Yoga & Hiking Retreat in the Italian Alps: A Week of Mountain Wellness

The retreat starts on 26 July 2025 and ends on 2 August. You arrive at the Oberjahrl guesthouse in St. Johann, a village in the Ahrntal Valley in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It's a traditional family-run place — wooden balconies, South Tyrolean cooking, and mountains on every side. Rooms are single, double or triple, and prices are per person for the seven nights.

Yoga happens twice a day. Mornings are the more energetic session — vinyasa, inside flow or ashtanga, depending on what Elena and Giulia have planned — and evenings are slower: yin, restorative work, or a wind-down flow. A couple of workshops are slotted into the week to work on specific things (arm balances, breath, that kind of thing). The teachers are the ones running the hikes too, so the two halves of the day aren't separate programmes.

The hiking is guided and organised daily. Some routes are short and mostly flat through the valley; others climb higher into the Dolomites. You'll walk to mountain huts for lunch on the longer days — bring cash for that, since lunch isn't included. The retreat includes a regional public transport card, so on rest days or if you want to explore a village on your own, buses and local trains are covered.

Breakfast and dinner are included every day and are served at the guesthouse. Expect hearty South Tyrolean food — breads, cheeses, eggs, fruit, cooked dishes at night — with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options both available. If you have specific dietary needs, it's worth emailing ahead at hi@thehouseofyoga.eu so the kitchen can plan.

What makes this different from a generic yoga holiday is the pairing: it's genuinely a hiking week as much as a yoga week, and the location is specific. The Ahrntal Valley and the Dolomites aren't a backdrop — they're where you spend most of each day. If you've done beach yoga retreats and want something with more altitude and more walking, this is the switch. If you want a resort with a spa and a pool, it isn't that.

What's included

- 7-night accommodation in single, double or triple room - Breakfast and dinner every day - Yoga twice daily - Daily organized group hikes - Regional public transport card - Tourist tax

What's not included

- Your means of transport to the retreat - Lunches during hikes - Flights - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Yoga mat (required — bring your own)