Spotlight on: Wellness
RIVER OF DREAMS
Ahipara, New Zealand
The Reconnect with Nature stay at Maruia River Retreat is a solo or couple’s retreat that includes private villa accommodation, yoga classes, forest bathing and plenty of quiet time to nap, read, or wander the grounds. The experience is designed to give the space to breathe, relax and reconnect, surrounded by nature; to be a place of wellness and healing. Intrinsic to this is communion with nature, with the primal power of the private forest estate playing a major role.
BREATHE EASY
Banyan Tours, India
Guests visiting Varanasi can experience a simple sunrise wellness moment that brings them close to the power of the Ganges river, joining a meditation teacher on a quiet ghat before the day begins, for a breath-work and mindfulness practice. The combination of early light, calm water and peaceful location creates a reset that carries through the day. Banyan can arrange similar meditation sessions in most destinations, in differing ways.
LOCAL WISDOM
Sticky Rice Travel, Borneo
The Spa Village at Gaya Island Resort sits deep within the lush mangrove forest of Gaya Island. Treatments and therapies are rooted in the healing traditions and rituals of Sabah’s indigenous people and use ingredients and elements derived from the rainforest and ocean, while the calming greenery of the forest and its ambient sounds offer a natural and restorative oasis. Designed as a traditional village, with thatched treatment villas connected by elevated wooden walkways through the mangroves, the overall feeling is of total immersion in nature.
HEALING ANDES
Galavanta, Colombia
At the newly opened Sastra Longevity Club in Medellín’s Bio Wake Hotel, guests choose one-, three-, or seven-day expert-designed programs featuring advanced diagnostics, biohacking therapies and nourishing meals, all tailored to individual long-term goals. Galavanta combines this wellness experience with exploring Medellin’s countryside, such as visiting coffee and flower haciendas, e-biking through colonial towns, or riding in the Andes – the perfect combination for a revitalising wellness journey.
SACRED MEDICINE
Enigma, Peru
Among the many wellness opportunities in Peru, it is Ayahuasca that has gained global notoriety over the past few years, though perhaps for misguided reasons. Revered and employed by Amazonian ethnic groups for over 5,000 years, it is considered a true Master Plant, with healing properties covering physical, psychological and spiritual planes. Guests of Enigma can experience this sacred plant medicine under the watchful eye of a highly experienced and reliable master in the unique setting of the Peruvian Amazon.
GO SLOW
ITEM, Türkiye
Along Türkiye’s Black Sea coast lie dense forests and misty hills where, inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (forest-bathing), ITEM offers a mindful experience all about tuning in to nature’s quiet rhythm: walking among the pines, touching cool streams, and pausing to take in the view. These moments of stillness turn a simple forest walk into something deeply restorative; a reminder that sometimes, the most profound journeys happen when we stop moving so fast. As the Turkish saying goes, ‘Haste makes waste’.
TIME TO REFLECT
Lares, Uruguay
Lares has created a new experience built around intention-setting, with sessions guided by psychologists to help align the inner compass through movement, reflection and connection with nature. Wellness experiences are crafted around balance and renewal: beach or lakeside yoga and massage, private surf and kite lessons, and creative exploration such as ceramics or open-fire cooking, all supported by talented vegan chefs who design seasonal, mindful menus to nourish, so guests leave Uruguay feeling inspired, rested and restored.
HINTERLAND HEALING
The Tailor, Australia
Reveling’s Bush Tucker Walk in the Hinterland offers connection to nature, Traditional Culture and self, in the lush surroundings of the Gold Coast hinterland. The day starts with a guided bush-tucker walk, before a welcome and smoking ceremony – an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and acknowledge the spiritual significance of the Hinterland. After a nourishing al fresco lunch, you’ll recenter with a sound-healing session led by a local Kombumerri Elder, before closing out the day with a gentle walk to a waterfall, allowing space for quiet connection with the natural world.
ANCIENT RITUALS
Plan-It Morocco, Morocco
Let Plan-it Morocco transport you to a realm of ancient beauty rituals. Your guided five-hour journey begins in the Souk el Henna, selecting timeless ingredients and learning their lore, before arriving at a tranquil rooftop dar—once a private sanctuary for women— where you’ll sip Moroccan tea, craft rhassoul (a traditional mineral-rich clay) and explore the virtues of argan oil, sabun bildi and delicate floral waters. The experience concludes in a medina hammam, where the rituals unfold, immersing you the restorative rhythms of Moroccan tradition.