Your Guide to the World Destinations for Spiritual Travel to Sacred Places

When our soul calls where do we go? When traveling is more than just about exploring the world and taking a vacation, and more like an exploration of our own selves, then a Spiritual Retreat is the best place to go.

Self Growth and spirituality have become a huge trend lately and a very good one. In times of chaos, people tend to seek answers from above and from within and many spiritual retreats around the world have opened their doors to welcome those in search of a quiet but profound experience into self.

So what are the best Spirituality Retreats out there and what to expect from these experiences? What kind of activities do they offer?

Here is a list of the 4 most unique spiritual retreats out there and what to expect from them.

1. Vipassana Meditation Retreat - Worldwide 

For those who are passionate about speaking and just can't go a few minutes without saying a few words, the Vipassana retreat is a serious challenge but a really rewarding one. 

Vipassana is a Buddhist term that is often translated as "insight, as in one's gain of insight from silence, the Vipassana retreat main rule is that one should not speak for 10 days, as from that great things could happen. 

Reinforced by a very healthy diet and very early wake up call at around 5:30 followed by meditation and an early breakfast the Vipassana is available worldwide in many countries such as India, Egypt, Brazil, Portugal, Italy, and many more. 

The Vipassana accommodation is available for men and women and usually, a roo is shared among the same-sex participants, usually 2 in every room.

One of the best perks of the Vipassana retreats is that they are donations based so those interested should pay what they can. To book a Vipassana retreat you can go online on its website and you can choose your location and how you would like to attend the retreat. Those who are interested in volunteering can sign up too. 

Expect a great shift within those who have attended the vipassana have found a  great sense of growth after attending the Vipassana. Enjoy the silence and the journey that will lead you on.
 

2. 21 Days Fasting Spiritual Retreat, Portal Parvati Brazil 

Located in a gorgeous place in Brazil in the state of Minas Gerais, the Portal Pravati is heaven among the mountains. A simple set up but a very profound and rich experience, the 21 days fasting retreat is very challenging and for some impossible to do. 

Consisted of a whole of 21 days the program goes somewhat like this, upon arrival participants hand off they electronics such as mobiles or computers, these are stored and returned upon completion of the 21 days, you are taken to your room where you have your own little cabin among the forest and your own bathroom, the cabins are quite far apart from each other so you have a lot of privacy and time on your own.

The first part of the retreat consists of food fasting and water fasting for the total period of 7 days, this part of the process is called the “the week in the desert” and is by far the most challenging part of the whole retreat. 

At 6 PM everyday people gather in the main house for a communal prayer where people pray together for an hour, some people choose to do the retreat in silence but those who are speaking sometimes share the experiences they are having during the process. 

At the end of the 7th day, those who have managed to complete the 7 days in the desert gather for a very special water drinking ceremony, after not drinking a sip of water or any food for 7 days, your palate and smells senses are extremely awakened and as the participants drink the first glass of water in 7 days, explosions of flavor and pleasure awaken the body.

In the next phase of the retreat, participants get to choose a natural juice every day and that is what they will ingest for the rest of the 2 weeks left. Slowly some light exercises such as walks are requested from participants every day, a series of mental and spiritual exercises too such as meditations and a lot of time with self is also required.

At the end of the retreat, the experience is really self-transforming in all senses, participants do lose a lot of weight but they leave the retreat with a sense of cleanliness and an overall peace that they just have not ever experienced before. A life-changing experience and truly mind-shifting too this retreat is for those in seek of their expansion and those who need deep wound healing.

3. 3 Day White Desert Yoga Retreat, Egypt 

The spiritual presence in Egypt is very strong due to its ancient civilization and all the work that was done in Egypt in ancient times. The history of Egypt is packed with spirituality and miracles that have happened due to the presence of many spiritual forces in the lands of Egypt.

So much of the passages in the bible and many other faith books have happened in the sacred lands of Egypt, giving the country a special force in the spiritual department. Located in one of the most gorgeous areas of Egypt, the white desert, which was once a sea, is home to one of the greatest spiritual experiences you can do around the world.

The White Desert Yoga Retreat is a 3-day yoga and meditation experience in the White Desert of Egypt. The first part of the retreat is the gorgeous path into the White Desert itself, where participants are taken into a desert safari into one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world. Covered in majestic white rocks it's easy to see how this land was one day the submersed home to millions of marine life animals and the fossils can still be found to this day.

Once reaching the camp which is set up by Bedouins who live in the desert themselves, participants sleep on tents under the vast sky covered with stars. Food is prepared by the local Bedouins too and the whole experience is truly unique.

The yoga sessions are divided by one sunrise yoga session in the morning and one sunset yoga session in the early evening. Participants get to explore other activities during the day such as sand boarding or more desert safari experiences. Meditations are also recommended but participants are free to spend most of the day as they please. The whole retreat lasts 3 days and it is a truly unique experience. 

4. 7 Day Meditation and Yoga Getaway Retreat in Rishikesh, India

India is the motherland of Yoga, so millions of people around the world have sought the ancient knowledge that India can offer when it comes to Yoga, natural healing, and meditation benefits. But by being such a popular destination for the purpose of spirituality picking the right place to do a Spiritual Retreat or Yoga retreat is very important since there are over 1000’s of places in India at the moment and not all of them are quite serious about the spiritual part.

The 7-day Meditation and Yoga Retreat in Rishikesh is highly recommended and previous participants have rated this retreat a great option in India. Consisted of a 7-day duration on a private accommodation basis the participants wake up at 6 am following by a Yoga Cleansing at 6:30, a Yoga session at 7, then breakfast at 9:30, then followed by a free time where participants can do what they like then another yoga session at 4 pm a guided Yoga meditation at 6 pm, dinner at 7 pm then bedtime at 9 pm.

The retreat offers healthy locally produced 3 vegetarian meals per day for the duration of the 7 days. The total cost of the retreat is around $350 US dollars and that covers everything within the program. A great option for those wanting a retreat experience in India, this one is a diamond in the rough.