Top 10 yoga retreats in South Africa

Little Samadhi Karoo Retreat, Western Cape

Bodhi Khaya, Western Cape

Blue Butterfly Retreat, Western Cape

Benedictus Deus Retreat Centre, Western Cape

Here’s a list of the top-ten yoga retreats in South Africa that offer the R&R you truly deserve. These beautiful retreats and their spiritual programmes will help you channel your inner Yogi, find peace and help you live mindfully of yourself and your surroundings.

1. Little Samadhi Karoo Retreat, Western Cape

The Little Samadhi Karoo Retreat is a beautiful B&B overlooking the village of Barrydale in the Little Karoo.

The retreat offers regular yoga classes, meditation, massages and even personalised Kundalini Yoga sessions for individuals or groups. Along with enriching your spirit, Little Samadhi strengthens your body with healthy, wholesome and, whenever possible, organic vegetarian meals.

2. Hearth and Soul Eco Farm, Western Cape

Hearth and Soul Eco Farm in Stanford is a peaceful place set among the trees and mountains that provides a comforting retreat for meditation, reflection, healing and transformation.

The farm offers a selection of retreats, often over weekends, with independent trainers in a number of disciplines, yoga being one of the popular choices. The farm also offers daily classes in Korean immune-system strengthening exercises, which are open to residents on request.

3. Bodhi Khaya, Western Cape

Set in 217 hectares of the famed fynbos of the Overberg region, Bodhi Khaya gives weary travellers a spiritual home.

The warm and welcoming centre has modern and comfortable accommodation steeped in old-world charm. Visitors can choose from a number of stimulating and spiritually-enriching retreats scheduled throughout the year that include fusion yoga, guided meditation and personal development workshops.

4. Blue Butterfly Retreat, Western Cape

The Blue Butterfly Retreat is a gorgeous hideaway in the middle of the 400-acre Welbedacht Nature Reserve in Tulbagh Valley that offers an interesting mix of activities.

Along with yoga, meditation and massages, visitors can also enjoy swimming in the nearby dam, nature walks and game viewing. The real attraction is the natural labyrinth where one can enjoy the deep silences of nature – it’s not the absence of noise that you experience here, but the perfect sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds.

5. Benedictus Deus Retreat Centre, Western Cape

The Benedictus Deus Retreat Centre in Plettenberg Bay allows you to get in touch with the ‘truth of your being’ and learn to live consciously and mindfully.

The retreat centre offers meditation, yoga, nature walks and spiritual teachings to encourage healing of the body and mind. There are four fully-equipped, self-catering, luxury cottages set in peaceful garden surroundings where you can indulge in a healthy holiday.

6. Satori Farm Eco Retreat, KwaZulu-Natal

The Satori Farm Eco Retreat is a nature-friendly lodge located in the KZN Midlands where you can find true joy while practising yoga and meditation among the mountains.

If you want to channel your Zen through creative expression, Satori offers art workshops, drumming workshops and even a workshop on hay bale building! At Satori, visitors get to celebrate the simple things in life that are often overlooked or taken for granted.

7. Buddhist Retreat Centre, KwaZulu-Natal

An oasis of serenity and calm, the Buddhist Retreat Centre near Ixopo offers a myriad of wellness programmes for the body, mind and soul.

The centre is surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty and the area has been declared a Natural Heritage site. The centre has a number of retreats to choose from throughout the year. The Yoga retreats are conducted by veteran yoga practitioners and these programmes focus on stimulating your chi or ‘prana’.

8. Kurisa Moya Nature Lodge, Limpopo

Surrounded by mountains, indigenous forests and bushveld, the Kurisa Moya Nature Lodge in Magoebaskloof takes you back to a time when life moved to a slower rhythm.

The simple and rustic log cabins offer beautiful views of the surrounding areas. Visitors can enjoy yoga, meditation and craniosacral therapy. Take your yoga mat with you when you stroll around the property because you can always find a breathtaking spot to practice ‘Surya Namaskara’. Visitors can also go on nature hikes and guided bird watches.

9. Temenos Retreat Centre, Western Cape

Named after the Greek temple of healing, Temenos Retreat Centre is the perfect getaway from hectic city life.

The retreat centre is in the heart of McGregor and accommodation choices include traditional Cape Cottages set in orchards of lavender and olive trees or Cape Georgian suites attached to the quiet garden library. From its holistic therapies, which include reflexology, reiki and aromatherapy, to its gorgeous Zen gardens, Temenos provides everything you need to relax and rejuvenate.

10. Emoyeni, North West

Surrounded by the majestic Magaliesberg Mountains, Emoyeni, which means ‘Place of Spirit’, follows Buddhist principles and meditation techniques.

The centre encourages introspection and inquiry, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find a TV in your room. The centre offers yoga and meditation retreats on balancing the body and mind as well as living in harmony with nature.

No matter your preferred style of yoga, these retreats will offer you soothing escapes and life-changing experiences. So roll up your mat and start planning your perfect yoga getaway. Namaste.

Satori Farm Eco Retreat, KwaZulu-Natal

Buddhist Retreat Centre, KwaZulu-Natal

Kurisa Moya Nature Lodge, Limpopo

Temenos Retreat Centre, Western Cape

Emoyeni, North West

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