Rio Surf & Yoga Camp: Beachfront Surf Coaching and Daily Yoga in Brazil

Days here follow the surf. Coaches check conditions and pick from the nearby breaks — the camp works with more than five surf spots around Rio — then the group heads out for a lesson or a guided session. Beginner lessons run on the smaller, gentler waves with an instructor in the water; intermediate and advanced surfers get guidance on positioning, wave selection and turns, plus video analysis so you can actually see what you're doing wrong. Board rental is available (unlimited board rental is an optional add-on) so you don't need to fly your own board in.

Yoga runs alongside the surfing rather than as a separate retreat. Depending on which package you pick you get one, two or more classes, usually scheduled in the late afternoon or early evening to loosen up shoulders and hips after a few hours of paddling. The camp also runs surf-skate lessons — a land-based way to practise the turning and body mechanics you use on a wave, which is genuinely useful on flat days.

Accommodation is in beachfront rooms at the house. Breakfast is served on site and is optional per package, so you can add it or sort your own food. The team is set up for people who want to eat and work too — there's space for remote work between surf sessions. Airport transfers can be arranged for an extra cost, and the camp's WhatsApp and email are how you'd confirm details before arrival.

The packages scale with how much time you have. The three-night version is a quick taster with four surf lessons and one yoga class. The five-night version adds a surf-skate lesson, video analysis and an ayurvedic massage. The seven-night version doubles the surf lessons to eight, adds a second yoga class and a surf guidance session. If none of those fit, you can build your own: choose the number of people, nights, surf lessons and yoga lessons, then bolt on unlimited board rental, extra activities and breakfast.

What separates this from a generic surf camp is the local layer on top. The optional experiences list includes a Rio city tour, a samba lesson, a carnival experience and a 'carioca experience' — the camp is clearly plugged into the city rather than being a surf bubble on the edge of it. That, plus massage options (ayurvedic or shiatsu) and the surf-skate coaching, means you can shape a week that's about improving your surfing, or about Rio, or a bit of both.

Conditions vary through the year and the camp runs year-round, so what you get on any given week depends on swell. Coaches adapt the plan to the day's conditions and to the levels in the group, which is why they ask for your level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) when you book.

What's included

- Accommodation in beachfront rooms (nights depend on package) - Surf lessons with a coach (4 to 8 lessons depending on package) - Yoga lessons (1 to 2 lessons depending on package) - Surf-skate lesson (Packages 2 and 3) - Video analysis of your surfing (Packages 2 and 3) - Surf guidance session (Package 3) - Ayurvedic massage (Packages 2 and 3)

What's not included

- International and domestic flights - Airport transfer (optional add-on) - Breakfast (optional add-on) - Board rental (optional add-on, unlimited) - Rio city tour (optional add-on) - Samba lesson (optional add-on) - Carnival experience (optional add-on) - Carioca experience (optional add-on) - Shiatsu massage (optional add-on) - Travel insurance - Lunches and dinners - Personal expenses