Wild Stillness on the Mountain

Summer on Mvuleni Mountain is a season of abundance — long golden days, tall swaying grasses, and the air alive with the hum of insects and the songs of returning birds. The mountain is vibrant and full of life, inviting all who come to slow down, step into its beauty, and be held by its wild stillness.

This five-day retreat offers an immersion into nature-based meditation and gentle presence. Each day includes mindful hikes into the surrounding mountains, pausing to meditate in wild places where practice feels natural and easeful.

Evenings are spent at Dharmagiri in an atmosphere of gentle, easeful silence, with shared meditation, mindful movement, and quiet reflection around the fire. The retreat is open to everyone, from beginners to experienced practitioners, and the silence held supports deep connection with the land, oneself, and others — beyond words.

An invitation to rest, listen, and be restored in the stillness of the Drakensberg mountains.

Who Is This Retreat For?

• Anyone who loves being in nature and wants to deepen (or begin) a meditation practice.

• Beginners and experienced meditators alike.

• Those with moderate fitness: four consecutive day-long hikes, each 4–6 hours on varied terrain.

• Lifelong students of nature: share your knowledge and learn from fellow participants.

  Retreat Highlights

  • Silent Retreat
    We’ll observe silence throughout hikes, meals, and meditation periods, with occasional guided talks and optional sharing opportunities.

  • Daily Guided Hikes
    Four full days of guided awe-inspiring hikes to stunning locations—river crossings, mountain ridges, hidden pools, majestic caves, indigenous forests

  • Wild Meditation
    Each day on the trail will offer unique and inspiring settings for mindfulness practices, including mindful walking, sitting meditation, reclining meditation, standing meditation, and mindful eating.

  • Comfortable Summer Accommodations
    Single rooms (ensuite or shared bathroom) at Dharmagiri

  • Delicious Vegan/vegetarian Meals
    Three nourishing home-cooked vegetarian meals per day, including pack-lunches for the trail prepared fresh each morning.

  • Opportunity for Digital Detox (encouraged but optional)
    A chance to fully unplug—devices off or on flight mode throughout the retreat.

  • Supportive Guidance
    Co-facilitated by Niel van Zyl, Phumla Shongwe and Maia Marie.

  Weather & Schedule:

• Expect warm days and cool, crisp mornings.

• All activities are weather-dependent; facilitators will adjust hikes for safety and optimal experience.

  About Your Facilitators

  Niel van Zyl
  Retreat Centre Manager at Tamagiri, nature guide (FGASA), and monastic-trained meditator with 18 years of practice. Niel loves solo wild retreats on Mvuleni Mountain and brings deep wilderness experience and mindfulness teaching to every hike.

  Maia Marie
  Healer, storyteller, and initiated West African Dagara practitioner. Maia has been practicing meditation since 2013 and specializes in transformative storytelling, somatic work, and holding spacious, nurturing retreat environments.

  Phumla Shongwe
  Phumla began her meditation practice 20 years ago and this practice opened up the door to her ever deepening spiritual lifestyle. She is now a multi-certified yoga teacher, a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and a healer.

  Costs

• R6400 Single room ensuite

• R5900 Single room with shared bathroom

• R5150 Shared room with shared bathroom

*Partial scholarship available upon application