6 high South American wellness retreats

Because the saying goes, “A trip is what you are taking when you’ll be able to now not take what you’ve been taking.” It’s true. A trip is greater than only a break, it’s an opportunity to chill out, reenergize, rejuvenate, restore, and re-align whereas discovering wholesome shops for stress and exploring new experiences. Journey that focuses on bettering or sustaining well being and the standard of life is now termed “wellness journey,” centering on discovering a wholesome stability and well-being by bodily, psychological, and even religious actions.

It ought to come as no shock, then, that a number of the high wellness spots have existed in Latin America for ages. Famend civilizations such because the Inca have lengthy handled individuals with sizzling stone massages and coca leaves as sacred elements of their tradition. Drawing on these and lots of different time-honored traditions, nations in Latin America have ushered on this new kind of journey devoted to discovering internal calm.

For vacationers in search of a very invigorating wellness expertise that brings collectively various therapeutic philosophies, pure treatments, state-of-the-art services steeped in five-star luxurious, and the proper environment for rejuvenation and rest, we’ve rounded up —in no specific order— our 6 favourite retreats in South America.  

Within the shadow of Machu Picchu: Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa

Nestled in Peru’s Sacred Valley, and serving as a base from which vacationers can attain the magical Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa is described by many as “the perfect lodge in Peru.”

The main focus of this luxurious wellness heart is providing chic moments of renewal and rest, benefiting from the beautiful pure views and the scenic fantastic thing about the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Amongst its vary of companies and services is the resort’s Kallpa Spa, which emphasizes the therapeutic energy of water and gives a number of remedies and experiences that decision upon its powers to assuage and chill out company. Select from an unlimited array of massages, together with the Yucamani Stone Therapeutic massage, which helps company obtain an excessive state of rest. The facials name upon the knowledge of the ages, utilizing Incan favorites resembling cocoa, Mt. Misti mud, and quinoa. Then too, the 24-Ok Gold from the Gods Facial is to not be missed, as this chosen ingredient of Incan princesses improves tone and hydration.

The lodge’s fully-equipped Health Middle is complimentary for all registered company. Flushed with mild from the big home windows that look out over the luxurious gardens, company are invited to linger within the soothing setting and luxuriate in contemporary fruit, newspapers, and mineral water. The gear consists of treadmills, benches, free weights, and weight machines, that are all out there for private use.

Additionally out there are heated indoor and out of doors swimming pools, whirlpools, Vichy and jet showers, sub-aquatic beds, and hydrotherapy remedies. The resort’s indoor/out of doors heated pool is made out there to company from early within the morning to late at evening. Whether or not you select to benefit from the shade or absorb the solar, take pleasure in poolside meals and beverage service at your leisure. The skin space of the pool proves further tempting with a spacious terrace that includes a shocking view of the lodge gardens and river.

Peruvian delicacies, acknowledged as a number of the finest on the earth, may be appreciated within the lodge’s spectacular Hawa restaurant, designed with an ideal stability of indigenous components whereas providing a singular alternative to discover new flavors. The delicacies relies on Andean substances resembling quinoa, types of potatoes, and greens grown within the Sacred Valley, in addition to lamb and trout from the area.

On high of all this, the Tambo del Inka Luxurious Assortment Resort & Spa is the one lodge within the Sacred Valley with a non-public prepare station to Machu Picchu, from the place the company will have the ability to begin a tremendous religious journey to the well-known Inca metropolis. 

An oasis of calm: Tierra Atacama

Positioned within the far north of Chile, the Atacama Desert ranks among the many driest areas on earth, fifty instances extra arid than California‘s Loss of life Valley. It’s a spot of actually other-worldly landscapes of towering volcanoes, flamingo-frequented lagoons, salt flats, geysers and shifting sand dunes. Certainly, the Atacama has been used to check Mars-bound NASA rovers and, because of its utter lack of climate, excessive altitude, and low-to-zero mild air pollution.

Regardless of its distant location and arid local weather, the Atacama is house to a handful of luxurious wellness facilities. Located across the distant oasis city of San Pedro de Atacama, you’ll be able to indulge your self in one in every of these: the Tierra Atacama lodge, which encapsulates beautiful design, genuine experiences, and an intimate, home-away-from-home environment, the place a way of each journey journey and pure rest lingers within the air.

Tierra Atacama’s Uma Spa invitations you to rejuvenate whereas considering the Licancabur Volcano, its power emanating all through the wellness heart. The guts of the spa is water (“Uma” within the native Aymara language). Soak in an al fresco sizzling tub, take pleasure in a spa circuit as you drift between the indoor pool and steam room, or go for a refreshing dip within the spa’s out of doors pool.

The spa’s design is mild and ethereal, with large home windows, pure stone partitions and a bamboo cover that carry you nearer to the pristine setting. Get pleasure from a dip within the infinity pool, surrounded by the lodge gardens, earlier than taking a relaxation on one of many spa’s wicker solar loungers and absorbing the Atacama views. This area, created to reflect the essence of the desert, is ready to revive your thoughts, physique and soul. On the similar time, the middle’s indoor area is simply as engaging, full with a heated pool with water jets and bubble beds to depart feeling fully energized.

What’s extra, must you want to mix a day’s journey into the Atacama Desert with a spa remedy to match, then the middle’s pairing menu is simply the ticket. Take pleasure in spa remedy in remedy rooms the place an ambiance of calm is created by tender mild, mild music, and aromatherapy oils, in addition to pure substances from the area, resembling sheep’s milk, honey, volcanic mud, lithium-rich salt, and desert herbs. Or strive the Uma Spa’s Reiki & Crystal Therapeutic massage to maintain your power stability maintained; or, select the Saddle & Soak, rounding off a protracted day on desert actions with an immersion within the sizzling tub to alleviate soreness and drained legs.

Then too, Tierra Atacama’s yoga areas mean you can join with the Atacama Desert’s power. Yoga lessons are booked within the spa space and both held contained in the wellness heart or on the out of doors yoga platform. There are additionally loads of peaceable spots to be discovered should you merely really feel like having a second to be alone, meditate and take within the views.
Come to Tierra Atacama for experiences that can go away you feeling absolutely restored by the point you allow.

An off-grid Amazonian wellness expertise: Kapawi Ecolodge

Surrounded by jungle in southeast Ecuador, close to the Peruvian border, the Kapawi Ecolodge is in one of the crucial distant and well-protected areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. The lodge is located inside the practically two-million acres of the territory managed by the indigenous Achuar individuals and is accessible solely by air – in any other case, it’s not less than a 10-day stroll from the closest highway.

The indigenous Achuar members personal and run the lodge, which has been rigorously designed and constructed utilizing solely wooden and different pure supplies. Like “luxurious,” wellness at Kapawi Ecolodge means taking part within the lively technique of turning into conscious of your self and your environment. This effort depends on the Amazon Rainforest’s biodiversity and pure settings as sources of restoration, well-being, rest, and disconnection from the stress of life.

The distant, disconnected and therapeutic nature of the rainforest is on the heart of the well being and wellness choices at Kapawi. The lodge’s pure sanctuary is a transformational location to follow thoughts and physique therapeutic by an off-grid wellness expertise.

The Achuar, who consider within the energy of meditation to carry readability and focus to at least one’s life, consult with meditation as “focus.” Kapawi brings this expertise to vacationers by its open and alluring areas across the lodge for company to interact in their very own meditation practices.

Actions in contact with the pure environment embody guided nature walks within the coronary heart of the jungle, kayaking, birdwatching and, in fact, studying extra about this Achuar indigenous individuals´s life and traditions right here deep within the jungle.

Furthermore, company have entry to peaceable and silent communal areas for yoga and meditation. yoga retreats, workshops, and lessons are hosted at varied instances all year long.

Friends on the Kapawi Eco-lodge are housed in 18 tastefully embellished thatched cabins constructed on stilts and linked to the big communal buildings by raised boardwalks. The Kapawi Ecolodge has its personal restaurant and bar space, memento store, kayaks, and satellite tv for pc phone connection (out there within the case of an emergency). Swimming is feasible within the lake and the close by river.

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5 Ecuadorian yoga retreats and wellness facilities providing you internal peace and serenity

From the structure and design of the services to the wellness packages, what is obtainable is an expertise targeted on offering company with a wholesome and fulfilling way of life. To the neighborhood that operates Kapawi, wellness is greater than being free from struggling and sickness; it’s a dynamic and conscious technique of change and progress.

A Galapagos getaway: Pikaia Lodge

A sprinkling of dots in the midst of the Pacific Ocean, and straddling the equatorial line, the Galapagos Islands might be essentially the most well-known wildlife-watching vacation spot on the earth. This locations the vacation spot close to the highest of most skilled vacationers’ bucket lists.

Although most guests select to go to the Galapagos Islands on a cruise, the archipelago has a lot to supply guests who select a land-based keep for a wellness getaway.

One such haven of serenity is the Pikaia Lodge, a wellness lover’s paradise. This glossy eco-hotel is a secluded Jurassic-world getaway that sits perched on the rim of an extinct volcano on a secluded, lesser-traveled a part of the archipelago.

The lodge gives entry to its Sumaq Spa, a Zen sanctum that gives genuine shamanic remedy, although the bundle additionally consists of excursions like scuba diving, snorkeling, and sightings of big tortoises and iguanas – in addition to different native heroes.

Whereas the Pikaia spa has a sunny remedy room and a Jacuzzi in a separate solarium with lounge chairs, there’s additionally a sauna, a Vichy bathe, and a small however serviceable exercise room. However don’t overlook their Life Health machines, together with a stationary bike, a treadmill, and a climber plus a health ball and free weights. Spa remedies run the gamut from facials to massages to physique wraps to manicures and a few remedies use unique native substances like Galapagos volcanic ash.

Pikaia’s infinity pool creates a mesmerizing sight by merging a backdrop of countless ocean and the pristine savanna. The encircling decks are plastered with Peruvian travertine marble, whereas the pool is strategically positioned to obtain shadow-free solar all day to take care of a nice water temperature.

This oasis of calm is a serene place to spend well-deserved time releasing muscular rigidity and stress whereas touring or to pamper and purify the physique with a therapeutic massage and an array of different wellness companies impressed by the pure environment. For this, the spa is supplied with a therapeutic massage room, a whirlpool, and a full fitness center that’s outfitted with a contemporary treadmill, an elliptical coach and a spinning bike. The therapeutic massage room gives parallel therapeutic massage classes for {couples}, although therapeutic massage classes may also be completed in company’ rooms if requested. Plus, the lodge boasts two miles of personal paths for strolling, jogging, or biking.

In a spot the place alternatives to discover are in abundance, there isn’t any higher place to start or finish a rejuvenating day than the lodge’s modern Evolution Restaurant, which gives a singular fusion of wholesome Peruvian and Ecuadorian wonderful eating.

Reserving a wellness retreat right here is greater than only a trip, it’s an funding in bettering your high quality of life and fascinating in actions that go away you feeling refreshed, rested and invigorated to make more healthy and extra conscious choices upon leaving the journey.  

A heady retreat: Mendoza Argentina’s Cavas Wine Lodge

Blessed by pure magnificence, Mendoza is an idyllic wine-growing space on the western fringe of Argentina, the place over 900 wineries dot this huge area on the foothills of the Andes. Availing itself of the fabulous year-round climate and immaculate landscapes, the Cavas Wine Lodge is the proper wellness retreat for vacationers in search of a self-care getaway crammed with relaxation, rest, and —in fact— wine.

The lodge gives four-night, five-day yoga packages that give company an all-inclusive expertise to benefit from the lodge’s many facilities and packages. Plus, there are personal plunge swimming pools and out of doors fireplaces, nutritious meals, morning and sundown yoga follow, Tai massages, wholesome cooking lessons, guided hikes and meditation – all with ample time to strive the area’s unbelievable wines.

The spa’s inspiring Moorish-Roman structure reveals swimming pools, baths and remedy areas distinctive within the wine nation. Indulge within the Grand Facial, the place your pores and skin will take pleasure in a deep cleaning, with an software of a thermal mud masks to detoxify and supply a heat sensation for whole rest simply an hour and a half from Buenos Aires.

The spirit and solitude of the far south: Tierra Patagonia 

Set among the many rugged mountains of southern Chile’s famed Torres del Paine Nationwide Park, Tierra Patagonia is a wellness retreat that focuses as a lot on the luxurious revitalizing expertise it supplies its company as its sustainable and environmental footprint.

Paying homage to native historical past and highlighting sustainable initiatives, Tierra Patagonia boasts emerald lakes, incredible mountain ranges and considerable wildlife. Weaved into the panorama with delicate model and mixing into the magnificence of the area, this excellent spot for journey serves as a backdrop for this spectacular lodge.

The Torres del Paine Massif’s silhouette serves as a backdrop for Tierra Patagonia’s spa. It’s a luxurious to indulge within the out of doors sizzling tub or change between the steam room and indoor pool. Encased in tall glass partitions, you’ll really feel effortlessly linked to Torres del Paine all of the whereas having fun with the Patagonia spa & wellness services.

The spa advanced incorporates varied areas for rest or revitalization, together with a pool, steam room, and soothing rest areas. Take your choose from an intensive record of facials, massages, physique wraps, scrubs and various therapies, designed to open up your “prana,” which is the native lingo for a sort of life power that promotes constructive ideas and well-being. After your wellness remedy of alternative, adjourn to the heated, indoor pool, full with hydro-massage and water jets, encased in a glass-paneled sanctuary, providing expansive views of the wild environment.

Exterior, the retreat’s open-air whirlpool tub gives the prospect to soak in heat waters, whereas taking in views of Torres Del Paine. It’s common to identify Patagonian wildlife from right here both, as you’re more likely to spot a guanaco or ñandú that has wandered as much as the lodge.

Enter a Zen-like state within the lodge’s remedy rooms, with aromatherapy oils, peaceable sounds and tender lighting. Tierra Patagonia’s wellness area, which features a yoga studio and separate rest rooms for women and men, is clad in heat, regionally sourced wooden and stone, whereas remedies and therapies use all-natural substances.
Acknowledged by Condé Nast Traveller as among the many Finest Motels in South America in 2023, Tierra Patagonia is a positive wager for locating your internal calm and stability.

Adelante (“go ahead”) with a South American retreat

When planning a spa and wellness trip, contemplate the various landscapes and cultural influences of every vacation spot. Whether or not you like island luxurious, mountain retreats, or Amazonian adventures, South America supplies quite a lot of choices for a rejuvenating and enriching expertise. And no matter your most popular journey model —whether or not you’re touring alone, as a pair, or with your loved ones or buddies— there are many methods to include wellness into your journey. No matter makes you’re feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and relaxed, you can also make it part of your wellness journey to South America.

Alfonso Tandazo

Alfonso Tandazo is President and CEO at Surtrek Tour Operator. Surtrek Tour Operator is a well-established agency, specializing in custom-designed luxurious excursions in Ecuador, the Galapagos and all through the remainder of South America. If you need to be a visitor blogger on A Luxurious Journey Weblog in an effort to elevate your profile, please contact us.