ITINERARY
From the mountains to the sea. Following waterways through a land of a faith.
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Yoshino-Kumano National Park covers the central to southern part of the Kii Peninsula. The area continues from the mountains to the sea, and encapsulates the essence of Japan’s natural landscapes. It has also been the main center of Kumano Shinko worship since ancient times, and many people from both Japan and abroad still walk its Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail. This 3-day course is the route we recommend. It will allow you to experience the nature of Yoshino-Kumano as you follow the flow of water from a mountain gorge to the sea.
Itinerary Highlights
- Experience a traditional Sandanbo sail boat ride on the Kumano River
- Try stand up paddleboarding (SUP) in Doro-kyo Gorge
- Go sea kayaking to visit Kamishima, a National Natural Monument with restricted access
SUP in a deep gorge and walk along the Kumano Kodo
In the morning, you travel from Nanki-Shirahama Airport to Doro-kyo Gorge on the Kumano River, carved like a deep letter V by the river’s flow. There you will stand up on a paddleboard for the rest of the morning. Taking in the beauty of a place that’s been eroded over the eons, you'll get a sense of the incredible power of nature. In the past, this river helped support the local community as a transit route, and was used to carry timber from the mountains to the port. After lunch, you travel to Kumano Hongu Taisha and walk the Kumano Kodo, experiencing the history of the region’s deeply-rooted faith tradition and its natural environment. You spend the night at Kawayu Onsen. Hot spring water emerges along the river in this area, allowing you to dig your own private hot spring bath.
A tour with temples and shrines, unique rock formations, and a Sandanbo sail boat ride
After checking out, you drive to Kiho Town while taking in the scenery along the Kumano River. The Kumano River was once an important route for water transportation. Until the 1960s, Sandanbo sail boats often transported goods and passengers along it. Today, a journey on the Kumano River on one of these boats with the wind in your hair will leave you feeling like you have stepped back in time. You then continue by car and stop for lunch at Michi-no-Eki Kihocho Sea Turtle Park. In the afternoon, you visit interesting rock formations like Onigajo and Hana-no-Iwaya. From there you head to Kumano Nachi Taisha, a shrine that venerates 133-meter Nachi Falls. From there you go to Katsuura Onsen where you check in and spend the night.
Sea kayaking to experience satoumi culture and its close ties to the beautiful Nanki Sea
After checking out, you drive to Kushimoto Town while taking in the scenery along the Kumano Nada coast. At Hashiguiiwa Rocks, a designated National Natural Monument, you witness the special sight of a line of 40 stone monoliths of various sizes. You then continue to Shirahama Town for lunch before joining a sea kayaking tour in Tanabe Bay. On the tour you circle Kamishima Island, a National Natural Monument, taking in the spectacular scenery. You will also encounter the area’s satoumi culture, where people have lived off of the bounty of the sea since ancient times. In the evening, you head to Nanki-Shirahama Airport for your onward trip.