Your Retreat Experience
Your host venue is owned and run by a Brit who, 15 years ago, had a vision for a boutique hotel that integrated traditional Berber design. The result is a very special Kasbah (castle) retreat nestling in lush landscaped gardens ripe with olives, almonds, figs, and pomegranates.
Five years in the making the love and care poured into this project is tangible. Breathtaking views of the surrounding High Atlas Mountains, which stretch for almost 1,000 km across the middle of Morocco, are present from the terraces and bedrooms, vistas sharpened by brilliant winter light.
These extensive mountain vistas contribute to a sense of space and light where colors and textures are constantly changing. It’s against this expansive backdrop that we practice our twice-daily mindful yoga sessions, enjoy three meals a day, and perhaps opt to stride out in guided group hikes from the door.
Whether you are traveling solo or with a partner or friend, expect to live and eat well, nurturing mind and body with mountain air, yoga, relaxation, and your own choice of balance between alone time and socializing.
Yoga and Meditation
Twice-daily mindful yoga and meditation classes will be held in the Kasbah’s studio or, weather-dependent, on the sweeping roof terrace where views of the High Atlas Mountains are at their most spectacular.
Your morning sessions will be more dynamic and flowing though suitable for most, whilst evening classes will be soft and reflective, comprising meditation and very gentle postures drawn from restorative and yin yoga. Yoga beginners are welcome: guests should have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to get on and off the floor with ease. Contact Satvada Retreats before booking to discuss if you are unsure.
Satvada Retreats is delighted to welcome yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner Magali Swift to teach this retreat for you.
Optional hikes from the door
Whilst guided walks are not included as part of the retreat guests are very welcome to organise this direct with the hotel’s reception team by a certain time the previous day. Payment is to be settled directly with the hotel on departure.
Hikes are around three hours long and, given the precipitous terrain, can be described as moderately challenging. Most guests tell Satvada Retreats that hikes are a highlight of a stay here, crossing streams, woodland, and pastures, through a patchwork of emerald-green fields sprinkled with cacti, olive, and argan trees.
Morocco’s vivid colors are present in the contrast of the blues of the sky and the burnt orange base of the rock. It is common to meet shepherds tending to their goats and we skirt ancient Berber villages with our brilliant guide, Abdel, pointing out native birds, plants, and trees along the way.
