This retreat offers an incredibly unique experience — three distinct worlds, landscapes and ecosystems — all existing within hours of each other.

We will begin in Oaxaca City — a UNESCO World Heritage center alive with Zapotec history, traditional cuisine, sacred cacao, artisanal goods and ancient stone temples. Then we will ascend into the Sierra Sur cloud forest to the Zapotec village of San José del Pacífico — perched at 8,000 feet among orchids, mist, and millennia of indigenous wisdom — to explore deeper internal truths. Finally, we descend to the Pacific coast at Huatulco — one of Mexico's most protected coastlines — to restore in the salt water and sunshine as we absorb every ounce of transformation and revitalization.

This 8-day retreat utilizes the Spirit of Oaxaca as the source of the experience.... She is radiant, abundant and vitalizing! By moving you through her rich landscapes, sacred sites, living food traditions, curated daily yoga/meditation practices and healing ceremonies, you will digest Oaxaca at a pace that allows for genuine presence, engagement, appreciation and transformation.

This retreat is made possible in partnership with Fondo de Conservación El Triunfo (FONCET), a Chiapas-based conservation organization whose work protects the cloud forests, watersheds, and communities of Southern Mexico. Each day of this retreat connects to their mission — and a portion of retreat proceeds supports their work directly.

Every ecosystem we move through is a living conservation story. The landscapes you will witness over these eight days are among the most biodiverse and most threatened in the Americas — and the communities who steward them will be our guides.

“The Spirit of the Land in Oaxaca, Mexico called to me long before I was able to plant my feet on her rich and biodiverse soil....

She enticed me with her welcoming arms and gently nudged me to lean into her, so I could discover a newfound appreciation for the fullness of life. I came to her feeling ‘hungry’ for more…joy, laughter, pleasure, satiation…and left feeling utterly nourished and contented by how she poured herself into my yearning.

Throughout my journey with her, she revitalized my Mind, Body and Spirit. During my stay, I was filled with an internal sense of ‘enough-ness’, comfort, gratitude and inspiration for how to cultivate more of what brings myself and others the ‘rich stuff’ in life. I returned with an enhanced sense of clarity, trust, direction and purpose.

The Spirit of the Land in Oaxaca showers the culture, cuisine and artisan scenes with a palpable frequency of prosperity. Whether it be through harvesting and indulging in the locally grown, luxurious cacao…or the discovery of the nixtamalization of corn into edible masa…or the exuberant tastes and types of flavors infused into the traditional moles…or the robust colors of the woven artisanal creations…or the vibrant Day of the Dead celebration…the energy in Oaxaca lives and breathes what I call ‘sustainable plenty’, aliveness, and an honor and livelihood for all.

The Spirit of Oaxaca conveyed to me ~

*How to create space for greater abundance through alchemical (positive) change

*The importance of a community that coexists in reciprocity and reverence

*The beauty of innovation

*The gift of creation itself

I’m honored to transmit these teachings to you through a diverse spread of enriching experiences in this retreat. Throughout your trip, you will bathe in the Oaxacan essence of beauty and bounty by blending nature-based, indigenous and cultural experiences with curated daily wellness practices, including yoga (flow, yin, restore + nidra), breathwork, guided meditation, self-discovery prompts, journaling and energetic and shamanic healing modalities.

Hosted by Spirit of Alchemy ~ Travels that Transforms, a portion of retreat proceeds directly benefit the long-term conservation of nature efforts in Oaxaca, Mexico.

I hope you will consider joining me for this incredible trip!”

-Shanin Weisberg, Your Retreat Leader

Oaxaca City is one of the cultural and culinary capitals of Latin America — a living museum of Zapotec civilization, colonial architecture, vibrant markets, and extraordinary food. Allow the city to land in your senses — the smoke of copal on the air, the colors of the textiles, the sound of the zócalo (central square) at dusk. Today is about meeting your fellow travelers and feeling the city welcome you wholeheartedly.

Upon Arrival

Airport transfer to Casa Divina Boutique Hotel — Transportation included

12:00 – 6:00 PM

Early Arrivals: Sensory Orientation Walk to El Centro + Mercado

This is not just a city tour — it is a mindful arrival practice. Notice the colors of the textiles, the smell of smoke and chile on the air, the sound of the market.

7:45 – 8:00 PM

Walk to Welcome Dinner

8:00 – 9:30 PM

Welcome Dinner @ Casa Taviche Restaurant

A chance to meet your fellow travelers over the flavors of Oaxaca. Casa Taviche is known for its modern interpretation of traditional Oaxacan cuisine — a perfect first taste of where we are.

Today we open the retreat circle and root ourselves in the living food traditions of Oaxaca — traditions inseparable from the land. Quinta Bravo is a working organic farm where heirloom corn, chiles, and herbs grow as they have for generations, connecting modern cuisine to ancient Mesoamerican foodways.

7:00 – 7:30 AM

Coffee, Tea + Snacks @ Casa Divina

Fruit, yogurt, granola, pan dulce/pastries

7:30 – 9:30 AM

Opening Ceremony + Yoga Practice @ Casa Divina Terrace Studio

We open the retreat with a ceremony that honors the land we are on and sets the tone for the days ahead - through sacred presence, reflection and inspired action in a curated yoga-flow practice.

9:30 – 10:30 AM

Breakfast @ Casa Divina

10:30 AM – 2:30 PM

FREE TIME — Walk, Explore, Eat, Shop, Rest

Optional guided orientation walk to Mercado or El Centro.

Lunch on your own (cost not included).

2:30 – 3:30 PM

Transfer to Quinta Bravo Organic Farm

3:30 – 5:00 PM

Cooking Class: Salsas, Masa, Tortillas, Empanadas + Mole Tasting

Quinta Bravo grows its own ingredients using traditional Zapotec farming practices. As you cook, you will learn how these flavors connect Oaxacan cuisine to the ecology of this region.

5:00 – 5:30 PM

Hora de Feliz — Fresh Juices and/or Mezcal

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Dinner @ Quinta Bravo

Green + Yellow Mole (Chicken + Vegetarian option).

7:00 – 8:00 PM

Community Firepit — Dessert + Hot Cacao

A grounded introduction to the history and cosmology of Monte Albán — what we will encounter tomorrow morning. The Zapotec who built Monte Albán were extraordinary astronomers and ecologists who oriented their civilization around celestial cycles and natural rhythms. Arriving with this context will transform your experience of the site.

8:00 – 8:30 PM

Transfer back to Casa Divina

FONCET Focus: Sustainable Production

FONCET supports smallholder farmers in the communities surrounding El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve to transition to sustainable production methods — establishing apiculture programs that support both honey production, crop pollination and promoting conservation agriculture in the lowlands. By making sustainable farming economically viable, FONCET reduces pressure on the forests from the outside in.

Monte Albán is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the Americas — a city built on a mountaintop, leveled by hand, and aligned with the stars. Walking its plazas at sunrise, before the day's heat and crowds arrive, is an experience that stays with you. This afternoon, we enter the world of Oaxacan cacao — a plant with deep ceremonial roots and a direct, living connection to the forests FONCET works to protect.

6:00 – 7:00 AM

Coffee/Tea + Light Breakfast @ Casa Divina

7:00 – 7:30 AM

Transfer to Monte Albán Trailhead

Option to skip the hike and be dropped at the site entrance.

7:30 – 8:00 AM

Hike to Monte Albán Archaeological Site

Approx. 1 mile / 300 ft elevation gain

8:00 – 10:00 AM

Free Exploration of Monte Albán

Wander the grand plaza, the observatory, the ball court, and the tomb galleries. This civilization flourished for 500 years before the Common Era — their engineering, astronomy, and ecological knowledge were remarkable.

9:00 – 9:30 AM

Optional: Silent Group Meditation at the Summit

Monte Albán was built in precise alignment with solar and stellar cycles. A sunrise meditation here — on the same stones where Zapotec priests once tracked the heavens — is an invitation to feel yourself as part of something much older than your individual story. We will gather at the north platform for a guided silent sit, open to all.

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Return to Casa Divina

11:30 AM – 4:30 PM

FREE TIME — Explore, Eat, Rest

Lunch on your own (cost not included).

4:30 – 4:45 PM

Walk to Dinner

4:45 – 6:15 PM

Dinner @ Mayordomo

6:15 – 6:30 PM

Walk to Cacao Experience

6:30 – 8:00 PM

Oaxacan Chocolate Experience @ Chimalapa Cacao con Origen

Chimalapa works with indigenous cacao farmers in the Sierra de Santa Catarina Chimalapa — one of the last great intact tropical forests in Mexico. Cacao is a forest crop: it grows beneath a canopy of shade trees, making cacao farmers de facto forest stewards. Tonight you will taste and learn how this sacred plant connects wellness, ceremony, community, and conservation in a single elegant cup.

8:00 – 8:15 PM

Walk back to Casa Divina

8:30 – 9:30 PM

Evening Yin + Yoga Nidra Practice @ Casa Divina Terrace Studio

A restorative practice to unwind and anchor from the lushness of the day. Allow everything to settle.

FONCET Focus: Conservation & Species Protection

El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas harbors one of Mexico's last populations of the Horned Guan — a spectacular, turkey-sized bird found nowhere else on Earth — along with jaguars, tapirs, spider monkeys, and hundreds of migratory and endemic bird species. FONCET's park ranger program places trained guardaparques in the reserve to monitor wildlife, prevent illegal logging and species trafficking, and respond to forest fires.

Today we leave the city and climb. San José del Pacífico sits at 8,000 feet in the Sierra Sur — a landscape that mirrors, in many ways, the cloud forests FONCET works to protect in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas just to the east. Both are part of the same biological corridor: mist-draped mountains of extraordinary richness, Zapotec and indigenous communities who have stewarded them for millennia, and ecosystems under growing pressure from climate change, deforestation, and economic hardship. As you ascend, feel the air change and the light soften through the mist. You are entering a different world.

 7:30 – 8:30 AM

Coffee/Tea + Breakfast @ Casa Divina

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Travel to San José del Pacífico (approx. 3-hour drive)

Two stops: Artisan Roadside Shops + Bathroom. Watch the landscape transform from the dry Oaxacan valley through pine-oak forest into cloud forest as you gain elevation.

1:00 – 2:00 PM

Lunch @ La Vaca de San José Restaurant

2:00 – 3:00 PM

Room Check-In @ Alto de la Sierra

3:00 – 5:30 PM

FREE TIME — Explore The Village and Cloud Forest Edges or Rest

Walk the village paths, sit in the mist, listen to the birds. The cloud forest begins just steps from the hotel. You may encounter hummingbirds, trogons, or the shimmer of an orchid in the moss.

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Evening Yoga Practice @ Majestic Mountain Studio

Indoor + outdoor option — weather permitting, we practice outside looking out over the Sierra Sur.

7:00 – 8:30 PM

Dinner @ La Vaca de San José Restaurant

8:30 – 9:30 PM

Group Grounding + Intention-Setting

A guided circle to clarify what each participant carries into tomorrow — ceremony or long hike. What are you ready to illuminate, cultivate or release? What are you seeking?

FONCET Focus: Water & Watershed Protection

Cloud forests like the one you are standing in are the origin of rivers. They capture moisture from passing clouds, filter it through deep soils, and release it slowly into the streams and aquifers that sustain communities far downstream. FONCET's water program protects these hydrological systems through sustainable farming practices, livestock exclusion from riverbanks, soil conservation, and forest protection — recognizing that a healthy watershed is the foundation of every other form of human and ecological wellbeing.

This is the heart of the retreat — the day of deepest inner work. Two paths are available, and both lead to the same place: a more honest encounter with yourself, held by the mountain forest. Whichever path you choose, the cloud forest is your container.

Option 1 — Meditation Ceremony in the Cloud Forest

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Short Hike (approx. 2 miles) to Outdoor Ceremony Site

A time and space for meditation, contemplation and receiving. The forest itself is part of the medicine — its beauty, its diversity, its complexity a mirror for your own inner landscape. Supported by guided prompts, healing songs and energy work.

Option 2 — Guided Cloud Forest Hike

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Guided Long Hike (approx. 4.5 miles / 1,200 ft elevation gain)

A naturalist-guided hike through the cloud forest. Your local guide will introduce you to the ecology of this place — the epiphytic orchids and bromeliads clinging to ancient oaks, the endemic birds calling from the canopy, the fungi holding the forest together underground. This is a moving meditation: the forest as teacher.

1:00 – 5:00 PM

FREE TIME — Rest, Explore

Lunch on your own (cost not included). Small restaurants within walking distance. Optional outdoor bridge walk with views over the Sierra Sur.

5:00 – 6:30 PM

Evening Yoga Practice @ Majestic Mountain Studio

A gentle, integrative practice after a profound day.

6:30 – 8:00 PM

Dinner @ La Vaca de San José Restaurant

8:00 – 9:30 PM

Firepit Cacao + Group Sharing Circle

Gathered around the fire with ceremonial cacao, we create a container for honest sharing. Each participant is invited — never required — to speak to what arose today: what they encountered, what shifted, what they are ready to release or carry forward. The mountain holds us as we hold each other.

We descend from the mountains to the sea — from interior to shore, from effort to ease. Huatulco is one of Mexico's great conservation success stories: when this coastline was developed in the 1980s, 70% of the land was designated as protected national park. The Huatulco National Park now protects 37 bays, 36 kilometers of coastline, and the coral reefs, mangroves, sea turtle nesting beaches, and tropical dry forest that sustain them. After the rise of the mountains, the ocean invites you to let it all go.

8:00 – 9:00 AM

Coffee/Tea + Breakfast @ La Vaca de San José Restaurant

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Travel to Huatulco (approx. 3-hour drive)

Two bathroom stops. Watch the cloud forest give way to tropical dry forest and then the Pacific glittering below.

1:00 – 1:30 PM

Check In @ Camino Real Zaashila Beach Resort

1:30 – 5:30 PM

FREE TIME — Beach, Pool, Rest, Explore

Lunch on your own. Two full-service restaurants + one coffee shop on resort grounds.

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Sunset Yoga Practice @ Beachside Outdoor Studio

Practicing yoga as the sun sets over the Pacific is a gift. The ocean air and the warmth of the coast create a different quality of presence — expansive, open, soft. Let the breath of the sea be your breath.

7:00 – 8:30 PM

Dinner @ Camino Real Buffet

FONCET Focus: Social Development & Community Wellbeing

FONCET's Social Development work recognizes that conservation only succeeds when the communities living alongside protected areas can thrive economically. Their CPS (Prosperous and Sustainable Communities) program provides small grants and technical support to local entrepreneurs developing livelihoods that depend on — and therefore protect — intact ecosystems. Nature-based tourism in places like Huatulco is exactly this model at scale: when a coastline's economic value comes from its beauty and biodiversity rather than from its exploitation, conservation and community wellbeing align.

Our final full day moves from stillness at sunrise to the living reef, and closes with a farewell dinner that draws together everything we have encountered. The thread running through all of it — the ancient city, the sacred cacao, the cloud forest, the mountain air, the salt water, the coral reef — is the same: living systems, human and ecological, that thrive together through relationship, reciprocity, and care.

6:30 – 7:30 AM

Sunrise Guided Meditation @ Beachside Outdoor Studio

Begin your last full day in stillness, watching the Pacific light arrive. A guided meditation focused on gratitude, integration, and the gifts of the journey.

8:00 – 9:00 AM

Coffee/Tea + Breakfast @ Camino Real Buffet

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Transfer to Boat Harbor @ Huatulco National Park

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Guided Snorkeling in Huatulco National Park

Before entering the water, your naturalist guide will offer a brief orientation to the reef ecosystem: the coral species you will see, the fish that depend on them, the sea turtles that forage here, and the threats these reefs face from warming oceans and acidification. When you dive below the surface, you will see not just beauty but relationship — thousands of species co-existing in a living architecture that took centuries to build. Snorkel with awareness and care.

1:00 – 2:30 PM

Seafood Lunch @ Beachside Restaurant

Supporting local fishermen who work within the national park's sustainable regulations.

2:30 – 3:30 PM

Return to Camino Real Resort

3:30 – 6:30 PM

FREE TIME — Final Beach, Pool, Last Swim

6:30 – 9:00 PM

Farewell Dinner @ Camino Real + Closing Circle

We close with celebration and reflection. A guided conversation will draw together the threads of the journey: What has each landscape in Oaxaca revealed to you? How does wellness inspire your path forward? And what is one thing you will carry home — a practice, a commitment, a changed relationship to the natural world?  We will introduce FONCET's current conservation priorities in Chiapas and share how participants can stay connected after returning home — whether through donation, advocacy, or simply telling the story of what you witnessed here.

Every journey that transforms us requires a threshold to return back from - Day 8 is that threshold. We will close with intention and gratitude, carrying what was cultivated at the retreat back into our everyday lives.

8:00 – 9:00 AM

Breakfast @ Camino Real Buffet

Option 1 — Fly Home

Departing

Transportation included to Huatulco International Airport (HUX)

Option 2 — Extend Your Journey

Departing

Transportation arranged upon request to Oaxaca City (approx. 4.5 hours)

Oaxaca rewards extra time — day trips to Hierve el Agua or Mitla, mezcal distillery visits, more time in the markets and galleries.