The Kumano Kodo or Kumano Trail is one of the world’s great pilgrimage routes.  Winding through the mountains of Japan’s southerly Kii Peninsula, the area has been walked by pilgrims seeking spiritual enlightenment for more than a thousand years.

The pilgrimage trail is dotted with grand shrines, of which the most famous are the Hayatama Shrine, the Hongu Taisha Shrine and the Nachi Taisha Shrine. Together, they represent the sacred heart of the Kumano region, each offering separate forms of nature worship that defines Shintoism (the way of the gods).

While the three grand shrines remain the big draw for modern hikers and spiritual seekers, many smaller shrines are scattered along the route, providing protection and guidance for walkers as they have done so for millennia.

I’ve just returned from a four-day hike in Kumano, traversing the popular Nakahechi Trail, the main route that links the three grand shrines of Kumano. The hike starts from the sleepy coastal town of Kii Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture and ends with the spectacular 300m Nachi waterfall just beside the Nachi Taisha grand shrine. Here are some defining moments on this iconic trail through thick forests of bamboo groves, cedar trees, temples and shrines.