Mindful Holidays Mozambique

Join Gerry and Christina in Vilanculos, Mozambique, for a truly mindful holiday

Mysterious Mozambique

When we first travelled to Mozambique in 2005, overland from Malawi for five days on local transport all the way  up to Pemba in the far north, we found a mysterious and still quite unknown country, with the most beautiful beaches we had ever seen.

We immediately felt, despite all the hardship this country had been through, that we had found a little pearl that would grow in the future. While Gerry was not so keen on going back after a hard long journey overland on buses and trucks, we came back in 2017 and visited the timeless Ilha de Mozambique and Quirimbas Archipelago which took us back centuries. During our first trip, Gerry could never have imagined that one day he would live here and teach mindfulness meditation.

Back then his life was still very different, working for a big American corporate company with a maximum of three weeks holiday in a row. Travelling around on local buses in Africa wasn’t really his thing or favourite holiday experience! But when he married Christina he knew his life would not be the same anymore 🙂

While living here in Mozambique now, we are experiencing that life in Africa is not the same as travelling around and going back home after a three-week holiday. Keeping that relaxed, refreshed and peaceful feeling you might have after a nice and often-needed break is often one of the biggest challenges after you arrive back home. Yet, change is part of our life and experiences, everything comes and goes. Every experience, good or bad, can enrich your life, no matter where you are or where you are based.

With Christina’s background in sustainable tourism, hospitality and guest relations and Gerry’s Mindfulness Teaching, we invite you to share our personal and professional experiences with you here in Mozambique and teach you more about how mindfulness can help you in your daily life back home.

With MindWise Mindful Holidays we offer a different kind of holiday here in Mozambique –  a unique introduction to mindfulness meditation in a beautiful, natural and warm place. A relaxing and peaceful time for yourself for self-reflection, self-development and self-growth.

During your stay with us, you will learn about mindfulness and meditation first-hand from a fully qualified mindfulness teacher. Along with Gerry you will begin to see how your mind works – and often gets in our way – while discovering the importance of the body/mind connection. You will learn some tools how to get less distracted and deal better with your challenging thoughts.

The peacefulness here in Vilanculos lends an atmosphere of calm and tranquility which will accompany you on your inner voyage of discovery.

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Explore and Restore
Five Day/ Four Nights Solo Retreat

If you struggle with an overly busy mind, a pressure to always ‘do’ and ‘achieve’, are afraid of change in your life, or simply have too much stress or anxiety, then this retreat is for you.

Come and stay with us in our house in Vilanculos with a big tropical garden full of flowers and butterflies overlooking the Indian Ocean. Here, you will find peace.

You will learn more about mindfulness and how it can help you on a daily basis while enjoying and resting in beautiful Vilanculos. Gerry will guide you in core mindfulness practices such as:

  • Meditating with the senses in the beautiful natural environment of the Bazaruto Archipelago
  • Mindful movement and mindful walking exercises on the beach and in the garden
  • The body-scan
  • Mindful eating
  • Practicing with beginner’s mind
  • Practicing gratitude
  • Meditating with the breath
  • Practicing with things just as they are
  • Learning about some of the key attitudes in meditation such as allowing, acceptance and non-striving

Each day will consist of a 1.5 hour private session with Gerry as well as a morning and evening practice all depending on your meditation experience. Gerry will teach you both theory and practice and together we will host you here in Vilanculos and make your stay as comfortable as possible.

Outline program

Day 1 Arrival

  • Welcome and meeting – pick up from airport if needed. After settling in, you will have your first introductory session to mindfulness and outline retreat based on your experience and wishes
  • Evening dinner together

Day 2

  • Morning meditation before breakfast
  • After breakfast a private morning session with Gerry for one-and-a-half  hours. You can then relax and have down time during the day
  • Short evening meditation
  • Evening dinner together

Day 3

  • Morning practice before breakfast; private morning session with Gerry for one-and-a-half hours;  Relaxation and down time during the day; short evening meditation
  • Evening dinner together in a local restaurant

 

 

Day 4

  • After breakfast and a short morning practice, you can visit the Bazaruto Archipelago or do any other activity of your choice (all at additional cost);  short evening meditation upon return
  • Dinner

Day 5

  • Morning practice before breakfast followed by a one-and a-half hour final session with Gerry
  • Departure

Sessions are fully adaptable, based on your level of meditation experience. You can choose our five-day retreat, where each day we will focus on a different aspect of mindfulness practice. Alternatively, you can discuss a more immersive experience, where Gerry will put together a personalized retreat based around your meditation experience and your own path.

What’s included

Cost

€525             36.500 Mets

Explore

During your stay we would like you to indulge you in the Mozambique/African experience. On one of your retreat days we will take you on a sunset canoe safari in the wetlands close to Vilanculos, a very special and peaceful experience where you can reconnect with nature and see hundreds of fireflies. This is included in your retreat. We also offer a meditation on death island, the infamous sandbank in front of our coast (price not included, and depends on tides).

You cannot really visit Vilanculos without visiting one of the beautiful islands of the Bazaruto archipelago. This is why we have included this in the retreat on day four as an optional activity for you as it is a full day (costs not included). It can also be replaced by other activities that day, such as kitesurfing, horse riding, or diving on the famous Two Mile Reef (all additional costs).

Peaceful canoe trip

Why Book with Us?

You can book dates whenever suits you, based on your own travel plans.

Your retreat can be fully personalised, based on your needs or challenges that you are facing, and your experience with mindfulness meditation practice.

Gerry left the corporate world in 2009 after thirty years, taking a dive into the unknown. After many crossroads, choices and changes, he finished his four-year Masters in Mindfulness Teaching in 2022. From his own experience he knows how hard it is to deal with change in our life.

He is truly passionate about mindfulness and feels he can help people, especially those who struggle with letting go and facing change in their lives.

We would like to give you a local experience here in Mozambique as much as we can, using local ingredients for the food and working together with local partners where possible.

Christina has been passionate about travelling, local food and Africa all her life. She has been hosting guests for the last ten years in Portugal and we have always enjoyed having people around. Together we will try to give you a very personalised experience. One-size-fits all never works. You might even have a chance to taste the bananas from the garden!

Staying in our house gives you the opportunity to practice mindfulness on our lovely veranda where you are welcome to relax during the day and evenings, enjoying the sounds of nature. Our home is simple and basic, but lies directly on the Indian Ocean with private access to the beach and close to the centre of town.

Staying in our home gives you a more personal and private experience. We are, however, very happy to help you with other accommodation options in Vilanculos, should you prefer to have a little more luxury, privacy or distance.