Madre Cocoon: Yoga, Cacao & Nature Retreat in the Colombian Andes

Madre Cocoon is a small, mountainside property above Medellín's Aburrá Valley that runs week-long retreats combining daily yoga and meditation with a schedule of excursions and workshops. The day usually opens with practice — yoga on a deck or in a covered shala, followed by meditation — then breakfast. From there the week varies: one day is a hike to a waterfall, another is a trip down into Medellín to see the city, another is Parque Arví, the large nature reserve reachable by cable car from the metro.

What makes it different from a standard yoga retreat is the range of things folded in. There's a cacao ceremony, which is a shared, guided drinking-and-reflection session rather than anything psychedelic. There's an apiculture session — you suit up and go into the hives with whoever keeps the bees there, which is unusual enough that most guests arrive having never done it. And there's a herbal workshop using plants from the area, plus painting therapy and ecstatic dance on the schedule.

Horseback riding is available as one of the activities, and spa treatments can be arranged. The property also hosts weddings, so the grounds and the views have been set up with some care — gardens, terraces, places to sit and look out over the valley. Rooms are on site; this is a residential retreat, not a drop-in class schedule.

The people running it describe it as a place to 'cocoon' — the pace is slow, meals are shared, and there's a lot of unstructured time between the scheduled items. Guests often pair off into small groups over the week, particularly on the hikes and the Medellín day. If you're travelling solo and want company, the shared meals and group activities make that easy. If you want to be left alone, the gardens are big enough for that too.

What's included

- 7 nights on-site accommodation at Madre Cocoon - Daily yoga and meditation sessions - All meals during the retreat - Cacao ceremony - Waterfall hike - Apiculture (beekeeping) session - Herbal workshop - Painting therapy - Ecstatic dance session - Day trip to Medellín - Parque Arví excursion

What's not included

- International and domestic flights - Airport transfers (unless arranged separately) - Travel insurance - Spa treatments - Horseback riding (if booked as an add-on) - Personal expenses and souvenirs - Drinks outside of meals