Breathe Colombia: Lakeside Fitness & Yoga Week with Post-Retreat Nutrition Coaching

Leisan Echols runs this week herself. She's a registered dietitian nutritionist and exercise physiologist who has worked in wellness hospitality for over a decade, and the schedule reflects both halves of that: you train, and you also sit down and talk about food and habits. Mornings on the villa deck look out over the reservoir — power yoga on some days, a boot camp-style strength and conditioning session on others, with mobility work mixed in. The midday block is free: the pool, the outdoor jacuzzi, the deck, or the villa grounds. Afternoons and evenings bring the group activities, which include a guided hike through the Guatapé hills and a speedboat excursion on the lake, plus dinner cooked by a private chef.

The retreat takes place at a private villa on a wooded stretch of shoreline on the Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir, about an hour and fifteen minutes from Medellín's José María Córdova International Airport. There are six rooms in the main house plus a separate glamping suite, a full kitchen, an outdoor jacuzzi, and a pool facing the water. Group transfers from the airport are included in both directions.

What separates this from a standard fitness week is the follow-through: the package includes twelve months of health coaching and four one-on-one nutrition sessions with a registered dietitian over the month after the retreat, so the workshops during the week connect to an actual plan once you're home. The nutrition workshops are run by Leisan and are about building a working relationship with food rather than following a set of rules.

Group sizes are kept small — typically around 10 to 14 guests — and the retreat is coed and open to solo travellers, couples and friends. It's the most active of the Breathe programme themes, so an intermediate level of fitness is expected, but workouts are adapted to different conditioning levels and nothing is compulsory. On the hike day, if you'd rather not walk it, a guide can drive you down to meet the group for lunch and a river swim.

It's offered privately for groups, organisations and brand partners, meaning dates and pricing are arranged around the group rather than published as fixed departures. Booking starts with an enquiry form, and payment plans are available.

What's included

- 6 nights luxury villa accommodation - Breakfast, lunch, and dinner - Private chef and cooking demonstration - Nutrition & fitness workshops - Daily inclusive yoga or fitness classes - Cultural experience - One inclusive spa service - Land and speedboat excursions - Roundtrip airport transfers - Professional photographer - 12 months of health coaching - Four private nutrition coaching sessions (over one month, post-retreat)

What's not included

- Airfare - Transportation during leisure time - Any offsite meals or purchases - Alcoholic beverages - Travel insurance (strongly recommended) - Travel medical insurance (required) - Staff tips and gratuities