Days follow a loose pattern rather than a fixed timetable. Day one is arrival: Gerry picks you up at the airport, you settle into the guest room, and there is an introductory meditation session before dinner at the house. From day two, mornings begin with meditation on the beach by the Indian Ocean, and on day five with a sunrise sit out at the red dunes. Breakfast is back at the house, cooked by Christina.

Afternoons mix practice with time out. There is a two-hour tuk-tuk tour of the village on day two, including the local market and a local lunch. Day three is a half-day boat trip, tide depending, to a sandbank out in the Indian Ocean, with a picnic, drinks and a private meditation on the island itself. Day four is a full-day shared boat trip to the Bazaruto Archipelago with lunch. Day five includes an hour-long massage or spa treatment at the Bahia Mar Boutique Hotel and dinner at a local restaurant. Day six is a final morning practice and breakfast before the airport run.

What separates this from a group meditation holiday is that the teaching is entirely one-to-one. Gerry's sessions run twice a day and are shaped around how you are actually doing — whether you have never sat with your breath before or have a long practice and want to go further. He came to this after leaving the American corporate world in 2009, spent a decade in Portugal, and moved to Vilanculos in 2021 to run MindWise Africa.

Christina's side of it is the place and the food. She has spent years travelling in Africa and cooking with local, organic ingredients, and she introduces guests to Mozambican cooking and to the people who make it. You eat most meals at the house, with tea, water and coffee included, and a glass of wine or a cold beer at dinner if you want one.

The setting does a lot of the work. The house sits in a quiet tropical garden facing the ocean and the Bazaruto Archipelago, with a private path to the beach and beachfront restaurants within walking distance. Vilanculos is a small town, and the week keeps you close to it rather than sealed off in a resort.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation in the guest room in Vilanculos, with tropical garden, beach access and view of the Bazaruto Archipelago - All meals, tea, water and coffee - Airport pickup and drop-off - Daily guided one-to-one mindfulness meditation sessions with Gerry (two per day, 1 to 1.5 hours each) - Guidance and coaching with Gerry throughout - One yoga session at Bahia Mar Boutique Hotel, including coffee and breakfast - One-hour massage or spa treatment with organic local oils at the Bahia Mar Hotel spa - Guided sunrise meditation in the Red Dunes - Full-day shared boat trip to the Bazaruto Archipelago - Half-day boat trip to the Indian Ocean sandbank with picnic, drinks and private meditation - Dinner at a local restaurant in Vilanculos - Tuk-tuk tour of the local village, market and town, including a local lunch

What's not included

- Flights - Visa costs - Optional extra activities, such as horse riding with Mozambique Horse Safari - All other drinks - Any other extra activities

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