great story of the world.

To walk a Songline is to listen—to the land, to the spirits, to the stories woven into the rocks and rivers. Unlike many other pilgrimages, there is no final shrine, no cathedral at the end. The journey is the destination. The land itself is the sacred space. To walk mindfully, to honor the stories, to listen—that is the pilgrimage.

Recommendation: “Dark Emu” by Bruce Pascoe — not a travelogue but a powerful reclamation of Aboriginal knowledge that adds depth to any walk across this ancient land.

The Shikoku Pilgrimage: The Path of Enlightenment

In Japan, the Shikoku Pilgrimage takes seekers on a journey through 88 Buddhist temples, following in the footsteps of Kūkai, the revered monk who brought esoteric Buddhism to Japan. The path weaves through misty forests, mountain passes, and quiet villages, inviting those who walk it to reflect on the nature of impermanence.

Pilgrims wear white, the color of both purity and death—a reminder that each step is a letting go, a shedding of attachments. As they move from temple to temple, they bow, they chant, they receive the kindness of strangers in the form of o-settai—food, shelter, gestures of generosity given freely, asking nothing in return.

The pilgrimage is about seeking enlightenment at the final temple. It is about carrying that enlightenment in each step, about understanding that every footfall, every breath, every act of kindness is part of the journey.

Recommendation: “Walking the Kiso Road” by William Scott Wilson — while not about Shikoku specifically, this poetic travel memoir evokes the spirit of pilgrimage in Japan with profound simplicity.

Kailash Yatra: The Walk Toward Stillness

In the remote wilds of western Tibet rises Mount Kailash—sacred, still, and stark. Regarded by Hindus as the abode of Shiva, by Buddhists as the home of Demchok, by Jains as the site of liberation, and by Bon practitioners as the axis mundi, Kailash is not just a mountain. It is the center of the spiritual world, a mandala in stone.

Unlike Everest, Kailash is not to be climbed. The pilgrimage here is a circumnavigation—a kora—a 32-mile walk around the base. Pilgrims trek at high altitude, battling cold, fatigue, and the terrain. Yet the true challenge is internal. The kora is a purification, a shedding of ego with each step. Tibetans believe that one circuit wipes away the sins of a lifetime; 108 rounds brings enlightenment.

Here, the air is thin, the land ancient, the silence profound. Prayer flags flutter like whispered mantras, and mani stones line the path like offerings of devotion.

Recommendation: "To a Mountain in Tibet" by Colin Thubron — A lyrical, deeply personal account of the Kailash pilgrimage, blending myth, grief, and reverence in every step.

Mount Tai: Climbing the Sacred Heights

For over 3,000 years, people have climbed Mount Tai in China, because it is considered a bridge between heaven and earth. Taoist monks, Confucian scholars, emperors, and commoners alike have ascended its stone steps in the belief that reaching the summit brings wisdom and renewal.

Unlike other pilgrimages, which often stretch across vast landscapes, Mount Tai’s spiritual power is in its ascent. The climb itself is a metaphor—each step upward is a step toward clarity, a letting go of the weight of the world below. At the summit, where the first rays of the morning sun touch the land, pilgrims stand in awe, knowing that this moment, this breath, this effort, is sacred.

To climb Mount Tai is to participate in an ancient ritual, one that reminds us that every journey worth taking requires effort, perseverance, and reverence for the unfolding path.

Recommendation: "The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life” by Michael Puett and Christine Gross-Loh — not about Mount Tai directly, but rooted in the very philosophies that echo on its steps.

Why Walking Heals

Why does walking—especially with intention—change us so deeply?

The Body Finds Its Natural Rhythm

Something shifts when we walk. The mind, always restless, begins to quiet. Thoughts, which once rushed in all directions, begin to settle into the pace of our breath, our heartbeat, our movement. The body’s rhythm becomes the mind’s rhythm, and in that syncopation, clarity emerges.

The Buddhist practice of Kinhin, or walking meditation, teaches that mindfulness is not confined to stillness. With each step, attention anchors in the present—heel touching earth, breath rising, body moving with awareness. The journey itself becomes a practice in being fully alive.

The World Opens, and So Do We

In pilgrimage, attention sharpens. A simple sip of water after miles of walking becomes an offering of gratitude. A sunrise after a night of exhaustion becomes a miracle. With each step, the world unfolds—not as a blur, but as something intimate, alive, speaking.

The Journey Strips Life Down to Essentials

One of the first lessons of pilgrimage is this: you don’t need as much as you think.

At the start, people often overpack. They carry extra clothes, unnecessary comforts, things they believe will make the journey easier. But as the miles stretch on, the weight becomes unbearable. Slowly, they begin to leave things behind.

It is the same with the burdens of the mind. The road has a way of loosening the knots we didn’t know we were holding. Worries that once seemed urgent become small. The things we thought we couldn’t live without become insignificant.

By the time a pilgrim reaches the final steps, they are lighter—not just in belongings, but in spirit.

Bringing Pilgrimage Into Everyday Life

You don’t need to cross oceans or chase distant summits to experience the spirit of pilgrimage. Here in Washington, the trails are already calling—mossy switchbacks, river bends, alpine lakes, windy ridge lines, and peaks that take your breath away.

A hike becomes a pilgrimage when you let it. 

Walk with a question, and the trail may answer. 

Walk with attention, and the land begins to speak.

Each step is a quiet return to yourself.

Come hike with TrailBliss.

We walk with intention.

We walk with wonder.

And we walk right here—where the mountains meet the mist, and the path is always teaching.

Happy trails!