The people leading your week

Every facilitator holds a recognised qualification in what they teach: a registered yoga teacher training of at least 200 hours, a completed mindfulness teacher training, or an International Mountain Leader award for anyone guiding on the hills. Writers, photographers and cooks bring years of professional work and teaching experience instead. We take their classes as ordinary guests and check their certificates and references before we offer any dates.

Nobody leads a retreat alone in their first year. New facilitators work alongside us for at least one full season, co-teaching and watching how a week runs, before they take a group on their own.

Every facilitator also holds a current first aid certificate, renewed at least every three years. Mountain leaders hold an outdoor or wilderness first aid qualification.

We keep groups small enough to know everyone. There are never more than 14 guests to one lead facilitator, and on hiking days no more than 12 walkers to one mountain leader. Every retreat also has an on-site host from our Lisbon team, who looks after rooms, meals, transfers and anything else you need, so facilitators can focus on teaching.