Stage 12: San Juan de Ortega - Burgos

A tourist and pilgrimage destination, San Juan de Ortega is a small village rich in cultural and environmental heritage.

It serves as a meeting point for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, with hundreds of arrivals to the village in the spring and summer months.

St. John, a follower of St. Dominic, helped build bridges in Logroño before setting out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On his return, he chose the dangerous area of Montes de Oca to clear a road and build infrastructure to help future pilgrims on their way to Santiago.

The first half of the day, you will enjoy a pleasant ride on country roads. You will have a short, steep climb up the Sierra de Atapuerca, but the rest of the day will be easy as you descend towards Burgos.

In the year 750, Atapuerca was already one of the first villages to be reconquered and had a small Christian population. In the 1980s, the oldest human remains in Europe were discovered in caves near Atapuerca. Since 1994, continuous archaeological excavations have been carried out in the area.

As you approach Burgos, you will pass a military base, old mines and communication masts. Every 3 or 4 km there are small villages, except for the last stretch towards the city center.

Approximately 11.5 km to the center of Burgos await you.