Caribbean Coast Yoga & Adventure Retreat in Palomino, Colombia

The schedule has a shape but not a straitjacket. Each morning starts with meditation and pranayama, then an energizing yoga class in the open-air shala overlooking the Caribbean. Breakfast at Wazalé follows — tropical fruit, juice, coffee or tea, yogurt and cereal, plus a cooked dish of your choosing. After that, free time until the afternoon session. Some days the group heads out together: a hike through the jungle to a waterfall, tubing down the Palomino River, or a visit to a local cacao farm. On other days you swim, read, or walk into town. Late afternoon brings a restorative or Yin class, then dinner. One evening the group gathers for a cacao ceremony with kirtan — music, singing, and a cup of locally made cacao.

What separates this from a generic beach yoga week is the setting and the access. Palomino sits where the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta meets the Caribbean; on a clear day you can see snow on the peaks from the beach. The rivers and waterfalls that run down from those mountains to the sea are part of the daily itinerary, not a side trip. The resort itself — Aité — is named for love in Wayuunaiki and "a place to rest" in the Kogui and Arhuaca languages, and it's built with natural materials among coconut palms. Wazalé's kitchen leans Peruvian-influenced Caribbean cooking, uses produce from its own garden, and can handle allergies and dietary restrictions if you tell them ahead.

The yoga is led by Lucie Prazska, who runs Sun Bliss Yoga out of Vancouver. She did her 200-hour Vinyasa and Hatha training in Colombia in 2021, then a 300-hour Bhakti Vinyasa and Yin training in India, and has studied with Kino MacGregor and Raghunath Cappo. She's also a certified Reiki practitioner. Tomas, her partner, leads meditation, has practiced the eight limbs of yoga for over a decade, and cooks — past guests consistently single out his food. Expect Vinyasa, Hatha, and Yin across the week, with meditation and pranayama daily.

Accommodation is at the resort, five nights, in rooms or bungalows. The property has two pools, a spa, a tropical garden, private beach access, and the yoga shala with sea views. Wi-Fi and filtered drinking water are available throughout. Airport transfers from Santa Marta are included, and the group shuttle leaves SMR around 1pm on arrival day; independent arrivals can check in from 3pm.

This is a small-group trip — 7 to 10 participants — and past guests describe it as feeling personal rather than packaged. One wrote that Lucie's communication before the retreat was impeccable and that nobody was pressured to stick rigidly to the agenda. Another, on her second retreat with them, noted that the schedule balanced yoga, meditation, and free time well. Several mention the food specifically: vegetarian meals cooked from scratch, described by one guest as the best vegetarian food she'd had. Body of water, jungle, mountains, and a small group make it a good fit if you want a beach week that also asks something of you physically and gives you quiet time.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation at the beachfront Aité Eco Resort - 3 healthy meals daily at Wazalé Restaurant (à la carte) - Daily morning and evening yoga classes (Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin) - Daily meditation and pranayama - Cacao ceremony with kirtan - Jungle hike to a waterfall - River tubing - Visit to a cacao factory - Beach bonfire - All resort amenities: private beach access, 2 swimming pools, tropical garden, yoga shala with sea view - Round-trip transport between Santa Marta Airport (SMR) and the resort - Wi-Fi - Filtered drinking water

What's not included

- Flight tickets - Travel and health insurance - Tourist visa (most nationalities don't need one for Colombia) - Horseback riding - Massage - Reiki healing session - Photo shoot and video - Personal expenses