One of the things I love about being a yoga teacher, and international retreat leader, is the opportunity to meet so many different people from so many different areas around the world.
Last month (August) was one of those moments where twelve beautiful souls gathered for our first annual summer yoga retreat in Santa Marta, Colombia. We had an amazing group of people from all walks of life, from Rome to LA, from 6-years old and up, couples, and solo travelers. Diversity is our jam!
Another thing I love about yoga retreats is how we all seem to blend in to the experience as if we had know each other for years. People become close friends and hang out with each other even after the retreat.
The journey began in the Old Town of Cartagena…
…where we all met before heading to Santa Marta, the town where the retreat was going to take place. Some people in the group had already been there for days and some were coming in from other areas like Bogota and Medellin.
My co-host Brenda and I were exhausted from our flight but we were excited to meet everyone. We had a late lunch/early dinner at this charming, cute little restaurant called La Mulata. We went during off-peak hours so the place was quiet and we were sat down right away. It was just what we needed!
The food here was very traditional and full of flavor and love. You’ll see lots of seafood, plantains, and tropical drinks on the menu. I recommend the coconut lemonade or local beer. So good!
Later that night we had a meet-and-greet with our group at Gelateria Parasido, another cute, Victorian-style, little spot in Old Cartagena. I was really excited to finally meet those I hadn’t met before, so this meet and greet was such a great idea.
We headed back to our hotel early since we still had some administrative tasks to take care of and we needed to get up at 4am the next day to go to Santa Marta.
The next morning we hopped on the Marsol Van (Colombia’s trusted van company that connects you from town to town) and we made our way to Santa Marta.
The whole ride from Cartagena to Santa Marta was about 5.5 hours long which included a few pit stops along the way. We passed through Barranquilla and a few other small towns. After a long, and very early ride, we made it to the beautiful Gitana Del Mar Beach Resort.
We were finally in paradise and retreat week had officially started.
The hotel staff at Gitana Del Mar gave us a warm welcome, showed us around the resort, and escorted each and every one of us to our bungalows. We kicked back and settled before enjoying a delicious lunch made by the amazing Chef Quentin.
Brenda was teaching the first class that day but I still needed to assist her and co-lead the welcome circle so I took a quick nap to freshen up before practice. The first class on our yoga retreats are always designed to provide post-travel relief and relaxation. You can most certainly expect lots of shoulder/chest openers along with some stretches for the hips and hamstrings.
Day two on our retreats are usually pretty chill as there are no day trips scheduled on this day. We like to keep it this way to allow our students to relax and unwind, get to know each other, and settle in the resort and the beautiful surroundings.
Everyone spent their day with yoga, delicious meals, spa treatments, and relaxation time by the beach and pool.
On the third day we had our arm balancing workshop during the morning class. We enjoyed a delicious, post-yoga breakfast then headed to the Mendihuaca hike and waterfall. This trip was an approximate 30-minute drive from our resort. We then hiked for about 10-15 minutes before actually getting to the beautiful waterfall.
Day four was a chill day, meaning no day trips were scheduled (although every day on a yoga retreat is pretty much a chill day). Some of our students had individual photoshoots on the beach with our amazing photographer Clifford Toy. Cliff captured some of the best moments on our retreat with his creative and amazing photography.
We had our inversions workshop on day five, then headed to Rio Don Diego for some hiking and river tubing. This trip was a favorite among our group. We hiked for about 20-30 minutes then hopped on these tubes right on Rio Don Diego. It was a relaxing experience as the river was pretty calm and we were just gliding down the river and exploring the scenery around us (lots of monkeys and wildlife).
After river tubing for about an hour, we eventually arrived at a point where the river joined this beautiful Caribbean beach. We stayed in this beach for a bit then hopped on a boat back to Rio Don Diego and back to our resort. Amazing trip.
Day six was our final day. Some of our students headed back to Cartagena early and the rest of us left around Noon. Brenda and I also had our personal photoshoots with Cliff.
We spent our last night back in Cartagena and had a group dinner at La Cevicheria before saying our “see you laters.” I loved this place. Great seafood and cocktails. It’s a very famous spot in Cartagena and not very touristy.
Colombia exceeded my expectations in so many ways that we decided to come back same time same place next year (Summer 2019). Be sure to sign-up for the retreat newsletter so you’ll know when reservations open.
Or, join our next mindful adventure in Panama on February 22-28, 2019. This is our signature Spring Awakening yoga retreat designed to help you find your truest intentions, plant seeds, and set goals to manifest your visions and desires. And of course, lots of yoga, connection, and self-care.
Colombia Travel Tips:
- U.S. Dollars are not widely accepted in Colombia so be sure to bring your Colombian Pesos (COPs) with you, or use an ATM at the airport. Avoid currency exchanges at the airport as they can be expensive.
- Take an authorized taxi at the airport (the little yellow cabs waiting in line outside). We paid around $5 dollars (in COPs) for a 15-minute ride from CTG airport into Old City Cartagena.
- If you’re going to Santa Marta, or any other towns nearby, have your hotel concierge arrange a Marsol Van pick-up for you.
Restaurant Recommendations in Cartagena:
- La Mulata
- La Cevicheria
- Gelato Paradiso
Upcoming Yoga Retreats
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