Turkey                  

Yoga among the olive groves

This is one of the few places that you would love to keep to yourself. The British owned retreat opened in 1993 as a place for an inspiring and relaxing yoga vacation. It is located in the forested mountains by the south coast in Turkey. Many of the leading yoga teachers holds this place as a favorite when it comes to leading yoga courses. The retreat is placed by itself in a nice valley among the olive groves. During the night all you can hear are crickets, some owls and in the spring you can also hear the nightingale sing. It is only 10 minutes by car to the town Göeck which has a boardwalk, restaurants and some shopping.

At this retreat there are several different yoga weeks with different teachers available from April-October.
Please see the whole program here >>

The Retreat
The retreat is built around a traditional, renovated olive farm. There is a nice swimming pool and a spacious and beautiful shaded yoga shala. The combination of a fantastic untouched location, welcoming and experience staff and really good food guarantees an experience that makes people come back year after year. The guests tend to share interests and values, which creates a friendly, supporting and lively atmosphere which is particularly welcoming for those who travel on their own. Between the classes there is plenty of time for a massage, relax in a hammock between the olive trees or go for a swim in the pool.



Most of the participants will stay in one of the beautifully decorated yurts. In the ceiling there is an opening which can be closed when it rains or is too cold. When it is nice weather you can lay in bed and watch the stars through it. The yurts have real beds, nice wooden floors and electricity. The yurts have walls out of canvas and are not heated. There are electric heating blankets available if it is a little cool during spring and fall. Some of the participants may stay in a room in the main building, but generally you will stay in a yurt. Bathrooms are shared with other participants. The bathrooms are distributed between three buildings with toilets, showers and sinks and are nice and clean. There are about 30 beds available.



From April to October there are yoga classes with different yoga instructors, most of them are British. Different instructors have different daily schedules, but normally it is two classes a day, sometimes supplemented with morning meditation and evening chanting. Some weeks it may be a day off in the middle of the week to, for example, make a trip. Between the classes there is plenty of time for a massage, to relax comfortably in a hammock between olive trees, to take a dip in the pool or visit the coastal town of Gocek (20 minutes by taxi). Sometimes there is a full-day boat excursion on the program, a wonderful day when you can take a swim in the turquoise Mediterranean.

Three times a day you will be served a meal out on the beautiful terrace which is shaded by vines. There are usually many participants from England here, but of course people come from other countries as well. The food is unbelievably good, everything is vegetarian, from the region and never the same.



The Turkish kitchen is known as one of the greatest kitchens in the world and this is reflected in the vegetarian meals here. The meals are based on local products such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, cheese and yoghurt. The guests are always very appreciative of the food and the fantastic variation of dishes.

The retreats own cook book was produced on request from the guests. It includes 70 pages with simple, good and healthy Turkish recipes. It costs about 15 EURO and can be bought at the retreat.

Drinks such as soda, wine and beer can be bought in the bar. Here you can sit in comfortable chairs and socialize with others. You can also bring your drink and sit on the big pillows in the common room with out walls. In this room there is also a wood burning fireplace which is nice to gather around during the cool evenings in the beginning and end of the season. The retreat does not accept credit cards so you will need cash (GBP, TRY or EUR).

Yoga
The yoga shala is spacious and beautifully surrounded by green vegetation. The yoga courses differs depending on who the instructor for the week is, all have their own style. The yoga classes are held Tuesday- Sunday.

Group size
Up to about 25 people can participate in the yoga courses. Experience shows that certain weeks fill up pretty quickly so book early!

The Region
The region, which is located in the south west of Turkey, is called Lycia. Lycia is mountainous and forested with a beautiful coastline with deep bays and islands. The landscape is impressive with limestone cliffs and panoramic views over mountains (sometimes covered in snow) raising up out of the turquoise ocean.

In Lycia there is a typical Mediterranean climate with warm, sunny and dry summers and a wonderful spring and fall with warm sunny days and cooler evenings and nights. During spring and fall there is the occasional chance of a rainshower. According to many travelers May and September are the most beautiful months. We especially recommend May when the spring flowers are at their peak. Even when it is really hot there are cool breezes flying through the olive trees and fig bushes.

Excursions
Many participants feel that they do not want to go anywhere when they arrive, they are so happy with the peaceful and relaxed environment. But if you do want a contrast to the peaceful valley the town of Gocek is only a 10 minute taxi ride away. Gocek has an elegant palm-edged board walk with bars and restaurants but still it manages to keep its relaxed and friendly small town feeling. The shopping includes jewelry, mats, ceramics, clothes, spices and the local market once a week. You can also find ATM's and banks here.

There are several fascinating places to visit for those who wants to explore the surroundings a little bit further away. The staff at the retreat can help you with this and also have more details and advice for both individuals and groups.

Boat trips
The most popular excursion is to go sailing among islands and bays along the fantastic coast line on the traditional wooden boat called "Gulet". There is a lot of time to enjoy the sun and ocean on deck and if you have had enough sun there is a shaded area as well. There is a toilet on board and also a small room where you can change. A delicious lunch will be cooked on board. The retreat arrange this excursion most weeks.

Beaches
There are a couple of beaches within a 15 minute taxi ride from the retreat. One of them is a bay with a lovely view and a somewhat rocky beach. The other is a private beach at a five star hotel in Goeck which you can use if you pay a daily fee. For serious beach lovers there are two long and beautiful sand beaches protected as nature reserve within an hour drive from the retreat.

Dalyan
Daylan is a wonderful small town located on a reedy river mouth about an hour from the retreat. You can take a trip with a river boat and visit Lycian graves, the ancient ruins of Caunos, warm sulfur sources and mud baths.

Fethiye
Fethiye is an hour from the retreat and the closest larger town. It is placed in a beautiful bay with shops, bazaars, cafés, the ocean, Turkish baths and the ancient ruins of Telmessos. For the energetic one there is also some night life.

Archaeological sites
There are several archeological sites in the region. They are often placed dramatic and beautifully and most often we are the only visitors. One of the most popular ones is Cadianda, which is located on a dramatic mountain top. It is also the closest one, about an hour away. Tlos, Pinara and Xanthos are further away and requires a full day but are well worth it if you have the time.

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Unusually many who have been here return year after year, maybe you'll be one of them!

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