May 31 – June 13, 2023
The dust falls gently from your feet as foot follows in front of foot. The sweet smell of the African savannah fills the air as the hum of the timeless veld awakens your senses. The clicks of a now familiar language, once foreign to your ears, gives you pause for thought as you stop and look around – finding yourself in the moment.
Home and the life you left behind feel a thousand miles away and there’s a voice inside that tells you, you’re right where you were always meant to be. It’s the same voice that brought you here…that started first as a whisper, lost between deadlines and commitments, commutes and living for others…and then, with each passing day, it became a voice that sounded more and more like who you always were, and that led you to this moment right here, right now.
Your eyes look down at your dusty feet again as you continue walking through the timeless veld. You feel a deep gratitude being so close to the earth, experiencing wild, wonderful Africa. You feel an even deeper gratitude opening up to new life and possibilities you had never imagined before.
Oh the possibilities! By the end of this journey, you will have…
- Reconnected with who you are and recognized who you need to be.
- Learned how to open up to and live in the timelessness of the eternal moment
- Made lifelong friends, sharing precious memories and experiences
- Stepped away from others’ expectations and focused on what YOU want from life
- Given back to the world as you become calmer, more mindful and more positive
- De-cluttered your world and surrender to the path in front of you.
My Promise to You
When you walk away… after 14 days of laughter, adventure, fireside conversations, introspection, peace and soul-searching in the Zambian wilderness energized and invigorated, you’ll find home the same as you left it. It will be you that has changed.
You will have become more. You will understand more, feel more…and your eyes will be more open to the world around you and the power and purpose of your life within it. So you can make the most of every opportunity that awaits you on the path ahead with the tools at hand to make the most of them.
More than this, you’ll find your path accompanied by the friends you made… somewhere you never expected.
The Zambian wilderness, I’m ready!
Top 7 Reasons Not to Miss our Retreat in Zambia!
Your pilgrimage to Africa will allow you to plant a seed of hope that will stay with you long after your feet have left African shores.
Wild Africa as it has always been…untamed, as nature reminds us of the here and the now. On safari you’ll experience life as it was always meant to be – uncontained by narrow constructs, free to evolve and to grow while retaining its connection with nature. The bray of zebra, the loping walk of giraffe as they strut across the horizon and the roar of lion heard around the flickering campfire all holding onto you.
When you leave the wilderness, it will be with the understanding of your own routine that allows you to devote more energy to yourself through self-care and meditation.
Peace is more than just the stillness you find around you, more than just the moments that imprint on you…it’s in how we imprint on others…which is why the luxury camps and lodges that you find yourself staying in are all committed to, and actively involved in, effective conservation projects operating in close collaboration with surrounding communities.
It’s in the pause and the peace that we allow ourselves to find ourselves.
Imagine playing your own part in the preservation and conservation of animals that have tread this earth for more than 50 million years…far longer than we have.
As part of our commitment to the place in which we find ourselves, we will donate a portion of our net profit towards Rhino Conservation.
While on safari, we actively contribute towards the preservation of Africa’s flora and fauna and attend a local school where we will donate supplies. Through experiencing a new culture and its people and in giving of yourself, you discover aspects of yourself that allow you to live a more enriched life.
It’s a journey that goes beyond just planting a seed within yourself but in others as well. In Africa we have a saying, ‘Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu’ which in Zulu means – ‘A person is a person by other people’.
There is something magical about stepping away from everyday life and experiencing somewhere you’ve never been, with people you’ve never met.
Sharing stories around the campfire in the evening, or while immersing yourself in nature, surrounded by adventure and culture during the day, you’ll start to recognise the patterns of burnout both in yourself and in others.
It’s this awareness and the decision to proactively watch for it that will let you feel more rested and energised as you learn to prioritise your own wellbeing. With your friends and your enthusiastic guide by your side you can start to move towards first identifying and then achieving your goals.
The true beauty of Africa comes alive at dusk. As the sun begins to set “sundowner- happy hour” over the African plains, the sound of bird chatting and the movement of wildlife allow you to reflect. As unimaginable colours fill the sky, it is easy to find yourself enveloped in your surroundings.
The simple pleasure of enjoying an African sunset will leave you with a feeling of connection to the natural world around you and most importantly – with yourself.
Imagine practising yoga, the orange-tinted sun just creeping over the horizon as the silence around you, the slightest chill of morning welcomes in the day to come.
Yoga and mediation are stepping stones that allow and empower you to check in with yourself, to align yourself and to reflect on where you’re at and what you still want for yourself.
As part of our building blocks we practise yoga allowing the practice to grow in their journey and the uninitiated to kick-start it.
Without realising it we all too often find ourselves living paths that hold us in place like a pattern… sometimes, we’re locked in place by circumstance… at other times by comfort… and at other times, we can’t even see the patterns that hold us until our life starts to fray at the edges or deeper in.
Our lives can lose balance and the unwanted patterns we find ourselves in can distract us from ourselves. On this retreat, through exhilarating, unique experiences, you will understand how to better prioritise activities in your life so you can acquire a better understanding of who you are and all that you can do.
Time to complete my bucket list...
Venues
On this journey you’ll be immersed in Africa as each venue, all different but all enthralling leave their own unique mark on you.
Pioneer Camp, South Luangwa National Park, Mfuwe
There’s no better place to unpack, unwind and just find yourself at the start of your journey than Pioneer Camp, situated in the South Luangwa National Park, Mfuwe. With its homely atmosphere, Pioneer Camp is where early friendships will be formed around the fire pit and the first steps you take towards this journey in your mind become more and more real.
Wildlife Safari Zambia, South Luangwa National Park, Mfuwe
With its tranquillity and sense of well-being, simple and paired back, Wildlife Camp allows a sense of calm and peace that sets it apart. Authentic animal interactions and the sense of timelessness remind us of the transitory nature of our own journey through life and of the impact we hold the power to have in the world around us.
This true African Safari experience will be one you will remember. This is the perfect location to feel a sense of peace. A place that truly brings a sense of well-being and tranquillity.
It’s hard to describe the pulse of an African capital city unless you’ve been there. Our stay at Latitude 15° Hotel brings us within reach of the cultural melting-pot that is Lusaka with its vibrant rhythm and unrivalled shopping opportunities and markets.
Situated just twenty minutes from the city centre the hotel’s luxurious rooms, heated-pool access, gym, spa and so much more mean your explorations only have to lead as far as you want them to…that said the open evening with its sub-tropical warm air and the rhythm of dance may just call your name.
David Livingstone Safari Lodge & Spa, Livingstone Zambia
As you overlook the Zambezi River, the largest African river flowing into the Indian Ocean, your breath will be taken away by the power and awe of it. Wrapped in luxury, the David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa situated in Livingstone is the perfect place for us to finish our self-awareness journey.
As we take some of the most important but final steps together as a group, it’s with the knowledge and tools required to move forward when we leave this incredible place…at least for now.
The Cuisine
Throughout your stay, you will experience the tastes of Zambia. A culinary experience your taste buds will not forget! Grilled Kafue bream served up with Bowa (wild dried mushroom), Vitumbuwa, michopo, nshima or golabjamoun might not mean much to you now…but they are just some of the countless Zambian dishes that will have you asking for more.
With Zambian cuisine oriented around what is in the field at that exact moment, the food is not only regional, farm-fresh and organic, but also has its own delectable twist unique to the maker’s palate and the village you’re in that leaves you savouring the moment as much as the food itself.
We all have our own tastes and diets and there’s something for everyone, just don’t be surprised if you find yourself pencilling down recipes to recreate some of these African meals back home.
Each lodge we stay at offers dishes from that region with locally drawn flavours along with all the familiar favourites from home such as delicious buffet style breakfasts with fresh fruits and juices, cereals and warm wholesome home-baked breads and muffins and eggs and omelettes served your way.
Lunches are just as appetising with à la carte lunch menus offering fresh salads and wholesome wraps.
After days spent adventuring and soaking in new experiences, nourish your body with a selection of salads, side dishes, soups, meat dishes, freshly baked breads, cheese platters and desserts in a buffet style setting.
Of course, we cater to your needs with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options available. If you have specific dietary requirements and health needs, please let us know. Beverages will be available throughout each day.
Organic & Mouth Watering Cuisine!
The Delights
Everything about where you find yourself in Zambia will feel new…from the sights to the sounds and smells and Zambian’s love nothing more than to share their country with you.
So you can expect to find it all, the hubbub of the cosmopolitan centre of Lusaka playing its role as an African drawcard offers markets and nightlife that reflect the diversity of the continent and with it, unbelievable experiences…and shopping. Why not start to fit in with the locals and pick up a colourful chitenge…a wrap-around piece of Zambian fabric that you can wear just about anywhere.
Outside the city lights we find a different pace, spending our days in peaceful and natural surroundings as we settle into our home away from home.
We will be adventuring and exploring the Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and the African buffalo) and so much more while fully immersing ourselves into primordial natural rhythms. Our days will be filled with wildlife viewing, walking safaris, and cultural immersion.
If being up close with natures untamed beauty, Lusaka’s vibrant nightlife and markets and the culinary fusion that accompanies every leg of the trip aren’t enough to raise your pulse, then Victoria Falls or as the locals call it the Mosi-oa-Tunya – ‘the smoke that thunders’ will have you considering white water rafting and an unforgettable dip in Angel’s Pool or a serene sunset cruise on the wide and imposing river.
Ahhh… the delights of an African Adventure!
This African Journey is Totally for You if…
- You’re ready to reconnect with yourself and to grow, experience and explore with other like-minded people – and to be the truest version of yourself
- You desire the adventure that awakens the power within you, that only you can wield. An energy that the world is in need of
- If you’re ready to suit up and to develop the tools you need to equip you on your path
- You’re ready to open yourself to chance, to take a leap of faith and find yourself half a world away and to live a life free of regrets of where you might have found yourself.
- You deeply care and are ready to give back to the world around you
This African Journey is NOT for You if…
- You’re not ready to leave your comfort zone
- Growth comes from sharing. Sharing can be emotional. If you’re not ready to share in the journeys of others as well as your own, you’re not ready
- If there’s no part of you that wants to recognise that you could plug into so much more.
- If you’re not ready to let go of what holds you back or stops you from travelling
- If you aren’t yet ready to try new experiences and adventures
- If you feel that nature is best experienced from a TV screen
Walking Safaris, I’m ready for Zambia!
What’s Included
- 13 nights 14 days accommodation in beautiful lodges and boutique hotels
- All delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners made with local natural organic ingredients, including excursion picnics
- Beer and house wines (2 per day per person) at camp and our two boutique accommodations
- All local ground transportation within Zambia– Lusaka, Livingstone and to Mfuwe in safari vehicles, including all airport transfers
- Fees for all national parks and wildlife viewing areas
- Group Yoga & Meditation sessions while on safari
- All scheduled adventures are totally on us. Details to be provided upon registration. Trust me, they will be mind-blowing
- Laundry Services
- A donation on your behalf towards a local school and the Rhino Conservation Program
- Connect via Facebook Group created for this retreat – you will have full access to allow us to connect pre/post trip as we prepare for this adventure
- Zoom Group Call (pre/post) – an opportunity to meet everyone in the group, as well as ask any questions to help prepare for the trip.
- Special gift upon arrival
- Epic farewell entertainment
What’s Not Included
- Air travel to and from Zambia
- Spa/massage services
- Personal phone calls
- Premium Alcohol
- Optional Activities
- Gratuities
- Souvenir shopping
- Personal, medical or trip cancellation insurance
- Visa for Zambia- Please ensure you have your visa ahead of time
Flights
Please plan to arrive at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN), Lusaka, Zambia on May 31, 2023 before 4:00 pm so we can pick you up and give you time to freshen up before dinner.
Please plan your departing international flight back to your home country from Mwaanga Nkumbula Airport (LVI), Livingstone, Zambia on June 13, 2023 after 11:00am.
You may plan to arrive early or depart later from Zambia, for more adventures at your own expense and arrangement. Feel free to connect with Ales Struna, our travel planner for help with arrangements and other details.
I’ve Waited My Whole Life for Something Like This...
Meet Your Guide
MISHA HALDERSON, PT, DPT, RYT-200
My path started almost 8000 miles away from where I now live, half a world away in the country of Zambia in Africa.
It’s only in hindsight that you come to appreciate all those things that shaped you, all the things that helped to set your path apart. We all have these ‘departure’ points, we just don’t always pause long enough to recognise them.
Looking back on my childhood in Zambia, I’m a product of that environment, a land that was shared by more than seventy different tribes and where ’16 hours’ referred to afternoon high tea – a hangover from British rule.
In these early days it was this blending of influences and the watchful and supportive eyes of my grandmother and uncle that ensured I absorbed everything around me. In our house the door was always open and anyone was welcome at any time. Everyone was greeted warmly at the door, stories were shared and no one ever left empty-handed. These were Zambian customs that in turn became our own, meeting people where they are at rather than where you would like them to be.
It was in their observations, their thoughts and interactions and in their appreciation of what they had that I was enabled to imagine a path that sought out life on every level. From self conservation to that of others and the world around us, embracing life in all its forms and resonating with it together.
At the age of 21, I left behind everything familiar and travelled across the world, finally setting foot in what would become my new home, the United States of America. Along the way I became a yoga teacher and a Doctor of Physical Therapy. I found myself travelling the country and on this journey and in all of the people that I was able to interact with and that in turn became a part of my own journey, I was able to pursue a life that explored health, happiness and like-minded communities.
It was a path that would ultimately bring me all the way back to this moment, sharing my birth home of Zambia with you, encouraging you to feel the earth under your feet and to simply absorb the presence of nature, the power of your own path and the silent presence of your own possibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be fit and/or an experienced yogi to join?
Do I need a Visa?
US Citizens traveling to Zambia must have a visa. It is advised to obtain your visa prior to arrival to speed up customs and immigrations at the airport. However, if you need to obtain a visa at the airport, payments can be made via VISA, Mastercard and American Express. (If network connection issues occur, CASH would be advised.)
Passports must be valid for six months past the date of departure from Zambia. Passport must have 2 blank pages (excluding the endorsement/amendment pages). Additionally, it is advised to carry a photocopy of your passport separate from your physical passport, just in case the original is lost or stolen.
What do I need to pack?
- Zambia Power Adapter
- Portable charger for phone
- Passport, Visa, Vaccination documents
- Binoculars, Camera
- Insulated Water Bottle
- Bug spray with DEET (worthwhile in areas with any risk of malaria)
- Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Hat
- Travel Toiletries
- Yoga mat and any other props you may require for your individual practice
Safari Clothing
- Clothes in khaki, green, beige and neutral colors mainly for the walking safari. In the safari van, it does not make a difference
- Long-sleeved shirts that offer protection from the sun and mosquitoes
- T-shirts
- Shorts or a light skirt
- Jeans or safari trousers for evenings and cooler days
- Jackets and sweaters for early morning and late afternoon game drives
- A lightweight waterproof jacket in case of rain
- Swim and beachwear
- Comfortable walking shoes
What about charging my device? What is the electrical outage?
Will I have internet access?
Can I drink the water?
What about the weather?
May/June is approaching the end of the wet summer season. Temperatures are typically 12°C/52°F in the morning and 25°C/77°F in the afternoon, with evening temperatures similar to morning.
There are two main seasons: rainy/hot season (November to April) and the dry/cool season (May to October/November). The dry season is divided into the cool dry season (May to August), and the hot dry season (September to October/November).
Do I need to reserve any extra activities?
Our trip is loaded with movement, activities and exploration. We recommend taking advantage of the down time to relax, reflect and rejuvenate.
What inoculations do I need?
Zambia requires a Yellow Fever vaccine for all international travelers coming from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. This includes if you have a layover of 12 hours or more, or if you leave the airport. Note requirements can change without notice, it is recommended that travelers get the vaccine to guarantee coverage.
Please discuss other immunizations with your personal physician prior to departing for Zambia.
What about malaria?
It is recommended for all travelers to take meticulous anti-mosquito bite measures during the daytime as well as prior to travel. Please discuss with your personal physician prior to departing for Zambia.
Do I need travel insurance?
You can use our suggested Worldnomads or Travel Guard Insurance online and choose from several policy options.