Women's Beach & Safari Wellness Escape in Mozambique: Meditation, Yoga & Big Five

The retreat runs for eight days and is built around two locations roughly a half-day's drive apart. You start at Lemon Beach Lodge in Vilanculos, a small property set in a green tropical garden right by the local beach, with a small pool and air-conditioned private chalets. Bazaruto Archipelago sits offshore, and the itinerary includes a full day out there by boat, with a cooked lunch served on one of the islands and snorkelling at Two Mile Reef. The second half moves inland to Zinave National Park, where accommodation is in private en-suite tents with wood-fired showers looking out over the Save River. Game drives are fully guided, and the camp dining area overlooks water where hippos, crocodiles and birdlife are regularly visible.

Daily meditation is the thread that holds the week together, taught by Gerry Rickard. He left a corporate career in the American entertainment industry in 2009, moved to Portugal, then went back to university in 2018 for a four-year master's in mindfulness teaching at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University, graduating with distinction. He is a practising Zen Buddhist who received the precepts from Roshi Joan Halifax at the Upaya Zen Centre in Santa Fe, and he writes for The Tattooed Buddha. His sessions are described as gentle in approach, with a lot of humour in them. Yoga is included too — there is one aerial yoga class, plus qigong practice on the banks of the Save River.

What sets this apart from a standard beach retreat is the second half. Zinave is not a fenced tourist reserve; it's 400,000 hectares of bush bordering the Save River, and the game drives are the real thing, run by guides who work the park. The combination of a marine park and a Big Five reserve in a single week is unusual, and Mozambique itself remains far less visited than its neighbours. Because the group is so small, the schedule can move around weather and wildlife rather than running to a fixed script.

Cooking and dining are communal and lean on local Mozambican food — expect fresh seafood near the coast and hearty camp meals inland. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included, along with water, tea and coffee. Vegan and vegetarian diets are catered for, and you're asked to flag allergies or other requirements before arrival. Between activities there is genuine downtime: afternoons on the beach, time to read, swim, or just sit and watch the Indian Ocean. The pace is deliberately unhurried, and the point of the small group size is that nobody gets lost in it.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation in Vilanculos and Zinave National Park - 3 daily nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Water, tea and coffee - Welcome drink and snacks - 1 aerial yoga class - Daily meditation practices led by Gerry Rickard - Qigong practice on the banks of the Save River - Fully guided game drives in Zinave National Park - Full-day boat tour to the Bazaruto Archipelago - Cooked lunch on the islands - Snorkelling at Two Mile Reef - All transport during the retreat - Airport transfers in Vilanculos - Course manual - WiFi at the Vilanculos accommodation

What's not included

- Flights (do not book until minimum participant numbers are confirmed) - Mozambique eVisa and visa fees - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Drinks outside those listed - Optional upgrades and extra activities