Chelsea's Yoga Retreats: South Africa
Three flights and 40 hours of travel. Pure and utter delirium masked by so much adrenaline. My first retreat. My first time leaning into what became known as “My Year of Yes”. This is South Africa.
Day 1
Two days after leaving Seattle, WA we land in Durban, South Africa. One overnight nine-hour flight from Seattle to London. An 11-hour overnight flight from London to Johannesburg. And then finally a third flight after a four hour layover in Joberg and we landed. With VERY little sleep and so many nerves about every first I was about to embark on, I tried to prepare myself for arrival. This was my very first yoga retreat - ever. Oh, and I was the teacher. The only teacher. Here I learn my first rule: arrive a day (or more) before your students.
I was so delirious, stinky, tired, and ruffled with arms FULL of bags that I felt so unprepared to welcome my students in the airport. The entire group has arrived in Durban at the same time as me and with a giant sleepy smile on my face, I deeply embrace each soul with warmth, excitement, and thankfulness that they’ve chosen to share this experience with me. Even though I’m not sure what I said - haha s’tired.
We hopped in a giant van towing a trailer for all of our gear and set off to drive along the coast at sunset. It was an INCREDIBLE first experience to set down on a new continent and be welcome with such a spectacular show. All but one traveler are from other parts of the world! Germany, Australia, Switzerland, America, Canada, and Italy! We arrived at Thendele Camp in the Drakensberg Mountains in the compete dark unsure of what the views would be like when we awoke. Just wait…
Day 2
The next morning I woke bright and early (South Africa is 9 hrs ahead of Seattle) to prepare for the first outdoor yoga class. Once I peeked out the window my jaw dropped. Guys, these mountains are insanely beautiful. I remember people messaging me about how this mountain range was one of their most favorites but I wasn’t prepared. Following our first practice (backdrop = mountains) we set out to hike this range. We trekked an 8 mile out and back trail to Policeman’s Helmet which sat high above our camp. It kinda felt like we were in Jurassic Park as the African sun kissed our sweaty skin. Hiking back after lunch along a creek, we learned about baboons! Not only were we to keep all food and bags locked but also our room doors. Baboons are known to open unlocked doors and rifle through and take your things. We saw and heard quite a few of these large dog-like apes on the hike back and realized they can be quite dangerous. Noted, doors locked!
Day 3 & 4
Up and at ‘em! New day and new location! We packed all of our things up and headed for the N’daka Safari Lodge to spend two full days on safari. I had never experienced animals outside of the zoo so I was crazy pumped for the next few days.
We had two sunrise drives and two sunset. Our hope was to catch “The Big Five” which we learned was hippopotamus, elephant, lion, rhinoceros, and cape buffalo, (cheetah would round out “The Big Six”). Open safari trucks and two amazingly knowledgable guides got us up close and personal with the animals. This trip just kept blowing my mind. The food was incredible at this lodge, the views and sunrises over the desert seemed not real, and we actually were able to check off the entire “Big Six” and so many other animals.
We slept in the high-end glamourous safari tents, swam in the pool during the day, and practiced yoga (safely) tucked away in the camp. It really was all just a dream and I’ve never felt more present. I cried when seeing the rhinos for the first time after leaning of poachers and the increased desire for their horns.
In South Africa, 11 languages are spoken and our guides spoke several of them. Zulu was the most fun to try out as many words involve clicks and moving your tongue in ways I never had. We also tried many types of South African foods and my favorite was their biltong and droewors. Jerky ain’t got nothing on biltong! Amarula is their liquor and while super sweet, it is a really yummy dessert drink.
Day 5
We packed up again and headed back to Durban. Here we spent the last few days with our guides in the their home. They had transformed this space into a sanctuary and its yoga studio was so gorgeous! Having walls to practice with, we had our backbending and inversion workshop as well as all the cozy yin classes with an abundance of props.
Big family style meals, hangs outside with all of the monkeys (many of whom curiously hung in the trees while we practiced in the studio), and a whole lotta yoga wrapped up our week in South Africa.
Day 6
Our last day together, we ventured out to the Oribi Gorge for some zip lining. We visited Lake Eland Ziplines which is the longest and most thrilling zipline tour in Africa! From the MASSIVE suspension bridge we walked over to stepping into a harness and zooming us 680m (2230ft!) across its longest line, we had a blast making these memories together!
That night we came back for our final yoga class and experienced ‘load shedding’. Load shedding is done countrywide to respond to unplanned events to protect the electricity power system from a total blackout, which means parts of the country go without power. And in our case… candlelit yoga!
We shared in a farewell bonfire where we all reminisced about our favorite memories, some poignant takeaways, a lot of tears, and why we chose to say “yes” to Africa. This trip had so many levels and I will never ever forget it and the students and people I came to call friends.
In Summary:
This being my first retreat ever, I was met with so many unknowns, doubts, and a whole lotta fear. I worked with Adventure Retreats and felt so looked after during my entire experience. I’m not sure I would have felt ready had I gone out on my own without a company to help me. So thankful I had that.
I also learned a lot about holding space for others while honoring my personal needs and that of my little thousands of miles away back home (ya never stop being a mom even while watching lions hunt in the wild). I learned that I deeply love traveling, hosting retreats, and getting to witness so many firsts with people from all over the world. I learned so much about this country and quickly realized how I wasn’t ready to leave it. Someday, I hope to go back and visit Cape Town and all of the western coast’s glory. But bigger than anything else, I learned to be afraid and do it anyway. Stepping into the unknown is scary! It’s enough to stop people in their tracks or cause them to turn back. Be brave… and just keep doing the next right thing. There’s magic on the other side.
See what retreats I’m currently planning here and read about that to expect on your first yoga retreat here! I can’t wait to meet you and say “yes” together!